Gete Wami winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. © Victah Sailer
Ethiopian Gete Wami provided the highlight of the past weekend in international road running. The 31-year-old 10,000-meter world champion of 1999 won the Great Women Run in Sunderland. In the home country of England’s Paula Radcliffe, who was beaten by Wami several times on the track but who is far superior in the marathon, the Ethiopian won the 10 kilometers in 33:43 minutes ahead of the Portuguese Analiasa Rosa (33:53) and Wami’s countrywoman Elfenesh Alemu (33:58). Although marathon world record holder Radcliffe is still recovering from to a foot injury, Great Britain was well represented here in Sunderland by Liz Yelling, who finished fourth in 34:04 minutes. In cold and wet weather conditions, Wami got away from the field at the end of the hard course to assure victory. “It was a hard race, and it is nice to have won here,” said the Ethiopian, who wants to run the Berlin Marathon on September 24. Her current best in the marathon is 2:22:20 hours, which she ran in her debut in Amsterdam in 2002. Radcliffe is the only woman to have run a faster debut.
Deena Kastor to Run New York
Deena Kastor, the American marathon record holder and the 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist, announced that she will run this year’s ING New York City Marathon, to be held on Sunday, November 5. “The New York and Chicago marathons are two of the world’s greatest marathons and part of the five World Marathon Majors,” said Kastor, 33. “It was a very difficult decision for me to choose which marathon to run this coming fall. My decision to run the ING New York City Marathon got down to the basic fact that I have already won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and I want to win in New York.”
The announcement came after much discussion about where Kastor would follow up her record-setting win at the 2006 Flora London Marathon. Kastor’s victory in 2:19:36 made her the eighth woman in history to break 2:20 in the marathon and the fourth-fastest female marathoner ever. Last year, Kastor won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:21:25.
Boston and New York to Host Olympic Marathon Trials
One of the most celebrated pre-Olympic events, the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, will be hosted by two of the world’s most distinguished marathon organizers. On Thursday, USA Track & Field awarded the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Women’s Marathon to the Boston Athletic Association and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Men’s Marathon to the New York Road Runners.
“The successful bids from the B.A.A and NYRR to host the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials create an opportunity to continue and expand an established working relationship,” said USATF CEO Craig A. Masback. “Working together, we will create a higher level of visibility for the sport and our athletes. Both cities will put on world-class events as our athletes attempt to fulfill their Olympic dreams, using fan-friendly race formats that will make the races even more appealing.”
The B.A.A. will host the women’s event on Sunday, April 20, 2008, the day before the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. Starting and finishing at the traditional Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, the Olympic Trials race will feature a specially designed course that tours historic Boston with a one-time loop that passes Boston Public Garden, Boston Common, the State House and Beacon Hill.
NYRR, the organization behind the world’s largest marathon, leading advocate of American long-distance running and organizer of a year-round calendar of races in Central Park, successfully bid to conduct the men’s Olympic Trials during the marathon weekend of November 2, 2007. The course is expected to be a criterium-style course in Central Park that will start and finish near Tavern on the Green. It will be the reverse of the loop used when NYRR hosted the USA 8K Championships from 2002 to 2004. Athletes will run the loop five times, with distance added to complete the full 26.2 miles of the marathon.
