FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
African Marathoners Out To Break The
Gold Coast Airport Marathon Record
At least five Kenyan and two Ethiopian speedsters are set to give Brad
Camp's 22-year-old race record a run for its money in the Gold Coast
Airport Marathon to be held on Sunday week, 3 July.
While the men's number one bib will be worn by Victoria's three-time
Olympian and London 2012 aspirant Lee Troop, a crack field of Africans are
hoping to smash Camp's mark of two hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds
(2:10:11) next Sunday.
Their presence constitutes what organisers believe to be the strongest
men's field in the history of the Gold Coast event as they set out to snare
the $10,000 winner's purse and a tantalising $25,000 bonus if they can run
under 2:10:00 on the day.
A $5,000 bonus will also be paid if the men's race winner breaks Rob de
Castella's stubborn Australian Allcomers Record of 2:09:18 set at the 1982
Brisbane Commonwealth Games.
That means the race winner could potentially scoop $40,000 if the winning
time is under 2:09:18.
Five of the international visitors have run under 2:10:00 over the 42.195km
distance with 32-year-old Jackson Koech from Kenya statistically the best
of the bunch boasting a 2:08:02 personal best, set at Rotterdam, Holland in
2005.
Despite posting four career sub 2:10s, he struggled with injury last year
and is looking to the Gold Coast race as a career revival of sorts.
But there are no such injury worries for Kenyan Nicholas Manza, 26.
Consistently in 2:08 and 2:09 territory, this year's in-form City of Los
Angeles Marathon second place getter is aiming to go one better Sunday
week.
Ethiopian Alemayehu Tafere, 23, and Kenyan Moses Kangogo, 31, announced
their intentions to chase the race record last week.
Shumye has ominously completed two marathons in less than two hours 10
minutes already this year in January and April.
Kangogo recorded his personal best marathon time of 2:08:58 when setting a
new course record in Dublin, Ireland last year and finished the Lake Biwa
Marathon in Japan in under two hours 10 minutes this March.
Kenyans Albert Matebor (PB 2:09:16) and Japhet Kipkorir (PB 2:11:02),
Kenyan-born Qatari Gamal Salem (PB 2:12:28) and Ethiopian Wellay Amare (PB
2:13:12) will be doing more than making up the numbers, all hoping for
personal bests on their way to maiden Gold Coast race wins.
New Zealand's five-time Rotorua Marathon champion and Athens 2004 Olympian
Dale Warrender joins Troop in rounding out the current top 10.
Troop won the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in 2006 and is fresh off a slick
29:03 Launceston Ten 10km warm-up performance in Tasmania last weekend.
He will be hoping to score a berth in his fourth successive Olympic Gamesby
covering the familiar Gold Coast distance in the London 2012 qualifying
time of 2:12:00 or better.
Leaving little to chance, he will bring training partners Jason Hartmann
and Patrick Rizzo with him from his Boulder, Colorado high altitude
training base to be pacesetters.
The early race plan is for Hartmann and Rizzo to take the lead group
through halfway in 1:04:30 with Hartmann to carry on at 3:04 minutes per
kilometre until the 25km mark.
All going well Troop will have the option at that point of staying with the
frontrunners or run his race more conservatively to focus on his Olympic
qualifier.
If Troop was to make his fourth Olympic Team he would join fellow marathon
legends Rob de Castella and Steve Moneghetti as the only Australians to
have participated in four Olympic marathons.
"I have had a lot of success at the Gold Coast and I hope Sunday July 3rd
will be no exception," said Troop.
"I know I have an Olympic qualifier in me and with the additional 10 weeks
preparation between (the 2011) London (Marathon) and the Gold Coast I plan
to be in shape to do so.
"The Gold Coast is a flat course and the July weather conditions there are
traditionally great to be able to run a fast time," he said.
Events Queensland Gold Coast General Manager Cameron Hart said while he
wishes Troop well with his Olympic efforts, this year's strong African
marathon presence will be timely.
"The 2011 Gold Coast Airport Marathon will be run on the very weekend that
the Africa Region delegates will be in the city to assess the city's
suitability to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games," said Mr Hart.
"For the delegation to see first-hand how we organise a major international
event is a wonderful opportunity," he said.
"It's a crucial visit for the city's bid and quite timely given the number
of runners from Kenya taking part this year who all have the ability to
break the longest standing race record of this event and even Rob de
Castella's national allcomers record."
Staged annually on the first weekend in July, this year's Gold Coast
Airport Marathon is set to attract more than 25,000 runners from all over
Australia and the world.
It will feature an event for all ages and abilities, including the Gold
Coast Airport Marathon, ASICS Half Marathon, Wheelchair Half Marathon,
Southern Cross University 10km Run, Queensland Health 5km Challenge and
Junior Dash 4km and 2km races.
The Gold Coast Airport Marathon is also supporting the Gold Coast's bid to
host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. This event will reinforce the city's
capabilities to host major events and showcase to the world the wonderful
and diverse attractions the Gold Coast has to offer.
The Gold Coast Airport Marathon, organised by Events Queensland Gold Coast,
has won the Best Major Event/Festival at the Queensland Tourism Awards for
the past two years.
Visit www.goldcoastmarathon.com.au
Top 10 Fastest Marathon Performances on the Gold Coast:
Male
2:10:11 Brad Camp AUS 1989
2:10:44 Pat Carroll AUS 1988
2:11:15 Fred Kiprop KEN 1998
2:11:21 Pat Carroll AUS 1997
2:11:55 Gert Thys RSA 1997
2:11:58 William Chebon KEN 2009
2:12:53 Dickson Marwa TAN 2003
2:13:00 Alain Lazare FRA 1988
2:13:33 Gerard Barrett AUS 1988
2:13:36 Phil Costley NZL 2001
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