Press Release - Rome Marathon - 3/22/09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
           
              15th ROME MARATHON ACEAELECTRABEL TROPHY
 AFRICA WINS EVERYTHING – KIPTOO KOLUM BREAKS THE COURSE RECORD (2.07:17)

The 15th Rome Marathon started at 9 o'clock this morning in via dei Fori 
Imperiali. It was the most participated event in Italy, with almost 12,000 
starters in the 42,195km distance and more than 80,000 in the Rome Fun Run, 
a non-competitive race on 4,2195km distance. Rome's Major Gianni Alemanno 
gave the start along with the president of the Marathon Enrico Castrucci.

The goal of the LOC was to set great times, and a record arrived. The 
Kenyan Benjamin Kiptoo Kolum won with a time of 2:07:17, the new course 
record and also a new Italy's all-incomers record. The former record was 
set in 2005 by Italy's Alberico Di Cecco with a time of 2:08:02, while in 
Italy nobody before had run faster than Ethiopia's Simretu Alemayehu 
(2:07:44 at Turin in 2001). The Kenyan was a real surprise, because he 
actually started as peacemaker.

The 29 year old from Kapsabet made his move at 34km and closed with a 
strong personal best (the previous one was 2:09:24 winning in Brescia last 
year). 2004 world half marathon champion Paul Kirui was 2nd in 2:08:23, 
while Joseph Ngeny, also a pre-race pacemaker, closed in 3rd with a PB 
2:08:41. The first 11 at the finish line were Kenyans.

Ethiopia's Firehiwot Dado won the women's race with a time of 2:27:32. Born 
in 1984, she was very little-known before the race, as she had run just a 
marathon in Kosice (Slovakia) last year with 2:37:34. She trained with 2008 
Boston Marathon champion Dire Tune. Ukraine's Tetyana Filonyuk (2:27:43) 
and Ethiopia's Haile Lema Kebebush (2:28:08) also caught the podium. 
Home-favourite Anna Incerti arrived 5th in 2:29:33.

Great Britain's Richard Whitehead, a double leg amputee, achieved an 
extraordinary result, closing in 2:56:45. This is the world best time among 
amputee category. The last year he enchanted and surprised the Roman crowd, 
today he had a best time of 3:14:22, but was ready to do better. He did it 
and ran even faster than prediction.

RESULTS
MEN
1. Benjamin KIPTOO KOLUM (KEN) 2:07:17
2. Paul KIRUI KIPROP (KEN) 2:08:23
3. Joseph NGENY (KEN) 2:08:41
4. Hosea ROTICH KIPROP (KEN) 2:09:47
5. Philip SANGA KIMUTAI (KEN) 2:10:09
6. Philemon ROTICH KIPKIRUI (KEN) 2:10:26
7. Vincent KIPTOO KIPLAGAT (KEN) 2:10:33
8. Francis KIPROP  (KEN) 2:11:13
9. Philip MANYIM KIPKURGAT (KEN) 2:11:21
10. Albert MATEBOR KIPLAGAT (KEN) 2:11:33

WOMEN
1. Firehiwot DADO (ETH) 2:27:08
2. Tetyana FILONYUK (UKR) 2:27:43
3. Haile LEMA KEBEBUSH (ETH) 2:28:08
4. Risper JEMELI KIMAIYO (KEN) 2:29:16
5. Anna INCERTI (ITA) 2:29:33
6. Lena CHERUIYOT JEMUTAI (KEN) 2:30:18
7. Albina IVANOVA-MAYOROVA (RUS) 2:30:21
8. Larissa ZOUSKO (RUS) 2:31:28
9. Weiwei SUN (CHN) 2:32:03
10. Marcella MANCINI (ITA) 2:33:54

Handbike Men
1. Vittorio PODESTA' (ITA) 1:21:53
2. Mauro CRATASSA (ITA) 1:25:48
3. Giovanni ACHENZA (ITA) 1:27:25

Handbike Women
1. Raffaella CONGIU (ITA) 2:10:20
2. Graziella CALIMERO (ITA) 2:55:49

Paraplegic
1. Federico MESTRONI (ITA) 2:05:51

Blind
1. Lorenzo GAZZELLONE (ITA) 3:08:10
2. Raffaele PANEBIANCO (ITA) 3:27:50
3. Mariusz GOBALEK (POL) 3:42:28

Amputee
1. Richard WHITEHEAD (GBR) 2:56:45
2. Charalambos VASILIOU (GRE) 3:28:10
3. Fausto ORICCHIO (ITA) 3:50:42

Not hearing
1. Danilo TESTA (ITA) 3:54:34
2. Paolo Carmelo RIZZA (ITA) 4:00:48

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