STANDARD CHARTERED’S GREATEST RACE ON EARTH BRINGS REIGNING MUMBAI MARATHON CHAMPION BACK TO DEFEND HIS TITLE IN 2008
Vietnam’s top runner gets set for Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon
Hanoi, January 18, 2008 – Following the second leg in Singapore with Vietnam’s current first position in Southeast Asia, the third Vietnamese athlete today headed to Mumbai to compete with top athletes from 33 different countries in the Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon on January 20.
Nguyen Dang Duc Bao, currently the best marathon runner in Vietnam, who won the gold medal in the National Sport Games’ Athletics Championship 2007 and ranked the fourth in the 24th SEA GAMES, is expected to run against other Southeast Asian top athletes to maintain Vietnam’s first position in the region.
Top athletes from 33 different countries have gathered in Mumbai in preparation for the third leg of Standard Chartered’s Greatest Race on Earth (GROE). Amongst them is last year’s male marathon winner, GROE athlete John Ekiru Kelai of Kenya’s Men’s B team.
With Kenya B currently leading the Men’s Nations Challenge competition, Kelai needs to repeat his performance of last year to keep his team in contention for the top prize. The Mumbai Marathon could prove vital in determining who will ultimately win the coveted Gold Baton trophies and a significant slice of the USD 1.08 million prize pool.
After the first two legs in Nairobi and Singapore, the Men’s and Women’s Nations Challenges are still up for grabs. African teams dominate the Men’s competition, with Kenya B leading
Kenya A, with Uganda in third. A mere 12 minutes 24 seconds separates these top teams, and Zimbabwe, Russia and India are all under 20 minutes off the pace. Strong performances from any of these teams could leave them in a strong position ahead of the final leg in Hong Kong on 17 February.
The Women’s competition is even tighter, with just 11 minutes and 15 seconds separating the top three. China, currently residing in third place behind Kenya A and Kenya B, will be hoping that 2006 Nairobi Marathon Runner-Up Xin Zhang can recreate her sensational performance in Kenya here in Mumbai on Sunday, and at the same time propel her nation to the top of the Women’s Nations Challenge league table.
GROE is a relay of four marathons run in some of the most challenging urban environments in the world – the high altitude of Nairobi, the humidity in Singapore, the heat of Mumbai and the uphill terrain in Hong Kong. Athletes compete in teams of four, representing their country in the Men’s and Women’s Nations Challenges, running in one marathon each and working together to achieve the fastest cumulative team time. Teams not only compete for a top spot in the Men’s and Women’s Challenges, but also for a top 3 place in their Regional category. The 6 regions - Europe & Oceania, Africa, North East Asia, South East Asia, Americas, and South Asia & Middle East - each with their own prize pool, mean that every team has something to run for.
Of the 53 GROE athletes taking part, eight male competitors in the Mumbai Marathon line-up boast personal best (PB) times of under 2 hours 20 minutes. Athletes to look out for in the Men’s race include last year’s Mumbai Marathon winner, John Ekiru Kelai of Kenya B (PB 2:09:09), John Maluni Katio of Kenya A (PB 2:11:53), Raobene Ramoseka of Botswana (PB 2:14:00), Lyngkhoi Bining of India (PB 2:17:32) and Oleg Kharitonov of Russia (PB 2:17:50).
Russia has emerged as the surprise Men’s team of the series so far, with first and second leg team members running impressive times of 2:32:19 and 2:23:23 respectively, placing Russia fifth in the Nations Challenge. Russia will be represented by experienced athlete Kharitonov in Mumbai – who enjoys the unique team aspect of GROE:
“Ultimately, it is the team’s time that matters, not simply my result. It is an exciting feeling to be a part of the team. The pressure will be tough, but my team mates will give me their advice, which does not happen often when I run as an individual.”
After the first two marathons of the series, the Russian team is sitting comfortably at the top of the Europe & Oceania region group table, with a clear 20 minute lead over nearest rivals Great Britain, and are well-placed to win the USD 40,000 prize, a clear motivating factor for Kharitonov:
“Our team is targeting winning the first place on our geographical group. I do not want to let down my friends in the team.”
Speaking of his desire for Botswana to win the Greatest Race on Earth Men’s Nations Challenge, Ramoseka is motivated for success by the Gold Baton trophy awarded to the top Men’s and Women’s teams after the final leg of the marathon series in Hong Kong:
“Gold is one of the most valuable metals in the world. I will cherish it so much if we win it. I am so excited to be a representative of my country and I want to do well for my team.”
The Mumbai leg of the Women’s Nations Challenge also looks set to be closely contested with five GROE runners having clocked under 2 hours 45 minutes in their recent careers. Athletes to watch out for include Jemima Jelagat Sumgony of Kenya A (PB 2:29:00), Xin Zhang of China (PB 2:31:29), Rosangela Figueredo Silva of Brazil (PB 2:40:00), Irene Kemunto Mogaka of Kenya B (2:43:05) and Helen Stanton of Australia (PB 2:44:11).
Chinese GROE runner Zhang is very aware of the pressure that being part of a GROE team can put on a runner, especially considering that her team mate Feng Xia Yang who will be competing in the fourth leg of the series in Hong Kong, won the Mumbai Marathon last year:
“Being part of a team means that there is different aspect of psychology, as my performance will impact the overall team result. The pressure is much higher than running alone. I will need to be positive and professional.”
China are currently third in the Women’s Nations Challenge, after an impressive start to the campaign where team members Lu Lu Li won the Nairobi Marathon and Yan Yan Dai was the third GROE runner to cross the finish line in Singapore.
Having successfully experiencing the two previous legs of Standard Chartered’s Greatest Race on Earth 2007/08 in the most challenging urban environments in the world – the high altitude of Nairobi, the humidity in Singapore, the Vietnam Team is expected to quickly adapt to the heat of Mumbai in the upcoming third leg.
Bao said of the challenge:
“This is my second time participating in this prestigious marathon team relay of Standard Chartered Bank. My first experience in the Singapore marathon in the 2006/07 series had significant meaning to my career and I am really looking forward to this Mumbai marathon. The heat in Mumbai will be a challenge to me. However, with my hard training, strong will, I will make every endeavor to get the best result. I hope that I could meet my personal best time of 2:29:00, and bring the victory to the Vietnam Team.”
After the second leg of the 2007/08 GROE series, Vietnam took the first position in Southeast Asia region.
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