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Participation Record and Top Athletes at the 26th Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON

2006-03-27

On Sunday the 26th Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON will be started with a new participation record and an international elite field. While there were 18,331 athletes in last year’s edition, there will be an expected figure of around 20,000 this year. With that the Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON is the seventh biggest race of its kind in the world. Among the total number are runners as well as walker, wheelchair athletes, hand biker and inline skater. Furthermore the participants of the 3.5 k Vattenfall FUN-RUN, the Kids Race and the Skating Kids Cup are among that total number. For the first time the Vattenfall Berlin Nordic City Walk will be staged on a 6.8 k course.

The Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON will feature the best elite field in its history. The most spectacular commitment is that of US marathon star Deena Kastor. She will use the 26th Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON as a dress rehearsal for her start at the Flora London Marathon. The 33 year old had won the bronze medal in extremely hot conditions at the Olympic marathon in Athens in 2004. Last year the US marathon record holder (2:21:16 hours) bettered the national half marathon record as well. With her personal best of 67:53 minutes Deena Kastor has exactly the identical time as the second top runner at the Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON: Edith Masai. The Kenyan won the Gold medal at the World Cross Country Championships three times in a row (2002 - 2004). Kastor and Masai are both able to better the current course record of 68:22 minutes.

But there is also a German runner with very good chances at the Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON – which will be impossible in the men’s race. Luminta Zaituc is the defending champion. The 37 year-old won in 71:04minutes in 2005. Her goal is a time of sub 70 minutes and she will try to improve her personal best of 69:35. „I am happy that I can compete again in Berlin,“ said Luminita Zaituc, who additionally finished second in last year’s real,- BERLIN-MARATHON.

There will be a world record holder in Berlin, who is not unknown here: Paul Kosgei won the ,25 km of Berlin’ in the world record time of 1:12:45 hours in 2004. Recently the Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie ran faster but there are doubts if the record will be ratified. 27 year-old Kosgei has the fastest half marathon time in the field as well. In Newcastle he won in 59:58 minutes in 2002. In the same year he was World Half Marathon Champion. If Paul Kosgei is in his best shape, the course record could be in danger. Since 2001 the Spaniard Fabián Roncero holds it with 59:52 minutes. Another Kenyan favourite is Joseph Ngolepus. The 30 year-old Kenyan has a personal best of 60:56 minutes and was runner up last year. 2001 he was the surprise winner of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. Currently in good shape is another Kenyan: Evans Cheruiyot finished second at the half marathon in Ostia (Rome) in 60:12 minutes a month ago. .

FIGURES AND DATES FOR THE 26th Vattenfall BERLIN HALF MARATHON
as of Monday, 27th March 2006

Expected overall participation: 20.200
PRE-REGISTRATIONS: 18.893 from 67 nations

15.937	Runner	11.286	Men	4.651	Woman
1.512	Skater	966	Men	546	Woman
7	Handbiker	5	Men	2	Woman
5	Wheelchairs	3	Men	2	Woman
332	Nordic Walker	74	Men	257	Woman
700	FUN-RUN
400	Kids Race

 

STATS OF THE RUNNERS:
1.708 runners come from 67 nations (non Germans)

Most common nations:

410	Netherlands	85	USA	57	Sweden
256	Denmark	71	Italy	55	Poand
228	England	58	Austria	50	France

The development of the Vattenfall BERLIN HALFMARATHON since 1999:

1999	4.763	Participants	2002	14.709	Participants
2000	8.137	Participants	2003	17.692	Participants
2001	11.584	Participants	2004	17.046	Participants
			2005	18.331	Participants

The figures include FUN-RUN and Kids Race.

 

TOP Men

Bib.	Name	First name	Age	Nation	PB	in
2	Paul	Kosgei	27	KEN	59:58	1. Newcastle-South
3	Lawrence	Kiprotich	20	KEN	60:30	3. Mailand 05
4	Evans	Cheruiyot	25	KEN	60:14	2. Rom-Ostia 06
5	Joseph	Ngolepus	30	KEN	60:56	1. Den Haag 03
7	Silas	Kirui	24	KEN	61:07	1. Prag 05
8	Benson	Barus	25	KEN	61:14	1. Nizza 05
14	Ernest	Kipyego	27	KEN	61:58	4. Berlin 05
16	Charles	Ngolepus		KEN	62:25	6. Berlin 05
17	Moses	Masai		KEN	62:48	8. Berlin 02
18	Ernest	Kimeli	19	KEN	62:29	2. New Jersey 05
19	Abraham	Tandoi	31	KEN	62:37	1. Knittelfeld 03
20	Azat	Rakipav	37	BLR	62:56	7. Saint-Denis/Paris 03
25	Jussi	Utriainen	27	FIN	63:45	3. Houston 04
26	Martin	Söderberg	29	SWE	64:47
32	Joel	Mwaura		KEN	Debüt
35	Lennart	Sponar	25	GER	66:48	Griesheim
50	Tom	Scharff	21	GER	Tempo	GRR-Preisträger 2006 (s. Programmheft)

As at: 27th March 2006

 

TOP Women

Bib.	Name	First name	Age	Nation	PB	in
F1	Luminita	Zaituc	37	GER	69:35	2. Luxemburg 04
F2	Deena	Kastor	33	USA	67:53	1. Philadelphia 05
F3	Edith	Masai	38	KEN	67:53	1. Nizza 01
F6	Melanie	Kraus	31	GER	69:36	2. Luxemburg 99
F8	Beatrice	Omwanza	32	KEN	69:47
F10	Florence	Chepkurui	22	KEN	70:40
F11	Mary	Ptikany	28	KEN	70.18	1. Den Haag 05
F12	Monika	Drybulska	26	POL	73:34	2. Pila 02
F15	Jenny	Johannesson	29	SWE	78:23

 

Inline-Skating TOP Men

T1	Atkins	Sutton	Sieger 2005	71	GBR	Team Orthomol-Sport
T2	Zschätzsch	Daniel	Deut. Nat.-mannschaft, Skater des Jahres 05	82	GER	Team Creative-Rollerblade
T3	Begg	Wayne	Internationaler Favorit, Weltcupstarter	83	NZL	ZEPTO Skate Team
T4	Rubick	Clemens	Deut. Nat.-mannschaft, Sieger German Blade Challenge 05	85	GER	VERO-Powerslide Team
T5	Krempl	Bernhard	Skater des Jahres 04	84	GER	ALPA Speed Team
T6	Wieduwilt	Nico	Deutsche Nationalmannschaft, Weltcupstarter	82	GER	ZEPTO Skate Team
T7	Van Loon	Jan	NDL Top-Skater, Weltcupstarter	85	NDL	ZEPTO Skate Team
T8	Grandgirard	Mathieu	Mehrfacher Französicher Meister und Europameister	76	FRA	Team Creative-Rollerblade
T9	Schwierz	Matthias	Deut. Nat.-mannschaft	84	GER	ZEPTO Skate Team

 

Inline-Skating TOP Woman

X1	Gegner	Jana	Berlin, Siegerin 2005	85	GER	ZEPTO Skate Team
X2	Bak	Sarah	Siegerin German Blade Challenge 2005	83	GER	Team KIA Motors Germany
X3	Strüver	Tina	Deut. Nationalmannschaft, Team Europameister 2005	85	GER	Team KIA Motors Germany
X4	Gehring	Friedericke	Deutsche Meisterin Halbmarathon 2004	79	GER	Experts Race Team
X5	Wieduwilt	Sandra	Deut. Nationalmannschaft, Team Europameister 2005	86	GER	Powerslide Racing Team
X6	Van Tournhout	Britta	Siegerin 2004	83	BEL	Team KIA Motors Germany
X7	Rossow	Sabrina	Deut. Nationalmannschaft	86	GER	Experts Race Team
X8	Kessler	Denise	Deut. Nationalmannschaft	86	GER	Team KIA Motors Germany
X9	Frik	Anette		78	GER	ZEPTO Skate Team
X10	Neuling	Franziska		87	GER	Team C-Quadrat

 

MEDIA-INFORMATION

Press Center:		Opening Hours for the Press Center:
Radisson SAS Hotel Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 5 10178 Berlin Saal Rubin Telephone: 030 – 23828 8901 Fax: 030 – 23828 3770		Friday, 31st March: 10 am to 6 pm Saturday, 1st April: 11 am to 7 pm Sunday, 2nd April: 8 am to 8 pm
Further Press Conferences in the Radisson SAS Hotel, Room Rubin:
Friday, 31 st March 2006 Topic: Top Athletes 11 am expected time: 12:15 pm		Sunday, 2 nd April 2006 Press Conference with Winners expected time: 12:15 pm
Media Contact:
Marisa Reich Telefon: 0178 – 68 29 568 E-Mail: marisa.reich@scc-running.com
Race-Director:
Mark Milde 0179 – 394 82 76

 

ONLINE MEDIA-SECTION

From now on the media section of the webpage of SCC-RUNNING will have a new password. You may reach the locked media section here:

www.scc-events.com/general/presse.en.php
User name: media / Password: running

Here you’ll find all relevant information of all the events of SCC-RUNNING. Certainly you’ll also find information about the 26th Vattenfall BERLIN HALFMARATHON.