Kenya's Chelengat eyes success in Rabat Marathon
Xinhua, April 16, 2015 Adjust font size:
Former Nairobi Marathon champion Alice Chelengat will be eyeing her sixth marathon title when she lines up in Morocco for the Rabat International Marathon on Sunday.
The runner has won marathons in Milan, San Diego, Florence and Nairobi. She has also finished second in Prague and Hamburg.
It will be the first time that Rabat will be hosting the marathon and organisers are keen to get fast times.
"We expect the participation of 3,000 runners," said the national technical director of the Moroccan Federation, Ahmed Ettannani in a statement Thursday.
Ettannani pointed out that the Rabat International Marathon will be organized with high standard and will be in partnership with the annual Mohammed VI International Meeting, a track and field competition for elite runners held in June as part of the 13-leg IAAF World Challenge.
And to ensure the full success of this event, some experienced runners from Kenya and Ethiopia are invited.
Kenya's Stephen Tum, a two-time winner of the Marrakech Marathon in 2012 and 2013, will lead the men's challenge.
Tum holds a personal best time of 2:06:35. His compatriot Alice Chelangat (2:26.36) and Ethiopia's Merima Mohammed (2:23.06), former winner of the Ottawa, Dusseldorf and Houston Marathons, will be running in the women's race.
Prize money will range from 11,000 U.S. dollars for the winners in both cadres, with the 10th finisher taking home 1,000 U.S. dollars. There will also be a half marathon race with the winners claiming 2,000 dollars. Endi