PRESS RELEASE
20 May 2014
Reigning world champion to run in České Budějovice
As the second regional event to feature on the RunCzech Running League calendar, the Mattoni
České Budějovice Half Marathon certainly won’t be short of world-renowned starts. Prepare
yourselves to watch current world half marathon champion Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor compete
alongside the race record holder, Daniel Chebii.
At the tender age of 21, Geoffrey Kipsang Kamworor from Kenya is this year’s half marathon world
champion from Copenhagen as well as the 2011 junior world cross-country champion, where he
managed to win despite being ranked fourth among the Kenyans. He went for it at full throttle right
from the start, refusing to let anyone catch him. This provides a great indication of his potential.
He hails from the Rift Valley, birthplace to the best long-distance runners on the planet. He started out
running mile-long track races, won the junior world cross country in 2011 going on to triumph at the
Berlin half marathon with a time of 1:00:38 one month later – all at just seventeen years of age! He
ran as one of the pacemakers to Patrick Makau during his world record marathon race. He has
garnered fantastic results over a short space of time including the marathon (2:06:12, third in Berlin
2012). He ran last year’s Ras Al Khaimach half marathon in 0:58:54.
He also won this year’s world championship, defeating Zersenay Tadese, holder of the half marathon
world record. “Now I want to run a world record” says the runner of his next plan. “I’m mentally
prepared, that’s the main thing. It’s not a problem if you have that,” reveals the youngster who spends
a lot of time training with Stephen Kiprotich from Uganda. “He really inspires me and I know I’m now
capable of running in under 2:06 in the autumn,” he adds.
“He wants to take advantage of his good shape here and improve the race record which stands at
under one hour,” says Jana Moberly, Manager of RunCzech Running League elite athletes. He’ll be
helped out by other more experienced Kenyan runners, Daniel Chebii and Daniel Wanjiru, both of
whom have managed to break the magical one hour limit.
Chebii put in a great performance at the first ever České Budějovice race held two years ago, scooping
up a victory with a time of 0:59:49, earning him twentieth best time of the year while also rewarding
České Budějovice with a position in the world rankings in its premiere year.
Wanjiru celebrated his 31st birthday last year with a triumph at the Karlovy Vary Half Marathon. He
trains a lot at high Alpine altitudes in Austria where he is managed by Thomas Krejci. On arriving in the
Alps, he proceeded to build his own house and begin rearing goats for milk. “I use the money I earn to
support my family at home,” he explains. He made a significant improvement to his personal best time
this April in Prague taking him to 0:59:59. He’d like to set his sights on running the full marathon some
time soon.
In terms of the ladies, favourites include the number one Pauline Njeri from Kenya (1:07:55) as well as
the young Ethiopian runner, 23-year old Betelhem Moges. She has already won both the Mattoni
Olomouc Half Marathon (2013) and the Ústí nad Labem Half Marathon (2012). At this year’s
Sportisimo Prague Half Marathon, she managed to improve on her personal best from Olomouc by one
second.
Just as we saw the running couple Andrejev – Andrejeva run in Karlovy Vary we can look forward to
checking out another adept married couple, except on this occasion they’ll be sporting the Ukrainian
flag. Ivan Babaryka is already familiar with RunCzech runs, however this time will be bringing along his
wife Tatiana Vilisova who is three years his senior.
What about the Czechs? Among the men, we can expect to see a battle between local star, Jan
Kreisinger and fresh marathon champion Petr Pechek. The ladies will see last year’s half marathon and
marathon champion Petra Pastorová return after taking a short break from the sport.
“Already in its first race year, Daniel Chebii was able to prove how fast the Mattoni České Budějovice
Half Marathon course can be run. Such a jam-packed start line promises to deliver some interesting
results and we can certainly expect České Budějovice being spoken about throughout the athletics
world. This is not only important for České Budějovice but for Czech sport as a whole,” reveals the
President of the Organising Committee, Carlo Capalbo.
Start list - MEN
Nat
Name
Surname
Born
10km
1 KEN
Geoffrey Kipsang
KAMWOROR 22.11.1992 27:53:00
2 KEN
Daniel
CHEBII
28.5.1985 27:35:00
3 KEN
Daniel
WANJIRU
26.5.1992 28:14:00
4 KEN
Vincent
KIPRUTO
13.9.1987
5
ITA
Andrea
LALLI
20.5.1987
6 KEN Nicholas Kipchirchir
BOR
27.4.1988
7 KEN
Emmanuel
SIKUKU
12.5.1993
8 MAR
Rachid
KISRI
2.8.1975 28:36:00
9 KEN
Robert
NDIWA
27.4.1989 28:30:00
10 KEN
Silas Kirwa
NGETICH
5.2.1988 28:19:00
11 KEN
Samson Mungai
KAGIA
11.10.1984
12 UKR
Ivan
BABARYKA 11.12.1982 28:57:00
13 GBR
Derek
HAWKINS
29.4.1981
HM
0:58:54
0:59:49
0:59:59
1:00:39
1:01:11
1:01:25
1:01:37
1:01:52
1:02:03
1:02:20
1:02:39
1:04:07
FM
2:05:13
2:14:25
2:11:20
2:11:02
2:10:38
2:11:48
2:14:04
Label time
0:58:54
0:59:49
0:59:59
1:00:39
1:01:11
1:01:25
1:01:37
1:01:52
1:02:03
1:02:20
2:10:38
2:11:48
2:14:04
14
15
16
17
18
41
CZE
CZE
KEN
KEN
ETH
Jan
Petr
Festus
Godfrey Kipogei
Fikadu
Gideon Kipkemoi
KREISINGER 16.9.1984 28:59:00
PECHEK
11.4.1983 31:01:00
TALAM
20.10.1994
KOSGEI
6.7.1990
MEGANASA 17.12.1992
KIPKETER 10.11.1992
1:03:38
1:06:33
2:16:26
2:18:26
2:16:26
2:18:26
PACE
Start list - WOMEN
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Nat
KEN
ETH
ETH
UKR
KRG
ETH
RUS
KEN
CZE
RSA
11
12
KEN
CZE
Name
Pauline
Shure
Betelhem
Yulia
Iulia
Abebu
Tatiana
Lucy
Petra
Makmanya
Mary
Wangari
Hana
Label
HM
FM
time
1:07:55
1:07:55
33:24:00 1:08:53
1:08:53
1:10:37
1:10:37
33:23:00 1:12:39 2:27:00 2:27:00
33:27:00
2:30:57 2:30:57
32:09:00 1:07:57
2:32:02 2:32:02
32:42:00
32:42:00
35:36:00 1:14:10 2:36:42 1:14:10
32:49:00 1:15:35 2:37:06
32.49
Surname
NJERI
DEMISE
MOGES
RUBAN
ANDREEVA
GELAN
VILISOVA
LIAVOGA
PASTOROVÁ
MAPASEKA
Born
28.7.1985
21.1.1996
3.5.1991
6.10.1983
7.3.1984
18.1.1990
27.11.1979
14.1.1989
6.1.1977
9.4.1985
10km
WANJOHI
RANDÁKOVÁ
1.10.1982
31.3.1986 37:41:00 1:26:34
Prague International Marathon, spol. s r.o. / Tempo Team Prague s.r.o.
Zdenka Pecková
PR & Media
tel: +420 777 537 981
Tomáš Nohejl
RunCzech media
tel: +420 773 407 114
Františka Křížka 461/11, 170 00 Prague 7
email: [email protected]
Notes for editors: http://www.runczech.com/en/for-the-media/notes-for-editors/index.shtml
1:26:34