Running: Ndereba Does It Again - World Marathon Champion

Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 06:45 PM

By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

OSAKA, Japan - (September 2, 2007) - Catherine Ndereba became the first woman to ever win a second IAAF World Championship Marathon when she pulled away from China's Chunxiu Zhou in the closing two kilometers of the race, held on the course of the Osaka Marathon on a hot, humid Sunday morning.

Ndereba, 35, followed a course which has often been successful for her, hanging back from the lead pack until well past the halfway mark. Once she had joined the lead pack, Ndereba stayed in position to cover any moves, even taking the time to go back and pick up her missed fluid bottle at a late-race aid station.

Her patience paid off when the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist was able to drop Zhou, another sub-2:20 marathoner, with a move as the final pack of four entered Nagai Park on its way back to the stadium finish. Ndereba's winning time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, 37 seconds is the slowest in World Championships history; Ndereba also won the World title in Paris 2003. Zhou finished just eight seconds back in 2:30:45.

Behind Ndereba and Zhou, Japan's Reiko Tosa, the silver medalist from the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, fought back from fifth to take bronze in 2:30:55. Tosa carried high expectations for the entire country, as Japan had not won a medal earlier in the championships, and the women's marathon was their last opportunity.

Ndereba's victory, combined with Rita Jeptoo in 7th (2:32:03) and Edith Masai in 8th (2:32:22) gave Kenya gold in the World Cup, scored by the combined times of the first three athletes for each country.

Second place went to China, with Zhou, Xiaolin Zhu in 4th (2:31:21) and Shujing Zhang (2:33:46.) Japan took third - Tosa, Kiyoko Shimihara (6th, 2:31:04) and Mari Ozaki (14th, 2:35:04).

The USA was led by Ann Alyanak, who placed 31st in 2:42:23. Alyanak, runner-up in this spring's USA Marathon Championship in Boston, was one of very few athletes to run the second half of the race faster than the first, and moved up over fifteen places in the second half. Team USA placed sixth in the World Cup.

11th IAAF Track & Field World Championships - Osaka, JPN, Sunday, September 2, 2007

WOMEN'S MARATHON
1) Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 2:30:37, $60,000, gold
2) Chunxiu Zhou (CHN), 2:30:45, $30,000, silver
3) Reiko Tosa (JPN), 2:30:55, $20,000, bronze
4) Xiaolin Zhu (CHN), 2:31:21, $15,000
5) Lidia Simon (ROM), 2:31:26, $10,000
6) Kiyoko Shimahara (JPN), 2:31:40, $6000
7) Rita Jeptoo (KEN), 2:32:03, $5000
8) Edith Masai (KEN), 2:32:22, $4000
9) Mara Yamauchi (GBR), 2:32:55
10) Lyubov Morgunova (RUS), 2:33:41

U.S. finishers
31) Ann Alyanak, 2:42:23
35) Zoila Gómez, 2:44:49
38) Dana Coons, 2:46:12
42) Mary Akor, 2:47:06
49) Samia Akbar, 2:56:27

12th World Cup Marathon
TEAM
1) Kenya, 7:35:02, $20,000
2) China, 7:35:52, $15,000
3) Japan, 7:37:39, $12,000
4) Russia, 7:50:34, $10,000
5) Italy, 8:12:41, $8000
6) USA, 8:13:24, $6000