Defending Champions Muindi, Biktimirova Lead Honolulu Marathon Field – $150,000 guaranteed prize purse with $40,000 to each race champion

HONOLULU – (December 11, 2008) – Defending champions Jimmy Muindi of Kenya and Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia lead the professional field for Sunday's 36th Honolulu Marathon.

Muindi, 35, who has run the Honolulu race every year since 1994, will seek his sixth victory. He finished second last year, but was awarded the title after defending champion Ambesse Tolossa of Ethiopia was disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. Muindi finished 4th in the 1994 run and hasn't placed lower than third since then. He set the course record of 2 hours, 11 minutes, 12 seconds in 2004.

Muindi's chief rival is expected to be his brother-in-law, Patrick Ivuti of Kenya, who won the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in a swift 2:07:46. The field also includes Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia, the 2005 winner at Boston.

Muindi hasn't been running well for the past year or so, and hasn't had a good race for a while, said co-race director Jon Cross. But his familiarity with the course will make him hard to beat, Cross said. And Muindi says his training has been going well, and he believes he can earn victory number seven.

Biktimirova, 26, is favored to repeat as the women's race winner. She has run well this year, with close runner-up finishes in Boston and Chicago. She finished in 2:33:06 last year, her second Honolulu run. She is expected to be chased by Kiyoko Shimahara of Japan, who was third in Chicago in October, a minute or so behind Biktimirova.

Veteran marathon observers say Alice Timbilili of Kenya has looked strong recently and could challenge for first place. Cross also says three-time Honolulu winner Lyubov Morgunova of Russia can't be counted out. The field includes 2005 winner Olesya Nurgalieva of Russia and her twin sister, Elena.

Lyubov Denisova of Russia set the women's record of 2:27:19 in 2006.

The guaranteed prize purse equals $150,000 with $40,000 for each race champion. There are also time incentives plus $15,000 for a new course record.

About 23,000 runners are expected to register for the 36th Honolulu race, which begins amid fireworks at 5:30am. The course begins along the Honolulu waterfront and continues through the downtown area, Waikiki, and East Honolulu to the Hawaii Kai turn-around and back to Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

For more information, visit: HonoluluMarathon.org

Source: Running USA