NO HALF MEASURES IN WORLD’S RICHEST HALF-MARATHON – ras al khaimah, united arab emirates

Ras Al Khaimah is one of the smaller of the United Arab Emirates, but some of the world’s best distance runners competing for over $150,000 prize money in Friday’s RAK International Half-Marathon will help put it on the map.

Fabiano Joseph of Tanzania is world champion, and practically unbeatable at the distance. And the highlight on Friday morning will be his expected duel with marathon man of the moment, Robert Cheruyiot of Kenya, who won both Boston and Chicago Marathons last year.

They won’t have things all their own way, however, since two Qataris, Hasan Mahboob and Mubarak Shami, who won the 10,000 metres and marathon in the recent Asian Games will also be in the hunt for the $20,000 first prize.

Cheruyiot added to the impact of his double marathon victory, by slipping at the race’s end in Chicago in October, and sliding through the finish line on his back. And Shami was also embarassed when he led Joseph into the finishing straight of the world ‘half’ championships 18 months ago, raised his arms to celebrate victory prematurely, and the Tanzanian ducked under them to take the prize.

Joseph, 23 is determined that the pair will slip up again in their pursuit to snatch his unofficial crown as king of the ‘half’. The Tanzanian has won two more of the world’s best half-marathons in the last 15 months, in Lagos and Bogota, although his sole attempt at the full marathon went awry, when he cramped at 38k in Amsterdam in October, and could only finish tenth.

“I want to do well in the World Cross Country this year, in Mombassa,” he said today (Wednesday), but I think I can win this. I’m very fit at the moment, and I’m very good at the half-marathon.”.

Women’s favourite, Berhane Adere of Ethiopia has never bothered too much about cross country, but is a former 10,000 metres world track champion, and with her victory in Chicago last Autumn already a fully-fledged marathoner. She is preparing for this year’s London Marathon in April, and after a 15k victory in Angola in the New Year, should have the edge on her rivals, who include Kenyan training partners, Rita Jeptoo and Salina Kosgei, and Asmae Leghzaoui of Morocco.

Jeptoo is current Boston Marathon champion, while Kosgei is the 2002 Commonwealth 10,000 metres champion, finished second in the Berlin Marathon in September, then shattered the course record in the Singapore Marathon six weeks later.

Paul Tergat, the world marathon record holder is guest of honour, and will join event patron, the Crown Prince, Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, to start the race and award the prizes. The Crown Prince, who is responsible for opening up Ras Al Khaimah for development, will present Tergat with a cheque for $50,000 for the Paul Tergat Foundation.
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Pat Butcher
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