HERVIS PRAGUE HALF MARATHON ON 6th APRIL World Record Holder Zersenay Tadese facing strong challenge in Prague

Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea can expect tough opposition from a Kenyan contingent as well a rival closer to home when he stands on the start line of the Hervis Prague Half Marathon on Saturday, April 6.

Fresh from taking the bronze medal at the World Cross-Country Championships on Sunday, Teklemariam Medhin’s confidence for his debut at the distance should be sky high after an excellent performance in Poland.

The impressive Kenyan entry includes three men with sub 60 minute personal bests in addition to the Eritrean world record holder Tadese. Of the Kenyan trio, the most prominent one is Philemon Limo, who won the Hervis Prague Half Marathon with a course record of 59:30 two years ago and this remains his personal best. The women’s race will have half a dozen runners involved with personal bests of sub 70 minutes. Ethiopia’s Worknesh Degefa is the fastest athlete entered with a best of 67:49. The Hervis Prague Half Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Race.

While Zersenay Tadese is expected to go for Prague’s world-class course record of 58:47 minutes, set last year by Atsedu Tsegay (Ethiopia) he will also have to keep an eye on the opposition and not just the clock. Compared to Tadese’s world record of 58:23, Philemon Limo’s PB should leave the latter trailing. But there is no one among the leading contenders who knows the roads of the Czech capital so well. It will be the third time in a row that the 27 year-old Kenyan has competed in the Hervis Prague Half Marathon. In 2012 he was third with 60:03 minutes. He’s been a familiar face on the Prague running scene, winning the Mattoni 10 k i in 2011 (27:34) and was third when running his marathon debut in the capital in 2012 (2:09:25).

But the athlete entered with the second fastest PB behind Zersenay Tadese is not Limo but another Kenyan: Pius Kirop ran 59:25 when placing fourth in the Berlin half marathon a year ago. He produced another fine performance in the half marathon later that year, finishing fourth in the World Championships. Kirop was only ten seconds away from the bronze medal position in a race dominated by, guess who?: Zersenay Tadese. While Daniel Chebii (59:49) is the third Kenyan with a prestigious PB of sub one hour, Henry Kiplagat is only a fraction outside and he did it on this very course. The Kenyan clocked 60:01 in Prague a year ago for second place.

Time and again, debutants have caused upsets in some of the world’s premier running events. One who will run the 21.0975 k distance for the first time and who has the recent form to make a big impact on 6th April is Teklemariam Medhin. Zersenay Tadese’s fellow countryman produced a superb performance in the World Cross Country Championships in Bydgoszcz last Sunday when he took the bronze medal. The 23 year-old was in the in the leading group of four runners in the final lap and the only ones to beat him were the winner Japhet Korir (Kenya) and the defending champion Imane Merga (Ethiopia). This quality of performance suggesets an impressive debut is on the cards. Teklemariam Medhin has done very well on the track as well. In the London Olympic 10,000 m final he was seventh last year.

The women’s field of the Hervis Prague Half Marathon has every chance of producing close contests and fast times with good strength in depth. The 23 year-old Worknesh Degefa is the fastest in the field with a personal best of 67:49. The Ethiopian has shown good cross country form earlier this year, winning the San Giorgio race in Italy.

Worknesh Degefa will be up against an experienced half marathon runner who returns to Prague on 6th April: Gladys Cherono. The 29 year-old was third a year ago, improving her best to 68:18. The Kenyan then confirmed her fine form in the summer of 2012, when she won the long distance double at the African Championships (5,000 and 10,000 m).

Waganesh Mekasha has recently shown very promising form, highlighted by the Ethiopian winning the Marrakech half marathon in January with a personal best of  68:48. While Agnes Mutune (Kenya/69:04) and Tadelech Bekele (Ethiopia/69:31) will also be in with a chance, a prominent Kenyan runner starts a comeback in Prague: Isabella Ochichi has not been competitively active for some time but at the age of 33 the 5,000 m silver medallist from the Olympic Games in Athens 2004 could still do very well. It remains to be seen whether she can roll back the years to put her best for the distance of 68:38, set in 2001, under pressure.

More information about the Hervis Half Marathon Prague is available online at: www.praguemarathon.com

Source: Hervis Prague Half Marathon

www.praguemarathon.com