The MDS Nordion 10km and ING/Ottawa Marathon on saturday and sunday

Over 28,000 runners will line the streets of Ottawa this Saturday and Sunday for the MDS Nordion 10km and ING/Ottawa Marathon. Superstar Catherine Ndereba(KEN), Olympic Silver Medalist and World Champion will make her Canadian debut in the MDS/Nordion 10km.
Catherine, who is training for the World Championships Marathon in Osaka, is again using her USA training base in Valley Forge, Pa and some racing to get ready in the hope to add to her Gold Medal she won in the Paris World Championships and Silver Medal from Helsinki World Championships.

Catherine will face Aster Demissie(ETH) and some fellow Kenyan woman: Florence Jepkosgei, Magdalene Mukunzi, Jelegat Kigen and training partner, Gladys Asiba. Prior to competing at the World Championships in Osaka, Catherine will run the NYRR 10km, British 10km in London on July 1st and then really test the high tempertures and humidity of Osaka, by running the Sapporo Half Marathon. She is excited about running in the MDS/Nordion 10km where she and the other woman will start 3 minutes and 51 seconds prior to the men’s start. An additional $5,000 dollars will go to whoever comes across the line first.

Two time defending MDS/Nordion 10km champion, George Misoi(KEN), will have his hands full with a slew of fellow Kenyans, and Canadian Champion, Simon Bairu. George may have to set a PR of sub 28 minutes, as Philip Koech, Simon Bairu, Isaac Arusei, Linus Maiyo, John Itati, and Moses Macharia all possess PR’s of under 28 minutes for a 10km in a road race.

Both of the defending ING/Ottawa Marathon champions have been selected and plan to run the World Championship Marathon in Osaka. Canadian, Lioudmila Kortchaguina, is a Three time ING/Ottawa winner, and looks to repeat as Canadian Champion-ING/Ottawa Champion. She will be tested by a couple of Ethiopian woman, Zebenaye Moges and Kebebush Haile. Athletics Canada will use the ING/Ottawa Marathon as a selection process for Osaka World Championships Marathon.

Abderrahime Bouramdane(MOR) the defending ING/Ottawa Marathon champ has been training in Ifram Morocco with twice London Marathon winner, Abdelkader El Mouaziz.
Including the coach, Mouaziz, London 2nd place, Abderrahim Goumri, Paris World Marathon Champion, Jaouad Gharib,Bouramdane and Khalid El Boumlili, who finished sixth at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will form the Moroccan World Championship Marathon Team. Abderrahime expects the pace on Sunday to be around 64.30 at the half in route to his first sub 2.09 race. Manny Rodrigues, elite athlete coordinator says“If the winner of the ING/Ottawa Marathon breaks the Canadian soil record(Men 2.09.55, woman 2.26.01) he or she will also receive a 2007 Hyundai Tucson, courtesy of Pathway Hyundai“.

This will not be too easy for Bouramdane, as Manny Rodrigues has put together a very good field to take down the Canadian soil record. Amos Matui(KEN), David Cheruiyot(KEN), Ben Kimondiu(KEN), Patrick Tambwe(FRA), David Langat(KEN) and Mark Kokitare(KEN) will challenge.