Lighting a flame XI Maratona della Città di Roma, Italy. 13 March 2005 Result MEN: 1 ITA 2:08:02 By Giuseppe Ingrati 2 Philip MANYIM KEN 2:08:07 3 Daniel YEGO KEN 2:08:16 (translation by Claudia Marcus) 4 Ottavio ANDRIANI ITA 2:10:12 5 Trfe Dawit TEFERA ETH 2:11:02 A landmark was passed in this 6 Nigusse DEGENE ETH 2:11:29 year’s City . Of 7 ITA 2:12:24 course, every year the race 8 William K. KIPCHUMBA KEN 2:12:36 9 Samuel Kemboi CHEMWENO KEN 2:12:52 passes by the many famous 10 David MAIYO KEN 2:13:00 landmarks of ‘the Eternal City’ WOMEN: but this time there was a 1 Silvia SKVORTSOVA RUS 2:28:01 landmark in the history of the 2 ITA 2:31:46 3 Tafa Assale MAGARSA ETH 2:32:34 race itself. It was the first time 4 Abeba TOLA ETH 2:34:11 that a marathon in Italy had 5 Edyta LEWANSOWSKA POL 2:35:43 attracted a race entry of more 6 Svetlana NECHAEVA RUS 2:43:35 than 10,000. That was only part 7 Elena FADEEVA UKR 2:44:48 of it: in the Stracittadina 5km 8 Epiphanie NYRABARAME RWA 2:50:57 9 Dagmar RABENSTEINER AUT 2:57:54 fun run 40,000 people took to 10 Michelle EGGENHUIZEN NED2:58:41 the streets. The weather was also There were also 115 handbike them a message of hope and Festivities started with the welcoming, satisfying all runners and wheelchair athletes, another tolerance that can only be rendered lighting of the flame by the Mayor with very mild temperatures. The record and second only to Berlin. through sport. of Rome, Walter Veltroni. He was front runners found everything to accompanied by Nezha Akdhar, a their liking, as they ran faster than Over the years organisers have Many participants, fired by the 25-year old athlete from the ever on this course. responded to the needs of runners flame of hope, found their own Moroccan town of Zagorà. Nezha by making the route more linear, means of expression. Andrea was the first local woman to The first two kilometres were although the course is still Cionna is a blind athlete who won participate in the Marathon des covered at world record pace, but serpentine, taking athletes through two bronze medals at the recent Sables, a 243km run through the the pacemaking settled down to a the more scenic parts of the Paralympics, one of which was in dunes of the North African desert. regular 3:03 per kilometre and the Eternal City, and past some of its the marathon. Together with his lead group passed through halfway great sights. The course assistant, Samuele Pirani, She ran it in 2002, and won the in 1:04:30. The top Italian in the passes the Fori Imperiali, he attempted to break race. This success story lit its own race Alberico Di Cecco, who had the remains of the the world record held for flame, and spread joy to an entire finished a creditable ninth in the largest public basilica in this distance. Umberto community, thanks to the Olympic Marathon, took the Rome. It passes the Malatesta, a 50-year old generosity of her compatriots who initiative. Spanish Steps, which from Fabrica di Roma had raised the 2,500 Euros needed since the 18th century tried to establish a to participate. The Kenyan pair Philip Manyim has been a favourite marathon record for and Daniel Yego launched an Nezha came to Rome as a guest haunt for the Roman jumping rope during the attack at 32km. By 35km Yego was of the organisation and brought public to meet and entire race. He wanted to eight seconds ahead of Manyim even more joy to her people by watch each other against run the 42.195km under 5 and 17 seconds ahead of Di Cecco. defending Moroccan women and a dramatic Baroque hours. Manyim fought back to draw level their right to participate in sport. backdrop. at 37km, and Di Cecco reduced his It has become Within the record crowd many had disadvantage to seven seconds. Di It passes the Piazza traditional for the stories to be told. Some were Cecco kept working hard and as the Navona, which was capital’s marathon to known and others were not, yet all Colosseum came into view he Rome’s main market for host numerous solidarity were related to the same passion finally got to the front to set a new centuries, and before that a space projects and initiatives. The for running that has been ignited in course record and become third for public games. With the “Filippine Project”, brings autistic this city. fastest on the Italian all-time list. Maratona della Citta di Roma the boys and girls to run on the The City of Piazza has rediscovered that cobbled streets of the capital. This He had twice before come third (Maratona della Città di Roma - purpose. The Circus Maximus was year 70 participants came from all in the race and later said: “I did not Trofeo Acea) is appealing for the a vast construction containing a over Italy. want to come third in Rome again. historical sites that it runs through 600m track for chariot racing, which I aimed for a new personal best. I From overseas came more than and the evocative scenery. With the could hold up to a quarter of a thought that the win was within my 200 participants from the Canadian Coliseum as the backdrop for the million people. Even the people reach with 5km to go” association “Team Diabetes” and start more than 2000 years of watching the Marathon on the the American “Lymphoma and history is immediately on show. streets of the Italian capital may In the women’s race there was Leukaemia Society”, who took part not such excitement. Titzia Alagia not have numbered that many. The capacity of the ancient in the marathon to testify that in kept pace with Silviya Skortsova for amphitheatre is 50,000: the same Runners also pass by the three life anything is possible through only 5km before the Russian went number as the crowds of runners holy monuments which grace the coming together in sport. ahead at a steady 3:30 pace to win that set off from just outside it for course, St. Peter’s, the Synagogue by a large margin. Following right behind the the two runs. and the Mosque, bringing with marathon the 40,000-strong field of From the start every curve or the Stracittadina Fun Run pushed straightaway provides a glimpse of forward along with the costumed a scene that becomes etched in the Romans who every year bring joy memory. For this reason alone the and enthusiasm to the streets. race continues to attract large Some huge groups participated numbers of foreign visitors: almost in the Stracittadina, like the Italian 4000 were at the start, coming from Alzheimer Association with more approximately 60 different nations. than 2000 people who carried their From an organisational message: “Do not forget he who standpoint this year’s edition was forgets”. Five thousand other especially demanding yet very runners wore yellow t-shirts with satisfying. The Italian Marathon the slogan, “No to racism, yes to Club can be nothing but pleased differences”. Race day fired the with a record number of Italian imagination and enthusiasm of participants helping to shatter the many different people, and lit a 10,000 barrier. flame in their hearts.

DISTANCE RUNNING April - June 2005 29