TOP RUNNERS – MEN'S RACE 1 – KOMEN John Kipkorir (KENYA) 2:07:13 PB * MAR: 2:07:13 (La Rochelle 2011) – HMAR: 61:57 (Turin 2009) WON VENICE MARATHON IN 2009 WITH A CR 2:08:13 Won La Rochelle marathon in 2011 HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Reims 2008 & La Rochelle 2014; 4th Turin 2008; 6th Turin 2010 & Wien 2012; 7th Boston 2010; 9th Paris 2009 IN ROME * In 2012 was a pacemaker Lives and trains in Iten – Married, his wife is a nurse - Has three children: two daughters (9 and 7-year-old) and a 2-year-old son – Started running in 2005 – Before running he used to play soccer as a wing – Debuted in 2008 in Turin (2:10:25) – Then some months later closed Reims marathon in 2:08:06 – When winning in Venice, did a surprising negative split of 1:03:41 – Has run 12 marathons and broke 2:10 for 5 times – In 2013 did not race for a hamstring injury – Self coached in a group with former WR Marakwet, Kenya holder and 2 times London marathon champion Wilson Kipsang (2:03:23) 28 August 1977 and other athletes like Luka Kanda, Rome marathon champion in 2012 - 173 x 58 Holland's Gerard van de Veen is his manager 2 – ETANA Teshome Gelana (ETHIOPIA) 2:07:37 PB * MAR: 2:07:37 (Houston 2010) 2015 * MAR: 2:12:33 (Tiberias 9-1) WON HOUSTON MARATHON IN 2010 Won marathons in Varsavia 2009, Miami 2007 and Placentia 2006 HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Florence 2010 & Tiberias 2015; 4th Marrakech 2012; 5th Tiberias 2008; 6th Madrid 2006 & Toronto 2010 Was born in a little place near the city of Ambo, in central Ethiopia – Lives in Addis Abeba – Married, has three children (5, 3 and 1-year-old) – Coached by Haji Adilo – Yonas Mekonnon, a former 1:05 HM runner, is his manager – Has run 17 marathons – In 2010 broke twice the 2:10 wall (the PB in Houston and 2:09:31 in Toronto) – Two months ago ran in Tiberias Ambo, Ethiopia 31 October 1983 3 – EL AZIZ Mustapha (MOROCCO) 2:07:55 PB * MAR: 2:07:55 (Seoul 2013) - HMAR: 62:05 (Rabat 2010) HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Casablanca 2011; 3th Seoul 2013 Was born in Meknèsm, where now lives and trains – Coached by his manager Gianni Demadonna, who sends his also the training programs – Started running in 2000 – Before running used to play soccer – Also races on the track: in 2014 ran a PB 28:11.36 when winning a silver medal on the 10,000m at the African Championships, two decades after the medals by Brahim Boutayeb and Khalid Skah – Debuted on the marathon in 2011 (2nd in Casablanca: 2:13:54) – Was preselected by Morocco's Athletics Federation for 2015 WCh in Beijing Meknès, Morocco 24 December 1985 © Alberto Zorzi, 2015 4 – WAKEYO Habtamu Assefa (ETHIOPIA) 2:08:28 PB * MAR: 2:08:28 (Dubai 2013) - HMAR: 61:05 (Lille 2013) 16TH AT HALF MARATHON WCH IN 2012 HIGHLIGHTS * 3th Florence 2012 & Toronto 2013; 7th Padua 2012, 9th Dubai 2013 Born in Ambo, in the central Ethiopia - Lives in Addis Abeba – Has 4 brothers and 5 sisters – Trains with strong 2:04 marathon runners like Tsegay Mekonnen and Dino Sefir, and also with Abebe Negewo Degefa, who is in the start list here in Rome – Started running in 2006 – Debuted in Padua in 2012 (7th, 2:15:53) Ambo, Ethiopia 29 March 1985 5 – DEGEFA Abebe Negewo (ETHIOPIA) 2:08:46 PB * MAR: 2:08:46 (Beijing 2013) - HMAR: 60:40 (Ústí nad Labem 2013) 14TH AT HALF MARATHON WCH IN 2009 HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Brescia 2011 & Beijing 2014; 4th Wien 2009, Milan 2010 & Beijing 2013; 7th Xiamen 2010; 10th Seoul 2010 Born in Ambo, in the central Ethiopia - Lives in Addis Abeba – Has no brothers – Started running in 2007 – Trains with strong 2:04 marathon runners like Tsegay Mekonnen and Dino Sefir, and also with Habtamu Assefa Wakeyo, who is in the start list here in Rome – Debuted in 2008 in Milan (2:21:10) – The following year ran 2:09:52 in Wien – In 2013 ran his PB 2:08:46 in Beijing, where he came back last year and took a 2nd place (2:10:54) Ambo, Ethiopia 20 May 1984 6 – SITKOVSKYY Oleksandr (UKRAINE) 2:09:11 PB * MAR: 2:09:11 (Marrakech 2015) - HMAR: 63:49 (Linz 2006) 2015* MAR: 2:09:11 (Marrakech 25-1) WON FLORENCE MARATHON IN 2013 (2:09:14) 12TH AT OG IN LONDON IN 2012 (2:12:56) Won marathons in Bila Tserkva in 2011, La Rochelle in 2009 and Ljubljana in 2007 HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Turin 2008; 4th La Rochelle 2010; 5th Shanghai 2011 IN ROME: Came for the third time after a 16th place in 2010 and the DNF in 2014 Graduated in Physical Education – Lives in Donetsk – Married with Irina, has two daughters, 6-year-old Alina and 2-year-old Darina – Used to be coached by Igor Lishchynskyy, husband of top class miler Irina Lishchynska, Olympic silver medallist in 2008 – Now is self-coached – In Dnipropetrovs'k, 2011 was the fastest in Europe on the marathon distance with the time of Ukraine 2:09:26 – In November 2013 was voted the “athlete of month” on the 9 June 1978 internet site of European Athletics Association - Has run 20 marathons and 1,83 x 69 has broken three times 2:10 – Two months ago in Marrakech set a PB by 3 seconds © Alberto Zorzi, 2015 7 – CHATBI Jamel (ITALY) DEBUT PB * HMAR: 62:38 (Ostia 2014) ITALIAN CHAMPION ON THE 10,000m IN 2013 & 2014 (28:14.87) ITALIAN CHAMPION ON THE 3.000m STEEPLECHASE IN 2013 Since 1996 has lived near Bergamo, in Northern Italy – Married, has a 3- year-old son and a just 3-month-old daughter – Is not a professional runner and last year was forced to miss the HM WCh in Copenhagen as his boss did not give him a vacation – Since 30 September 2010 has been an Italian citizen – In 2009 had been banned for 3 years for a doping violation during the WCh in Berlin – After coming back to running, was selected for the WCh in Moscow 2013 on the 3,000 steeplechase Beni Amir Est, Morocco 30 April 1984 178 x 63 8 – GEMEDA Dadi Feyera (ETHIOPIA) 2:11:45 PB * MAR: 2:11:45 (Toulouse 2013) – HMAR: 60:29 (Yangzhou 2014) Won Hong Kong marathon in 2014 HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Toulouse 2013 & Johannesburg 2014; 3th Dalian 2012; 11th Tiberias 2012 Lives in Addis Abeba – Debuted in 2012 in Tiberias (2:12:00) – Has a very strong time on the half marathon distance (1:00:29) Wollega, Ethiopia 11 August 1983 9 – PERTILE Ruggero (ITALY) 2:09:53 PB * MAR: 2:09:53 (Turin 2009) – HMAR: 1:02:17 (Udine 2007) WON ROME MARATHON IN 2004 (2:10:12) WON PADUA MARATHON IN 2006 (2:11:18) WON TURIN MARATHON IN 2010 (2:10:58) 8TH AT WCH IN DAEGU 2011 (2:11:57) 10TH AT OG IN LONDON 2012 (2:12:45) 4TH AT ECH IN BARCELLONA 2010 & 7TH IN ZURICH 2014 HIGHLIGHTS * OG: 15th Beijing 2008 * WCh: 23th Paris 2003; 35th Helsinki 2005 – ECh: DNF Goteborg 2006 – Other marathons: 1st Palmanova 2013; 2nd Turin 2009 & Milan 2011; 3th Carpi 2004; 4th Padua 2003; 5th Milan 2002; 6th New York 2007; 7th Boston 2007; 8th Otsu 2005; 11th Otsu 2012 IN ROME * Won in 2004 Camposampiero, Started running when 8 years old, following his brother – Assindustria Italy Sport Padova is his team – Married to the former runner Chiara Arrigoni – 8 agosti 1974 Has a 5-year-old daughter called Alice – Coached by Massimo Magnani – 1,70 x 55 Marcello Magnani is his manager – Used to work at the cheese counter of an Italian company called Ali – Has run 22 marathons - In November 2009, after the win in Turin, was the “athlete of the month” for the EAA - At the Ech in Barcelona in 2010, would have been a silver medallist behind Viktor Rothlin, but was slowed down by the cramps in the very last kilometres – Last year ran the Ech in Zurich just after turning 40 – Trained in Kenya before the Rome Marathon © Alberto Zorzi, 2015 12 – SHIFERAW Andualem Belay (ETHIOPIA) 2:09:59 PB * MAR: 2:09:59 (Dubai 2015) – HMAR: 60:10 (Lilla 2012) 2015 * MAR: 2:09:59 (Dubai 23-1) Won Castellon marathon in 2013 (2:11:59) HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Xichang 2014; 6th Eindhoven 2013; 8th Sevilla 2013; 10th Dubai 2015; 15th Hong Kong 2014 Debuted in 2013 (8th in Sevilla, 2:17:17) – Two months ago set a PB in Ethiopia Dubai, breaking for just one second the 2:10 wall 5 April 1992 13 – ACHAMIE Birhanu Addissie (ETHIOPIA) 2:10:20 PB * MAR: 2:10:20 (Rennes 2014) – HMAR: 63:20 (Praha 2013) 2015 * MAR: 2:12:19 (Dubai 23-1) HIGHLIGHTS * 2nd Rennes 2014; 14th Dubai 2015 Debuted in 2014, when he was not yet 20 (2nd in Rennes with 2:10:20) – Two months ago ran in Dubai, closing in 14th place Ethiopia 1995 14 – TEKESTE Nekatibeb Nurelign (ETHIOPIA) 2:10:17 PB * MAR: 2:10:17 (Rome 2011) – HMAR: 62:12 (Venlo 2008) 2015 * MAR: 2:27:22 (Tiberias 9-1) Won Macau marathon in 2010 HIGHLIGHTS * 3th Enschede 2007; 4th Enschede 2006 & Rome 2011; 7th Koln 2007, Reims 2010, Cannes 2011; 9th Cannes 2009; 21st Paris 2009 IN ROME * 4th in 2011 Ethiopia Has run 14 marathons – Debuted in 2006 in Enschede (2:13:05, 4th) 1980 15 – MELESE Birhanu Niguse (ETHIOPIA) 2:12:29 PB * MAR: 2:12:29 (Sevilla 2014) HIGHLIGHTS * 3th Sevilla 2014; 11th Barcelona 2011 Ethiopia 1986 © Alberto Zorzi, 2015 16 – MEDHANIE Alexsander Tekie (ERITREA) 2:15:24 PB * MAR: 2:15:24 (Ferrara 2008) Won marathons in Ferrara 2008 & Grottazzolina 2011 HIGHLIGHTS * 5th Castellon 2010; 10th Florence 2011; 14th Dubai 2009; 17th Venice 2008; 27th Frankfurt 2007 Was born in Ethiopia, but now has the citizenship of Eritrea – Debuted in 2008 and won in Ferrara in the snow Addis Abeba, Ethiopia 10 July 1985 17 – KIPKEMBOI Rogers Rop (KENYA) 2:14:05 PB * MAR: 2:14:05 (Mombasa 2014) – HMAR: 61:58 (Zhengkai 2014) HIGHLIGHTS * 7th Mombasa 2014 Ran for the first time in Europe – This is his second marathon after the debut in Mombasa last year Eldoret, Kenya 1990 18 – KORIR Weldon Kiprono (KENYA) 2:17:40 PB * MAR: 2:17:40 (Rome 2014) – HMAR: 62:42 (Kenya 2012) HIGHLIGHTS * 3th Venice 2014; 7th Rome 2014 IN ROME * 7th nel 2014 in 2:17:40 Born in Bomet, like his friend Leonard Langat, who last year was 3th