By Fortis Marathon Rotterdam
Top athlete James Kwambai is returning to the Coolsingel to put something right. The Kenyan doesn't want to be taken by surprise again on Sunday April 11 during the 30th Fortis Marathon Rotterdam.
Last year, his compatriot Duncan Kibet passed him, just before the finish, after an exciting sprint to the end. Both Africans were awarded 2.04.27 to their names. Only the Ethiopian world record holder Haile Gebrselassie has ever run faster.
Kwambai will start the jubilee marathon as the favourite. The 27-year old will not be making the same mistake again. "With the finish in sight I relaxed so that I could throw my arms in the air in triumph," he said to the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation. The images of the sensational finish were shown all over the world. They can also be seen at www.fortismarathonrotterdam.co.uk.
Compatriot Patrick Makau (personal best: 2.06.14) is one of Kwambai's most important rivals. Makau made an excellent impression at the CPC Run The Hague; he won the half marathon, despite the wind and the cold, in 59.51. Makau had not himself envisaged that he would finish within the hour and spoke of a successful test for the Fortis Marathon Rotterdam.
That also applied to two other Kenyan participants. Robert Kipchumba (fifth in 59.58) and Bernard Kipyego (sixth in 1:00:02) appeared also to be on track for ‘Rotterdam'. "Besides Kwambai, we can expect a lot from Makau, Kipchumba en Kipyego. All of them runners with huge potential," says marathon organiser Mario Kadiks.
Daniel Rono is the fifth elite athlete who will be coming to Rotterdam. The Kenyan's personal best stands at 2.06.58. "He is sure to want to improve on that time," says Kadiks. "Rono ould earn a lot more money at other marathons, but consciously chose our race for, among other things, its fast course."
Rono also knows that the Fortis Marathon Rotterdam dominated last year's world rankings with the three best times. With 2.05.04 Abel Kirui, also from Kenya, takes third place after Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai. It is a confirmation of the fact that ‘Rotterdam' has a fast course and good race management. It also has a ‘nose' for runners who surpass themselves.
Rono frequently trains in Kenya with Koen Raymaekers (2.12.59). The Dutch favourite for the national title proved in the CPC Run The Hague that also his preparation for the Fortis Marathon Rotterdam is coming along well. Raymaekers finished 14th in 1.02.48, just 12 seconds above his personal best. With that achievement he meets the requirements for the forthcoming European Athletic Championships in Barcelona.
Raymaekers preparations for the marathon can be followed via his diary. Merel de Knegt, the favourite among the women in Rotterdam, was one of the many athletes who noted a personal best: 1.13.10.
James Kwambai, the seventh child in a family of nine children and himself a father of two sons, started running at an early age. In 2006 he won the Brescia (2.10.19) and Bejing (2.10.36) marathons.
His breakthrough came in 2008, when he offered his services to Haile Gebrselassie. Kwambai ran as a very reliable pacemaker, enabling Gebrselassie to finish in 2.03.59, the current world record. Kwambai came second in Berlin in 2.05.36. He also came second in the 2007 Boston marathon (2.14.33) and of course also in Rotterdam last year. His training is geared towards winning on the Coolsingel next month in another top time. It will be his eighth marathon.
James Kwambai's seven marathons
2006 Brescia (1) 2.10.20
2006 Bejing (1) 2.10.36
2007 Boston (8) 2.14.33
2007 New York (5) 2.12.25
2008 Boston (8) 2.15.52
2008 Berlin (2) 2.05.36
2009 Rotterdam (2) 2.04.27
The top 10 marathon runners of 2009
2.04.27 (1) Duncan Kibet Kirong Ken Rotterdam 05-04
2.04.27 (2) James Kipsang Kwambai Ken Rotterdam 05-04
2.05.04 (3) Abel Kirui Ken Rotterdam 05-04
2.05.10 (1) Samuel Wanjiru Ken London 26-04
2.05.18 (1) Tsegaye Kebede Eth Fukuoka 06-12
2.05.27 (3) Jaouad Gharib Mor London 26-04
2.05.29 (1) Haile Gebrselassie Eth Dubai 16-01
2.05.47 (1) Vincent Kipruto Ken Parijs 05-04
2.06.04 (2) Abderrahim Goumri Mor Chicago 11-10
2.06.14 (4) Patrick Makau Ken Rotterdam 05-04
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