Gelana, Burangulova Win ING Miami Marathon 2007

Nyamboki, Friend-Uhl half-marathon champions; over 11,000 participate in races From Danny Elfenbein

MIAMI - (January 28, 2007) - Hours after 176 soldiers in Tallil, Iraq completed a "shadow" race of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon®, more than 9,100 runners from around the world kicked off the start of the fifth annual race in Miami this Sunday. Excited runners stood in front of the American Airlines Arena while rain and wind came down at the start. The rain stopped 20 minutes later and runners celebrated South Florida's premier road race with temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s.

The morning included 1,800 middle school students who ran along Congressman Kendrick Meek, participating in the Final Mile of the ING Run for Something Better, a program that promotes youth running through Miami Dade County Schools. Children were finishing a 15-week program in which they completed a marathon by running every day in school, more than a mile and a half a week. In addition to the kids, more than 50 athletes with disabilities led out the race, including the Avis Achilles Freedom Team, soldiers from the Walter Reed Medical Center who were recently injured in Iraq.

Miami has proven itself to be a major destination for runners from around the world, with nearly 70 percent of runners coming from outside Miami-Dade County and 10 percent of the field as international entrants.

The professional men in the marathon consisted of several African runners, a contrast to the strong South American runners in past years. At the 11-mile mark, Teshome Gelana, 23, from Ethiopia began to distance himself from the pack, running five minute plus miles through the finish. Gelana finished in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 51 seconds, collecting $5000 as race champion. Columbian Juan Carlos Cardona followed behind in 2:18:26, while third place runner Charles Kamindo, from Kenya, took his shoes off at mile 16 and finished the race with only socks in 2:23:07.

In the women's marathon, Caroline McIlroy from Canada led the elite field for the first 14 miles, but was caught by seasoned veteran Ramilya Burangulova of Russia and Rima Dubovic of Ukraine. Burangulova, 45, took the title with her 2:40:22, followed by Dubovic (2:42:58) and then front runner McIlroy third in 2:51:11.

In the half-marathon, an ING Miami Half Marathon course record was set by Jared Nyamboki of Kenya in 1:07:09. The previous record was 1:07:56 by Johnny Loria-Solano at the inaugural race in 2003.

The women's half-marathon was won by South Florida's national class runner, Sonja Friend-Uhl of West Palm Beach. Friend Uhl, an Olympic Trials competitor, ran 1:19:25.

The 2008 ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon® is scheduled for Sunday, January 27. Registration opens Tuesday, January 30 with fees as low as $25 for the half-marathon and $37.50 for the full marathon. Close to 15,000 runners are expected for next year's race. For more information, call (305) 278-8668 or logon to INGMiamiMarathon.com.

5th ING Miami Marathon
Miami, FL, Sunday, January 28, 2007

MEN
1) Teshome Gelana, Ethiopia, 2:17:51, $5000
2) Juan Carlos Cardona, Columbia, 2:18:26, $3500
3) Charles Kamindo, Kenya, 2:23:07, $2500

WOMEN
1) Ramilya Burangulova, 45, Russia, 2:40:22, $5000
2) Rima Dubovic, Ukraine, 2:42:58, $3500
3) Caroline McIlroy, Canada, 2:51:11, $2500

Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Jared Nyamboki, Kenya, 1:07:09*, $750
*Course record (previous record, 1:07:56, Johnny Loria-Solano, Costa Rica, 2003)

WOMEN
1) Sonja Friend-Uhl, USA / FL, 1:19:25, $500

source RunningUSA