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<p">Around 10,500 participants and a high

class elite field will participate in the Run Berlin on Sunday. The main race is the

traditional 25 k of Berlin with its finish in the Olympic

Stadium. Kenya’s Paul Kosgei had won this race in a

world record time of 1:12:45 hours two years ago. The record still

stands since Haile Gebrselassie’s recent mark is not ratified and there are

doubts that the time will be approved.

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For the first

time since 1990 the traditional Berlin race has a five figure number of

participants on Sunday. It is organised by the Berlin Athletics Federation.

While there are a number of events most of the athletes will run the 25 k race

and once more world class performances can be expected. For the Kenyans it could

get hard to continue their win streaks. Five times in a row the winner of the 25

k of Berlin came from Kenya.

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Fierce

competition will come from Kedir Burka. He is one of four Ethiopians running on

Sunday. So far no Ethiopian was able to win the 25 k of Berlin – in the men’s race they have not even

achieved a place in the top three in the last 25 editions. Kedir Burka is

internationally unknown but is said to have shown some promising potential in

Ethiopia. Elijah Sang is among the favourites

from Kenyan. He has shown last weekend that he is in fine form, when he placed

second at a 10 k race in Würzburg. Clocking 28:10 he was narrowly beaten. Ben

Kimwole is another Kenyan to watch on Sunday. He placed third in Würzburg with

28:12 and had been third as well earlier in the season at the City Pier City half marathon, clocking 61:34 minutes.

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In the women’s race a runner comes to

Berlin who is trying to accomplish a unique

success in the history of the 25 k of Berlin. Magdaline Chemjor already won the

race twice. The Kenyan triumphed in 2001 and 2002. No woman ever before has

achieved a third victory at the 25 k of Berlin. After giving birth last year

Magdaline Chemjor came back to road racing this season.

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<p">Kenya’s women runners will try to continue

their Berlin winning streak as well. Like the men

they won every edition of the 25 k of Berlin since 2001. Last year Rose Cheruiyot

won in a fast 1:24:46 hours. But here an Ethiopian could

play a major role for the first time as well: Asale Tafa will run on Sunday. She

finished third in 2:28:27 hours at last year’s Berlin-Marathon. „Maybe it is

possible to break the women’s course record this year,“ said top athletes

director Christoph Kopp. In 1999 Kenya’s Susan Chepkemei set the current

course record of 1:24:29 hours.

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More

information online at: www.runberlin.de