Friday, December 3, 1999

Marathon lures
one of history’s fastest

Kiprop ran Amsterdam in
2:06:47, the sixth-fastest
marathon of all time

By Pat Bigold
Star-Bulletin

Kenyan Fred Kiprop, one of the world's all-time fastest marathoners, will run the Honolulu Marathon, race officials said.

Kiprop, who won the Amsterdam Marathon Oct. 17 in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 47 seconds, is listed by Runner's World magazine as history's sixth-fastest marathoner.

Fred Kiprop will run in the Honolulu Marathon.

The 25-year-old Kiprop defended his title in Australia's Gold Coast Marathon (2:14:04) in July, and ran a strong fourth-place time in the Paris Marathon (2:08:44) in April.

Honolulu Marathon Association president Jim Barahal said that Kiprop is represented by Italian agent, Dr. Gabriel Rosa, who is renowned for having a stable of some of the world's top Kenyan runners, including two-time Honolulu champion (1996, 1997) Erick Kimaiyo of Kenya. Kimaiyo, who won the Honolulu race in 1996 and '97, also will run the Dec. 12 race here, organizers said.

Kiprop's best-credentialed rival will be South Korean Kim Yi-Yong, a 26-year-old who owns the 31st fastest marathon time on record.

Kim won the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:07:49 on March 18. He finished third in Honolulu in 1996.

Kimaiyo lost to Mbarak Hussein of Kenya in a near photo finish last year.

Both men recorded a time of 2:14:05 in what was one of the fastest home-stretch runs ever observed in a marathon.

Radio commentator Alberto Salazar, a former world record holder, said at the time that the last 200 meters was covered in about 27 seconds.

Hussein, younger brother of three-time Honolulu champion Ibrahim Hussein, will be back to defend his crown.

Kimaiyo clocked his best time in 1997 (2:07:43) at the Berlin Marathon.

Honolulu Marathon spokesman Ken MacDowell said that defending women's champion Irina Bogacheva of Kyrgyzstan will be back.

The 37-year-old Bogacheva, who this year recorded her lifetime best (2:28:46) at the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon and won both the Los Angeles and Belgrade marathons, will be challenged by two former champions from Russia. They are 1997 winner Svetlana Zakharova and 1996 winner Ramila Burangulova.