News
World's best heading to Melbourne - 18/11/09
The 2009 Great Australian Run will boast the world’s best male and female marathon runners of 2009, now that German star Irina Mikitenko has been added to the stellar line up to contest the 15km event around the streets of Melbourne on November 29.
The Great Australian Run is widely-regarded as the best quality road race to be staged in Australia, and in ten days time, fourteen Olympians will be racing around the streets of Melbourne.
At the front of the field, the past two Olympic marathon champions – Kenyan Sammy Wanjiru (Beijing) and Italian Stefano Baldini (Athens) - will go head-to-head against our own rising star and Australian 10,000m record holder Collis Birmingham, who finished third in last year’s event behind the great Haile Gebreselassie.
Three-time Austrian Olympic steeplechaser Guenther Weidlinger, dual Olympian Dan Robinson of Great Britain and Spanish star Jose Manuel Martinez will also battle it out at the top of the pack.
Both Mikitenko and Wanjiru were recently crowned World Marathon Majors champions in New York, after their sensational performances on the prestigious international marathon circuit.
Becoming the first non-African runner to win the World Marathon Major series in 2007/2008, Mikitenko stamped her dominance again this year, securing the title and the US$500,000 cheque.
Taking out the 2008 and 2009 London Marathons, the 37-year-old became the fourth fastest female marathon runner in history when she clocked 2:19:19 to win the Berlin Marathon in 2008.
Placing second at the 2009 Chicago Marathon last month, the former Kazakhstan athlete will arrive in Melbourne in top form, ready to battle Olympic bronze medallist Deena Kastor of the USA and Australia’s best including our No 1 distance runner Benita Willis (formerly Johnson), the 2004 world cross country champion.
“I will not be thinking of times but rather concentrating on a great competition with the other girls. I have great respect for both my competitors who have impressive achievements in running. It will be an exciting race,” said Mikitenko.
The Great Australian Run will mark Mikitenko’s second visit to our shores, her first being in Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games, where she finished fifth in the final of the 5000 metres.
“Out of my three Olympic Games, the best was the one in Sydney. I am looking forward to returning to Australia and hoping for a similar atmosphere at the Great Australian Run.”
The once in a life time opportunity to run with the world’s best athletes and thousands of pavement pounders has also enticed a number of our well known sporting and entertainment stars to run for fun.
Jogging amongst the thousands of runners and walkers of all abilities behind the elites will be none other than Olympic 400m champion Cathy Freeman, three-time Olympian Lee Troop and world championships bronze medallist Craig Mottram.
V8 Supercar drivers Rick Kelly and Paul Dumbrell, jockey Chris Symons, Triple M’s Hot Breakfast Mieke Buchan, Foxtel Olympic presenter Tiffany Cherry and Neighbours star ‘‘Toadie’ will all be pulling on the runners and swimming superstar Ian Thorpe will sound the hooter to set them all off on their way.
The race will be broadcast LIVE on Network Ten and ONE around the nation from 8.30am on race day.
Entries are still open – visit www.greataustralianrun.com.au