Fast CLICO Marathon expected Sunday

While there will be the usual top guns among the men’s for the race, the women’s category will be beefed up with the inclusion of Kenyan Mary Akor.

Efforts were made for two other women from the United States to take part but they have not been confirmed.

Francis Williams-Smith, who replaced Shah as chairman of the CLICO Marathon said yesterday that the closing date for the marathon will be on the day of the race. Entries for the 5K run however closed yesterday. Williams-Smith said they were trying to get approximately 1,500 runners for the 5K but added that entries for the marathon have been a bit slow.

Akor will be among a strong field including record holder Gitte Karlsoj of Denmark and Poland’s Joanna Grunt.

A number of top local runners including Pillar Mc Shine, Solange Griffith, Fedelia Ramirez and the members of the Nero family will be among the competitors.

Among the men will be defending champion Curtis Cox, Kenyan John Muriuki, who won the event back in 2001; Vincentian Pamenos Ballantyne, a some six-time winner, Cantius Thomas and Errol "Baldhead’ Williams. Two Kenyan runners were also approached to take part — in a move to increase the level of competition among the men in the 26.1 mile run, but Williams-Smith said when he contacted the coach of the runners, he was told that one was injured and the other has another engagement. According to Williams-Smith, one major change for the race however will be the removal of the finish line from in front the Queen’s Park Oval, to just opposite Queen’s Royal College, around the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The Oval has been under reconstruction for some time now in preparation for next year’s Cricket World Cup next year.

He said the runners will be required to turn at Powder Magazine in Cocorite instead of heading to Victoria Gardens. The runners will proceed past the Oval, up Tragarete Road, before turning onto Maraval Road which would take them to the finish opposite QRC, around the Savannah. Williams-Smith said also that the chip system will also be used for the race to allow proper recording of times for the athletes.

However he said the organisers will also use the electronic timing system as a back-up for the chip system which is being used for the first time at marathon.

The "chip system" was tried and tested at the recent University of the West Indies Half-Marathon which Muriuki won.