Luke Kibet and Alem Ashebier lead elite line-up at Singapore Marathon

Contributed by Sheila Thomas

December 5, 2008 – The Singapore Marathon this Sunday will see reigning world champion, Luke Kibet and a team of elite marathoners together with 50,000 other participants take to the streets of Singapore.

The number of participants this year has again set a new event record, surpassing last year's participation level of 40,500 runners. The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008 also sees the biggest increase in the number of participants in the full marathon category (from 1,987 in 2002 to 15,429 this year).

The full marathon runners will have the honour of being in the same field as Luke Kibet, the reigning IAAF World Champion and other contenders such as current Singapore Marathon Men's Open category record holder, Elijah Mbogo and two-time previous champion, Amos Matui. Mbogo set the course record with a time of 2:14:23 last year leaving two-time champion Matui in second place.

The contest amongst the Kenyans will be even more competitive this year with Abel Kirui coming into the competition after having set a personal best at the Vienna Marathon in April. His personal best and winning time of 2:07:38 is more than a minute faster than Kibet's personal best of 2:08:52 (set in 2005 in Eindhoven) and more than five minutes inside the course record.

Thrilled to be competing in the Singapore Marathon 2008 for the first time, Kibet said, "I am very excited to be competing in a totally different environment and have this opportunity to compete with so many world-class athletes in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Sunday. This is also my opportunity to show the world that my win at Osaka is not a one-off and it is great that I am able to run with my fellow countrymen who are amazing athletes and have achieved great feats in their careers."

The Singapore Marathon 2008 will also be a reunion for the runners in the Women's Open, with last year's winner, Alem Ashebier from Ethopia returning to defend her title alongside previous year's second place winner Edith Masai and Silvia Skvortsova (third place winner of the Singapore Marathon 2005) from Russia.

Mr. Loh Lin Kok, Co-Chairman of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2008 Organising Committee and President of Singapore Athletic Association said, "The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon this year confirms it to be the premier national event as it is now the biggest ever both in terms of the calibre of elite athletes and number of participants. I don't think many of us can lay claim to be competing in the same race as the reigning world champion in a sporting event. This is a rare opportunity to be cherished and is another step towards even greater things for the event."

Other than the increase in participation numbers for the full marathon, the organisers have also seen an increase in numbers across the board in all categories, especially the Kid's Dash. This year, this category has been streamlined to four age groups for the first time since its inception in 2004 to ensure an enjoyable running experience for the kids and also their parents. This category has seen a 38% increase in the number of participants with many of these budding runners hopefully progressing to the 10km category once they are of age.

All runners and spectators could also expect more activities planned especially for them starting with the pre-race carbohydrate loading Pasta Party held at the Padang at 6pm today. Runners and their families and friends could also relax in the carnival-like atmosphere with various ´live' bands presenting light entertainment along with clowns and stilt walkers providing comic relief after the race.