Competitive Fields Announced for Rome Marathon

Published by IAAF on March 4, 2015

Last year’s winners may not be returning to the 2015 Rome Marathon, but Habtamu Assefa and Meseret Kitata will aim to keep both titles with Ethiopia at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 22 March.

Twelve months ago, Ethiopian duo Shume Hailu and Ayelu Lemma won both races in the Italian capital; the third time in the race’s history that both titles were won by Ethiopian athletes. This year, Assefa and Kitata will be looking to make it a fourth.

Assefa, who represented Ethiopia at the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, has a personal best of 2:08:28, set at the 2013 Dubai Marathon.

Kenya’s 37-year-old John Komen has the fastest PB of the entire field, but his 2:07:13 was achieved four years ago. In his most recent marathon, he clocked 2:14:27 to finish second in La Rochelle.

Elite field (with PBs)

Men

John Komen (KEN) 2:07:17

Teshome Gelana (ETH) 2:07:37

Mustapha El Aziz (MAR) 2:07:55

Habtamu Assefa (ETH) 2:08:28

Peter Kurui (KEN) 2:08:56

Oleksandr Sitkovskyy (UKR) 2:09:11

Ruggero Pertile (ITA) 2:09:53

Jamel Chatbi (ITA) debut

Women

Olena Burkovska (UKR) 2:27:07

Nastassia Ivanova (BLR) 2:27:24

Meseret Kitata (ETH) 2:27:26

Deborah Toniolo (ITA) 2:28:31

Alem Mokonnin (ETH) 2:31:20