Irish aim for London2012 at Dublin Marathon

Linda Byrne – can she break 2:37?

Defending champion Moses Kangago Kibet from Kenya will lead an impressive overseas and local entry at Monday’s National Lottery Dublin Marathon and Irish Championships.
Kibet’s time of 2 hours 8 minutes 58 seconds last year was not only a course record but proved that the Dublin course can produce fast times. This year, he will take on  fellow Kenyans Jacob Kiplagat Yator, Chepkwony Gilbert Kiptoo and Laban Moiben  and the Ethiopian Kedir Fikadu, all with sub-2 hour 10 minute marathons to their credit.
For the Irish,  the big target is qualification for next year’s London Olympics.
Already with an A qualification time of under 2 hours 15 minutes is Mark Kenneally of Clonliffe who ran 2:13.55 in Amsterdam a few weeks ago.
That puts the pressure on the Irish men next  Monday with Tallaght’s Sean Connolly, who ran 2:17.23 at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier this year, leading the entry. Connolly, after a number of  personal bests on the track over the summer, improved his half marathon time to 64 mins 12 secs at the Great North Run.
Something of a wildcard is marathon debutant Andrew Ledwith from Fr Murphy’s in Co Meath. Ledwith dominated road racing over the summer and set a record time of 50 mins 11 secs at the Armagh 10 mile earlier this month.
Aiming to break 2 hours 20 minutes are Marathon Mission squad athletes, among them Alan O’Shea, Brian Maher, Greg Roberts and Joe McAllister.
Last year, only Clonliffe’s Sergiu Ciobanu broke this barrier when he retained his Irish title in a personal best time of 2:19.33.
All the top local distance running woman are lining out for the women’s race, with the London 2012 A standard of 2 hours 37 minutes their target. Linda Byrne, Maria McCambridge, Ava Hutchinson, Rosemary Ryan and Gladys Ganiel  have all run under 75 minutes and 30 seconds for the half-marathon this year, so a cracking race is in prospect.
On paper, McCambridge, who ran 2:35:29 at the 2009 Paris Marathon, is the one to catch. Just ten weeks after the birth of son Dylan, she clocked a personal best time of 73 minutes 47 seconds at last month’s Great North Run in Newcastle.
Another experienced campaigner is Bilboa’s Rosemary Ryan. She ran 75 mins 23 secs at the Great North Run, with Gladys Ganiel O’Neil only seconds behind in 75 mins 32 secs. Not far off that pace are Siobhan O’Doherty, Lorraine Manning and Breege Connolly.
Making their marathon debuts are Irish cross-country champion Ava Hutchinson and Linda Byrne, both DSD. Hutchinson won the Woodie’s DIY National Half Marathon in Waterford in 74 minutes 17 seconds, while Byrne, also DSD, clocked 73 mins 48 secs at the Longford Half Marathon a week earlier.
Shuru Diriba Dulume of Ethiopia who ran 2 hrs 28 mins 26 secs at the 2009 Dubai Marathon leads the overseas entry. Three Russian athletes, all capable of beating 2 hours 40, have also entered, while Halalia Johannes of Namibia who ran 2:33:26 for second place in 2009, is back. They will be chasing Tatiana Aryasova’s course record of 2:26:13 set last year.