Can Berhane Adere Triumph Again In Chicago Marathon?
Can Berhane Adere Triumph In Chicago Marathon for the Third Time? The Ethiopian, who turned to the marathon after winning the 10,000 on the track at the 2003 World Championships, ran 2:20:42 to win in Chicago in 2006. She won again in the heat of 2007, effectively ambushing an unsuspecting Adrian Pirtea of Romania a few strides before the finish line. Adere is now 35; her most celebrated rival at Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be the race’s 2004 champ Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania, who won the Beijing Olympic marathon this summer at age 38. Bezunesh Bekele, a 25-year-old Ethiopian with a personal best of 2:23:09, is another serious threat for the Chicago women’s laurels. Kate O’Neill and Paige Higgins, the top two American women in 2007’s race, will be at Sunday’s starting line. The safest bet about this Chicago Marathon is probably that the men’s champion will be Kenyan. William Kipsang has run 2:05:49 and Emanuel Mutai, Richard Limo, and Moses Arusei have all br
