The Nairobi Marathon, the first leg
of the Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth (GROE) 2006/07
took place on 29 October, and was run at a breathlessly
challenging altitude of 1,600m. The first runner for the Sri
Lankan national team Ishan Kumara Wijethilaka came in with a
timing of 02:26:18 which places Sri Lanka a close 2nd to India
and leading over Pakistan in the South Asian Region challenge of
the GROE.
The Sri Lankan national team comprises Ishan Kumara
Wijethileke(Nairobi marathon), Sujeewa Chandrapala (Singapore
Marathon) Asela Bandara (Mumbai Marathon) and Ajith Bandara (Hog
Kong Marathon). The team Manager is Jayantha Gamini Siyamudali.
While Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka sponsored a team to the
2004 GROE, this is the first time a national team comprising the
country’s four top marathon runners, endorsed by the Sri Lanka
Athletics Association is participating for the Nation challenge.
The Sri Lanka team will not only be competing for a share of
the US$1.5 million total prize pool, the largest prize pool in
world athletics, they will also be vying to bring home the GROE
Gold Baton – a 9 carat, 300 gram, solid gold relay baton that
has been specially commissioned for the Race. There is also
prize money on offer for the first three placed teams in each of
seven regions including the South Asian category in which Sri
Lanka will competes against countries such as India, Pakistan
and Bangladesh.
Standard Chartered’s GROE the unique and truly international
marathon relay series, dubbed the World Cup of Marathons, will
this year see a record number of professional and national teams
compete.
