Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 16, 1990 TAG: 9004160170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BERT ROSENTHAL ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
Technically, there are no world records for marathons, merely world bests, because courses throughout the world are not standardized.
But if any runner goes under the men's world best of 2 hours, 6 minutes, 50 seconds, set by Belayneh Densimo of Ethiopia at Rotterdam in 1988, or under the women's world best of 2:21:06, by Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway at London in 1985, it will not be recognized by the governing body of the sport in the United States.
The reason? The Athletics Congress has passed legislation that eliminated point-to-point records for road race courses.
That meant that courses that go downhill more than one meter per kilometer - about 42 meters for a marathon - or those in which the start and finish are farther apart than 30 percent of the race distance, or about eight miles, would not count for record-keeping purposes. Courses in Boston and New York won't count under those guidelines.
The 26-mile, 385-yard point-to-point Boston course, from suburban Hopkinton, Mass., to downtown Boston, drops approximately 150 meters.
Guy Morse, race director of the Boston Marathon, called the new rule "overly stringent" and said it "should be repealed."
At a meeting in Indianapolis, TAC's home base, in February, Peter Riegel, chairman of TAC's Road Running Technical Committee, asked Boston representatives for a suggestion of how Boston could be included for record purposes.
So far, the knot is still tied and the issue will come up for review in November at the TAC convention in Seattle.
There are several runners in today's field who appear capable of running under the world bests of Densimo and Kristiansen.
The men's lineup includes Juma Ikangaa of Tanzania, the world's top-ranked marathoner in 1989, the runner-up in each of the past two Boston marathons and last year's New York City Marathon winner; Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya, the 1987 New York City winner and 1988 Boston champion; Rob de Castella of Australia, the 1986 Boston winner in a course-record 2:07:51; Steve Jones of Wales, former holder of the world best and the 1988 New York City champion, and Gelindo Bordin of Italy, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist.
Leading the women's field are Rosa Mota of Portugal, the 1988 Olympic gold medalist and 1987 and 1988 Boston winner; Veronique Marot of Britain, the world's No. 2 ranked marathoner and winner of the 1989 London Marathon; Kim Jones of Spokane, Wash., ranked third in the world and winner of last year's Twin Cities Marathon; Zoya Ivanova of the Soviet Union, the 1989 Los Angeles Marathon champion, and Laura Fogli of Italy, two-time runner-up in the New York City Marathon.
At present, the International Amateur Athletic federation, the world governing body for the sport, doesn't recognize road race records because of the course variables.
"Runners will ignore it," four-time Boston and New York City winner Bill Rodgers said, referring to the new rule. "It's a sacrilege to say that Boston is not valid."
Rodgers will be running Boston for the 14th time.
Perhaps the least concerned runner about records but the most concerned about the course is Johnny "The Elder" Kelley. He has run the course so often he claims he knows every foot of the way.
Kelley, 82, began running at Boston in 1928, and today will be his 59th Boston Marathon. He has completed 55.
Forecasts called for partly sunny skies with temperatures from 55 to 60 degrees to greet runners today.
If temperatures hover in the 50s, and the skies remain mostly overcast, conditions will be considered nearly ideal for running the 26-mile race, said Jack Mahoney, sports marketing consultant for John Hancock Financial Services, sponsor of the Boston and New York marathons.
"When you decertify the most prestigious course in the world, how can that be good for the sport?" said Steve Spence of Hanover, Pa., the world's top-ranked road racer who is competing at Boston for the first time said.
by CNB