B.A.A. Half Marathon Elite Athlete Bios

2008 B.A.A. Half Marathon Elite Men's Bios
Charles Munyeki (KEN)
Bib #1
Age: 22
Hometown: Nyahuru, KEN / Boulder, CO
Personal Record: 59:44 (2008)
Though Charles Munyeki is the youngest entrant in the elite men's field, at just 22 years of age, he recently became the fastest. His 59:44 at the Rotterdam Half Marathon in September makes him the 10th-fastest man in the world this year. In the three years he has been competing on the roads, Munyeki has become a half marathon specialist, racing the distance no fewer than 12 times--six of those run under 1:03:00. Munyeki trains with KIMbia Athletics, along with fellow entrants James Koskei, John Korir, and Gilbert Okari.

James Koskei (KEN)
Bib #2
Age: 39
Hometown: Iten, KEN / Boulder, CO
Personal Record: 1:02:07 (2002)
James Koskei, long one of the top road racers on the U.S. circuit, comes to Boston just one month shy of entering the Masters division. Koskei's resume features victories at many of the top races in the U.S, including the Crescent City Classic 10K, Cooper River Bridge Run 10K, Bay to Breakers 12K, Bolder Boulder 10K, Beach to Beacon 10K, and Falmouth Road Race 7M. In 2001 and 2002 he was the fourth-ranked road racer in the world according to Running Times magazine. Koskei placed fourth in the 2007 Boston Marathon and ninth in 2008. Prior to turning his focus to the roads, Koskei was a star on the track and in cross country, holding a 5,000m personal best of 13:04.3 and placing fifth at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships. Koskei trains with KIMbia Athletics, along with fellow entrants Charles Munyeki, John Korir, and Gilbert Okari.

Gilbert Okari (KEN)
Bib #5
Age: 30
Hometown: Nyahuru, KEN / Boulder, CO
Personal Record: 1:01:46 (2008)
Much like his teammates at KIMbia Athletics, John Korir and James Koskei, Gilbert Okari is best known for his dominance on the U.S. road racing circuit. The #2-ranked road racer in the world in 2005, according to Running Times magazine, Okari has posted victories at the World's Best 10K, Bay to Breakers 12K, Lilac Bloomsday 12K, Crescent City Classic 10K, Cherry Blossom 10M, Utica Boilermaker 15K, Peachtree Road Race 10K, Falmouth Road Race, and Beach to Beacon 10K--setting course records in the latter two. Just last weekend Okari ran his second competitive half marathon, recording a victory at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose. His time of 1:01:46 was a personal record by three minutes. Okari holds a 10,000m PR of 27:40.9.

Abraham Ng'etich (KEN)
Bib #6
Age: 27
Hometown: Eldoret KEN / Bronx, NY
Personal Record: 1:05:52 (2008)
Abraham Ng'etich is just a few months beyond his graduation from Iona College, but already he's establishing himself on the roads. Ng'etich was an NCAA Division I cross country All-American in 2007, and then posted a 5,000m PR of 13:51.68 this past April. He made his half marathon debut in New York City in July, posting a time of 1:05:52.

Karim El Mabchour (MAR)
Bib #8
Age: 26
Hometown: Morocco / West Chester, PA
Personal Record: 1:03:11 (2007)
Karim El Mabchour placed second in the 2004 World University Cross Country Championships and third in the World University Games 10,000m in 2005. Since transitioning to the roads he has been a frequent competitor at the half marathon distance, with a personal best of 1:03:11 set in 2007 at the Philadelphia Distance Run. In August he placed fifth at the Spirit of Columbus Half Marathon in 1:04:07.

James Gale (USA)
Bib #10
Age: 23
Hometown: Allendale, MI
Personal Record: 1:06:23
As a collegian, James Gale was a 13-time all-conference performer in track and cross country, as well as a two-time NCAA Division II All-American. He holds PR's of 14:34 (5,000m) and 30:09.95 (10,000m). In his first attempt at the B.A.A. Half Marathon he will be looking to improve upon a half marathon best of 1:06:23.

2008 B.A.A. Half Marathon Elite Women's Bios
Lioudmila Kortchaguina (CAN)
Bib #F1
Age: 37
Hometown: Toronto, ON
Personal Record: 1:10:50 (2003)
B.A.A. Half Marathon Performance: 2003 (2nd; 1:11:27)
Not only is Lioudmila Kortchaguina the fastest half marathoner in this year's field, she's also the most prolific, having recorded more than 40 performances at the distance since 2001. Of those, none was faster than her 1:10:50 victory at the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon in 2001. A frequent victor on the roads in Canada, Kortchaguina last competed at the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 2003 when she placed second. Her time of 1:11:27 that year remains the second-fastest time ever run on this course.

Irene Limika (KEN)
Bib #F2
Age: 29
Hometown: Ngong, KEN / Norristown, PA
Personal Record: 1:10:51 (2008)
Irene Limika arrives in Boston for the first time hot on the heels of a major breakthrough, having run a new PR of 1:10:51 at the Philadelphia Distance Run. Before shifting her focus to road racing, Limika won a silver medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games in the steeplechase, and then captained the Kenyan team at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships. Limika trains outside of Philadelphia with fellow entrants Neriah Asiba and Jane Murage, as well as four-time Boston Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba.

Neriah Asiba (KEN)
Bib #F3
Age: 27
Hometown: Ngong, KEN / Toluca, MEX
Personal Record: 1:10:58 (2008)
Neriah Asiba is one of the most prolific racers in this year's field--as well as one of the best traveled. Since 2004, Asiba has recorded 24 half marathon performances, nine of those under 1:13:00. Though she raced primarily in France early in her career, she has since traveled extensively through North, Central and South America, racing in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Colombia. Asiba trains in Norristown, PA, with fellow entrants Irene Limika and Jane Murage, as well as four-time Boston Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba. Her older sister, Gladys, is also a successful road racer.

Azalech Masresha (ETH)
Bib #F4
Age: 20
Hometown: Ethiopia
Personal Record: 1:10:36 (2008)
Though Azalech Masresha is the youngest member of this year's elite field, at 20, she's certainly not lacking in experience. Masresha broke 1:12 in her half marathon debut in 2007, at the age of 19. Later in the year she won the Reims Half in France with a new personal record of 1:11:29. Recently Masresha placed second at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, CA, lowering her personal record yet again, this time to 1:10:36. Having raced primarily in France, Morocco, and her native Ethiopia, Masresha will be competing in Boston for the first time.

Kathy Newberry (USA)
Bib #F6
Age: 30
Hometown: Williamsburg, VA
Personal Record: 1:12:59 (2008)
B.A.A. Half Marathon Performance: 2007 (3rd; 1:16:44)
Kathy Newberry is the top returning finisher from the 2007 B.A.A. Half Marathon, having placed third. Primarily a track and cross country specialist until last year, Newberry has shown rapid improvement on the roads since then--particularly at the half marathon distance. Just three months after running 1:16:44 in Boston, Newberry posted a new personal record of 1:12:59 at the Houston Half Marathon, to place sixth.

Jane Gakunyi (KEN)
Bib #F7
Age: 29
Hometown: Nyahuru, KEN / Boulder, CO
Personal Record: 1:12:57 (2008)
Jane Gakunyi has been competing internationally for more than seven years, but only over the past 12 months has she made the transition to the roads. In 2003 she posted one of her best performances, finishing third in the World Cross Country Championships. Later that year she ran a personal best of 15:04.00 for 5,000m at the World Track & Field Championships, then the following summer she competed in the Athens Olympic Games. She placed fifth in the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon last weekend, recording a new personal record of 1:12:57. This will be just her fourth half marathon.

Janet Kogo Cherobon (KEN)
Bib #F8
Age: 30
Hometown: Lawrenceville, GA
Personal Record: 1:13:47 (2008)
Janet Kogo Cherobon was an eight-time NCAA Division II All-American at Harding University in Arkansas. She won NCAA championships indoors at 5,000m and outdoors at 5,000m and 10,000m during her senior season of 2005. Post-collegiately, Cherobon has been a frequent competitor in half marathons, completing the distance no fewer than nine times in the past 18 months. Her personal record came this past March when she won the ING Georgia Half Marathon in 1:13:47.

Jane Murage (KEN)
Bib #F9
Age: 21
Hometown: Norristown, PA
Personal Record: Debut
Jane Murage is a newcomer to the U.S. roads, but she made an immediate impression in her May debut: The 21-year-old won the Broad Street Run 10-mile in a time of 54:16. This will be her debut at the half marathon distance. Murage trains in Norristown, PA, with fellow entrants Irene Limika and Neriah Asiba, as well as four-time Boston Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba.

Alemtsehay Misganaw (ETH)
Bib #F10
Age: 25
Hometown: Ethiopia / New York, NY
Personal Record: 1:12:48 (2007)
The New York City-based Alemtsehay Misganaw has been a regular on the U.S. roads since 2003. In 15 half marathons over the past five years, she has posted victories in Yonkers, New Bedford (twice), Danbury (twice), and Memphis. She set her personal record of 1:12:48 last fall at the Philadelphia Distance Run. Misganaw has her own website: alemtsehay.com.


MASTERS WOMEN
Maria Luisa Servin (MEX)
Bib #F21
Age: 46
Hometown: Mexico / Middleboro, MA
Personal Record: 1:13:20 (1995)
B.A.A. Half Marathon Performances: 2005 (8th overall, 3rd master; 1:21:18); 2003 (5th overall, 1st master; 1:17:49)
Early in her career, Maria Luisa Servin was a frequent member of the Mexican national team, competing at the Olympic Games, World Cross Country Championships, World Track & Field Championships, Goodwill Games, and Pan Am Games, among other international events. Servin shifted her focus to the roads in 1994, and today the Middleboro, MA, resident is a top masters competitor on the New England circuit. She has twice been a top-10 finisher in the B.A.A. Half Marathon, and won the masters' division in 2003.

Zola Pieterse (RSA)
Bib #F25
Age: 42
Hometown: Bainsuei, RSA / Myrtle Beach, SC
Personal Record: 1:12:39 (1996)
One of the top female distance runners of all time, Zola Pieterse (formerly Zola Budd) is an Olympian, two-time World Cross Country Champion, and former World Junior Record and World Record holder. As a South African teenager, Pieterse ran a 15:01.83 World Junior Record for 5,000m in 1984, and followed that up with a WJR for 3,000m (8:37.5) the next month. One year later she was a world record holder, running 14:48.07 for 5,000m. Pieterse will forever be linked to U.S. great Mary Slaney, as the two favorites collided in the final of the 3,000m at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and failed to medal. As a masters competitor, Pieterse's focus is now on the roads. She recently ran 1:25:16 at the Asheville Citizen-Times Half Marathon, and is preparing for the ING New York City Marathon on November 2.