Liu Lijuan Finishes Second in Third Leg of The Greatest Race on Earth 2008/09
MUMBAI, Jan. 19 / PRNewswire-AsiaNet / -
Liu Lijuan was the second female Greatest Race on Earth (GROE)
runner to cross the line, finishing 15th overall in today's Standard
Chartered Mumbai Marathon, the third leg of GROE. The 20 year-old completed
the gruelling course in 2:57:50, moving the Chinese women's team up to within
just 40 seconds of Australia, the leaders of the North East Asia and Rest of
The World GROE group.
In the Men's Nations Challenge, Zhang Ao crossed the line in
2:57:37 which was good enough for 16th place in GROE, 35th overall in the
marathon. The result means that the Chinese men's team drop down to fourth
place in the North East Asia and Rest of The World category with just one leg
remaining in Hong Kong on 8 February.
Liu Lijuan commented, "Mumbai was a very difficult race for me
and although I did not run the time I would have liked I am very happy that
we are now so close to Australia. It was always going to be a difficult
marathon for me because the road surfaces in China are much flatter, and the
roads here in India are not always of the highest quality. Also the weather
was very hot which made it difficult."
Zhang Ao said, "The huge number of people and the hot climate
weren't really suitable for me during the race. It was my first time here in
Mumbai and I found it really hard. I would like to come back next year again
but would try to train in similar weather conditions to get accustomed to the
course".
Celebrating its fifth series, GROE sees international teams of
four runners competing, with each member taking on one of the four marathons
in the series - the winning team will be the one with the quickest cumulative
time. The series, which has a prize fund of US$1 million, got underway in
Nairobi on 26 October 2008, before moving on to Singapore on 8 December 2008,
and will conclude with the final leg in Hong Kong on 8 February.
Also taking part in the series is a Visually Impaired
All-Stars team, including recent Paralympic marathon gold medallist Qi Shun,
who will run in the Hong Kong leg to raise awareness and funds for Seeing is
Believing.
RACE FOOTAGE
Footage shot to broadcast standards and free of charge and no
copyright restrictions, is available from World Television via the APTN
APTN GLOBAL VIDEO WIRE TRANSMISSION (for broadcasters world wide)
DATE: Sunday 18th January 2009
TIME: 1215-1230 GMT
REPLAY
DATE: Sunday 18th January 2009
TIME: 1400-1415 GMT
If you experience any technical difficulties recording the feed
please contact APTN MCR on: +44(0)20-7482-7676
For downloadable broadcast quality footage and still images
Shortlist:
1) Bars and tone
2) World Television count down clock
3) Establishing shots and athletes warming up before the start of
The Greatest Race on Earth Mumbai Marathon at Chhatrapati Shivaji
Railway Station, Mumbai.
4) Full coverage of The Greatest Race on Earth Mumbai Marathon,
including:
- The start of the race at Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway
Station, Mumbai.
- Coverage of the race along the streets of Mumbai.
- Athletes crossing the finish line at Chhatrapati Shivaji
Railway station, Mumbai.
5) Mumbai Marathon male and female winner receiving their
awards outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Station, Mumbai.
6) I/V with Kenneth Mugara (Kenya), Male Overall Winner Mumbai
Marathon (in English)
"The course is very hard, not easy, very hard, people and the course"
"I will try to make a good course record next year when I come back"
7) I/V with John Kelai (Kenya), GROE Male Winner of Mumbai Marathon and
3rd male Overall Mumbai Marathon (in English):
"I am so grateful because my team is still leading and I know now I Have created another bigger
gap and we have high chances of winning Standard Chartered's Greatest Race on Earth again this year,
I am so
grateful."
"The competition this year was strong because we had good guys and That is why we kept pushing
the pace and it was good because we are Already setting a new course record."
8) I/V with Ao Zhang, male runner from People's Republic of
China (in Mandarin)
9) I/V with Lijuan Liu, female runner from People's Republic of
China (in Mandarin)
10) I/V with Yuichi Takahashi, GROE All Stars Team visually
impaired runner from Japan (in Japanese)
11) END OF B-ROLL
SOURCE: The Greatest Race on Earth
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