Regional Race Preview: Gateway Bank Half Marathon (NC)

November 7, 2008 from RunningUSA wire (NAGS HEAD, NC) Two 63-minute half-marathoners from Kenya are the top seeds in the men's division of the November 9th Gateway Bank Half Marathon , which should be the most hotly contested race at the third edition of the OBX® Marathon events which has overall registration for both races up about 20 percent this year.

Robert Letting appears poised to top his personal record of 1 hour, 3 minutes and 40 seconds, which he set in a course record romp over the Capitol City Half Marathon (Columbus, Ohio) field last April. The week before that he won the Cooper Bridge Run 10K in 28:47, and in late March, he finished second at the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans with a 27:45, the 8th-fastest road 10K this year.

Also competing for the top prize of $2000 is Frimin Kipchoge Kiplagat , who has a personal best of 2:13 in the marathon and has run a sub-64 minute half-marathon; Joseph Kapsabet Kgetich , who boasts a top mark of 64:17; and George Towett , who ran a 1:04:29 at last year's Gateway Bank Half Marathon and is the top finisher from last year. The course record - 1:02:34 by Samuel Kosgei in 2007 - could be in jeopardy.

Michael Bunker , 26 leads North Carolina and regional contenders, and in late September, Bunker set a course record of 69:35 in winning the Bar Harbor (Maine) half-marathon by more than a minute.

Everlyne Lagat , 27, of Kenya, looks like the woman to beat. The sister of the great Bernard Lagat ran a 1:11 to finish third at the 2007 San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and finished an impressive fifth at the ultra-competitive New York Mini 10K last June. Janet Cherobon (KEN) of Lawrenceville, Ga., could challenge Lagat. She's coming off a big win at the 2008 ING Georgia Half Marathon. Her time of 1:13:48 in that race placed her 13th overall in the field of 8,612 finishers.

Likely challengers to Lagat and Cherobon include Maria Busienei of Kenya with a personal best of 1:13:46; Lori Stich , who ran a 2:38:44 to finish 14th at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, while Megan Hepp of Charlotte, N.C., who finished 12th at this year's U.S. Olympic Trials, is the favorite in the women's marathon, with a personal best of 2:37:29.

On the men's side, Ethiopian Birhanu Wukaw Zeleke and Robert Marchinko, Tim Surface and Chad Newton of North Carolina, are the top seeds. Zeleke, 25, won the Akron Marathon on Sept. 27 in 2:23, more than three minutes ahead of the runner-up. Marchinko is running the OBX® Marathon for the third time; he finished second last year. Surface ran a personal best of 2:24:39 in extremely hot conditions at the 2007 Chicago Marathon, and Newton, the 2004 USA Trail Marathon Champion, boasts a lifetime top mark of 2:21.

The OBX® Marathon is the 2008 USATF North Carolina Association Marathon Championship . The Gateway Bank Half Marathon is the 2008 RRCA Southern Region Half Marathon Championship . Total prize purse money for this year's event totals more than $25,000.

For more information and to register for the OBX® Marathon and Half Marathon or the Kelly Hospitality Group Fun Run, visit: OBXmarathon.com