Jan-4-2008

Röthlin Makes Difficult Exit from Kenya
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved

World marathon championships bronze medalist Viktor Röthlin of Switzerland was able to exit safely his winter training base in Eldoret, Kenya, and make it home to Europe but not without some difficulty.

"After a few horrible days and a long day at the Eldoret Airport I finally could get a flight to Nairobi and came back yesterday," Röthlin wrote in a text message to Race Results Weekly.

Röthlin, 33, normally trains in Eldoret in the winter with Martin Lel and a group of other athletes managed by Federico Rosa, his Italian agent. He was there to prepare for next month's Tokyo International Marathon when the violence broke out. Now he's not not sure where he will finish his preparations for the February 17 race.

"I don't know right now," he wrote when asked about his training venue. "I have to calm down first after those horrible days."

He doesn't necessarily see the cold weather in Switzerland as a drawback, however. "The good thing, also Tokyo will be cold."

Röthlin, the Swiss marathon record-holder with a 2:08:20 personal best, has performed very well in his last two major championships. In 2006 he
challenged Italy's Stefano Baldini at the European Championships marathon before finishing second. In Osaka last August he rallied from fifth place
at 40-K to make the podium, the first-ever medal by a Swiss athlete in a world championships marathon. After that race he was brimming with
confidence.

"I say if you can't dream it, you can't do it," he said.