FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Champions Prevail as Jumma Smashes Belfast Marathon Record

Ethiopia's Marashet Jumma smashed the women's record by more than two 
minutes in today's Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon.

Jumma's time of 2:39:22 beat the previous best of 2:41:33, set by Lemma 
Urge in 2005.  The Ethiopian also was the first woman since Trudi Thompson 
in 2003 to retain her Belfast title.

It was a clean sweep of champions all round, as Kenya's John Mutai also 
held on to the men's crown – even though his time of 2:16:31 was slower 
than he recorded 12 months ago.  Mutai, however, was more than seven 
minutes of his nearest rivals, as Poland's Bodhan Dziuba came second in 
2:23:44, followed by Vyalcheslav Prikhadko, of the Ukraine, 2:24:21.

Donegal's Helena Crossan was runner-up in the women's race, with a time of 
2:55:12, closely followed by Cookstown's Karen Alexander, who clocked 
2:56:01 to come home in third.

Top local male finisher was Tommy Hughes of Magherafeld, twice a winner in 
1988 and again in 1998, who came in sixth, in 2:28:38, ten minutes ahead of 
Dungannon's Delfin Pimentell.

Full results from the 2008 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon will be 
available, after verification, from the official website, 
www.belfastcitymarathon.com, from tomorrow morning.

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