Press Release - Berlin Marathon - 8/5/05

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                         Contact: 030-301 288 10
                                                  
                                                  

      Sonia O’Sullivan runs against Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi 
                        at real,- BERLIN MARATHON 


Sonia O’Sullivan will run the real,- BERLIN MARATHON on September 25th. 
Race Director Mark Milde announced this second spectacular signing for the 
women’s race today. The Irish world-class runner wants to improve her 
current marathon best of 2:29:01 on Berlin’s fast course. Among others she 
will compete against the favourite Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi (Japan). 
A record number of 40,000 runners have entered this year’s race. 

Sonia O’Sullivan ran her marathon best of 2:29:01 in April this year at the 
London Marathon which she finished eighth. But this result doesn’t reflect 
her actual potential. The 35 year-old mother of two daughters ran a world 
class time at the Great North Half Marathon in Newcastle (England) in 2002 
(67:19 minutes). 

Back in the 90ies Sonia O’Sullivan was one of the best long distance track 
runners in the world. Her basic speed (the speed at short distances) is 
much better than that of Mizuki Noguchi. In 1995 Sonia O’Sullivan was the 
World Champion at 5,000 m. Three years later, at the European 
Championships, she ran to a double triumph in the 5,000 and 10,000 m. In 
that same year, she had won both races at the World Cross Country 
Championships (short and long distance). At present Sonia O’Sullivan 
properly prepares for her race against Mizuki Noguchi in the real,- 
BERLIN-MARATHON.

More information is available online: www.berlin-marathon.com



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