Havana, Nov 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Henry Jaen won the Marabana marathon race for the fifth time on Havana streets and avenues, the largest mass sports event in Cuba attended by almost 6,000 long distance runners from 66 countries.
Jaen clocked in the distance of 42 kilometers and 195 meters a time of 2h28:42, and was followed in the podium of awards of the men’s classification by his compatriots Yumier Fouman (2h29:50) and Alien Reyes (2h34:18).
‘I was comfortable in the race because I prepared myself for this tough circuit, where the weather makes its function. I stayed calm on the first lap and then in the second one when I got to the slopes I separated from the group,’ Jaen said after finishing the competition.
Now I’m going to prepare myself again to achieve a good result in the Paris Marathon, the Marabana five-time champion said with enthusiasm.
The Cuban Yudileyvis Castillo was the champion among the ladies, with a record of 2h46:35. Her compatriots, Misleidys Vargas (2h54:47) and Lizandra Gómez (3h11:28) joined her on the podium.
In the half marathon, Cuban Richer Pérez, the Central American and Pan-American marathon champion, was the winner in the absolute classification, with a mark of 1:06.18 hours.
The second place in this route of 21.097 kilometers corresponded to the American Jeffrey Egleeton, with a time of 1:06.26 hours, and the third place went to Yuleidys La O (1:08.10).
For this race it was awarded for the first time the prize of the North America, Central America and the Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC), to Richer Pérez, followed by the American Jeffrey Egleeton, while the third place was reached this time by the Canadian Patrice Labont (1:08.24).
In the half marathon, the winner was the Cuban Dailin Belmonte, with a mark of 1h16:44, seconded by the Trinidadian Tonya Nero (1h16:54) and the Puerto Rican Paola Lizbeth Rivera (1h23:54).
Also, in the 10-kilometer race won in the men’s classification Luis Ernesto Hernandez, with a mark of 33.04 minutes, ahead of Jordan Diaz (33.29) and Ernesto Abréu (33.34), while in the female the winner was Leslie Amat, with a time of 39.30 minutes, followed by Marilennis Orozco (40.00) and Dagmara Kamelia Milanés (40.15), all from Cuba.
The NACAC awarded Cuba in the first place for teams of the half marathon, after adding 2h23:02 the marks of its first man and first woman classified in the event, which were respectively the champions of this distance, Richer Pérez, and Dailín Belmonte.
Trinidad and Tobago (2h30:1), which had as a bulwark the runner-up of the 21 km Tonya Nero, occupied the second place by nations, and in the third place was Puerto Rico (2h38:50), with the contribution of the female bronze medalist Paola Rivera.
The traditional Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10-kilometer race are held in honor of the National Day of Physical Culture and the 498th anniversary of the founding of the Villa de San Cristóbal de La Habana, and of its proclamation by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The United States, Mexico, Uruguay, Spain, Italy, and France had the highest representation of foreign athletes, according to Carlos Gattorno, director of the Marabana-Maracuba project.
