McCambridge out to make point in capital

Maria McCambridge won’t lack motivation when she contests today’s Dublin City Marathon.

The 2008 winner was controversially overlooked for a place at the Olympic Games in London earlier this year and would dearly love to prove her doubters wrong with victory in the capital.

Her form this season has been impressive, running 2hrs 36mins 37secs on a tough course in Rome last March while she won the Charleville Half Marathon in 1:13:05.

McCambridge’s Irish rivals will include three former Irish champions; Barbara Sanchez, winner in 2010 with a time of 2:39:39; Pauline Curley, now aged 43, winner in 2005 and ’07, and Annette Kealy, winner in ’09.

Internationally, a stellar women’s entry will see a re-match between the defending champion Helalia Johannes of Namibia and the Russian Olga Glok, fourth in Dublin last year.

Leading a strong men’s entry is defending Dublin champion Geoffrey Ndungu of Kenya, who defied the cold, breezy conditions to set a course record of 2:08:32 in last year’s race.

Of his fellow Kenyans, Philomen Limo has exceptionally quick times over the half marathon distance — he ran 59:30 in 2011 and 59:32 earlier this year. In 2011, he also finished seventh at the World Cross Country Championships. In his marathon debut in Prague last May, Limo finished third in 2:09:25.

Heading the local entry is Sergiu Ciobanu of Clonliffe Harriers, winner of Irish titles in both 2009 and ’10, when he dipped under 2.20 for the first time. Earlier this year, Ciobanu, originally from Moldova, ran a PB of 2:15:27 in Rotterdam, just failing to make the Olympics. He has warmed up for Dublin with a number of solid wins on the roads, including victoryin the Charleville Half Marathon and second in the National Half Marathon.

Paul Pollock of Queen’s won that title in a time of 1:04:16 and went on to represent Ireland at the World Half Marathon Championships in Bulgaria, where he finished in 1:05:38.