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Jan 11, 2010 Sports
Duo up ante ahead of Trinidad International Marathon
Established regional Guyanese distance runners, Kelvin Johnson and Lionel D’Andrade, opened their new season in Trinidad and Tobago with podium finishes at the Westmore Medical 5km Road Race yesterday morning.
Johnson and D’Andrade, who has been campaigning in Trinidad since 2008, finished the race in second and third places respectively behind Trinidad’s Richard Jones. The race is part of their preparation for the Trinidad Marathon.
Jones won in 15:17.00 while Johnson returned 15:32.00 and D’Andrade 15:41.00 in some times that was way off Jones’ pace. They told Kaieteur Sport yesterday that they did not take a serious approach to the 5km event.
“We are focused on the Trinidad Marathon and this race was just part of our preparations for that big race. We did not want to go out there and run as though we don’t have a plan or a purpose. We did not take the race seriously,” they said.
The duo was speaking to this newspaper via telephone around midday. They said that they are completely satisfied with their performances in the event given the amount of the participants it had and their preparatory approach.
“The race had over 1,000 registrants but only 470 turned out. So if we could place in the top three out of that when we were just looking to use it as speed work, then it just go to show that we are in really good shape,” they continued.
The CLICO Trinidad and Tobago International Marathon will be held on January 24 with the winner taking home TT$1M. However, as part of their continued preparation, the duo will compete in consecutive 5km races and one 10k.
D’Andrade has a personal best marathon time of 2h 35:00.0 that was done at the Trinidad Marathon in 2008 and repeated in 2009. The Trinidad 26 miles and 385 yards race will be his fourth on the island in this decade after his debut in 2000.
His best place was seventh last year and he will be pressing to significantly run under the 2h 22:14.00 required as entrance for the marathon at Commonwealth Games in Delhi India from October 3-14 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Both D’Andrade and Johnson have their eyes set on the Commonwealth Games and with no other prominent marathons, following the Trinidad event, before the April 25-July 12 qualifying window, they are pressed to make the time in Trinidad. (Edison Jefford)
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