Memorial Peppe Greco

The Memorial Peppe Greco is an annual men's 10 kilometres road race which takes place in Scicli, Italy. Also known as the Scicli 10km, the race was created in 1990 by Giovanni Voi. The course consists of ten one-kilometre laps on the streets of the city, which includes a difficult 300-metre stretch uphill over cobblestones.[1]

Paul Tergat was the winner of the first international competition

History

After varying distances in the first four years of the race, the course was standardised to its current format in 1994.[2] A local man, Giorgio Adamo,[3] won the first race but over the following years the high quality of the competition established the Memorial Peppe Greco as an elite-level meeting on the European road running circuit, with past winners including world record breakers Paul Tergat, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele.[1][4]

The race was created to honour Peppe Greco, an Italian doctor who died in a car accident. It became an international competition in 1994 and rose to prominence in 1995 after Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat chose to use the race as their first "re-match" after the World Championship 10,000 metres final.[5][6]

The course record is held by Haile Gebrselassie, who ran 28 minutes and 22 seconds to win the 1997 edition of the race. A women's five kilometres race was also held in 2000 and 2001, and Merima Denboba is the course record holder with 16 minutes and 32 seconds.[2] A new women's race was introduced in 2010 and took place over a course of roughly 7 km, a day before the men's race.[7]

Winners

Course record holder Haile Gebrselassie is a four-time race winner
Kenenisa Bekele, the 10,000 m world record holder, won in 2003
Men's race[2]
YearWinnerNationalityTime
(m:s)
1990Giorgio Adamo  Italy32:54
1991Giorgio Adamo  Italy?
1992Geri Interrante  Italy19:24 (6.5 km)
1993Francesco Bennici  Italy23:24 (8.3 km)
1994Paul Tergat  Kenya?
1995Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia28:39
1996Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia28:42
1997Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia28:22 CR
1998Haile Gebrselassie  Ethiopia28:59
1999Paul Tergat  Kenya29:31
2000Brahim Lahlafi  Morocco28:38
2001Hailu Mekonnen  Ethiopia29:19
2002Charles Kamathi  Kenya28:31
2003Kenenisa Bekele  Ethiopia28:50
2004Sileshi Sihine  Ethiopia28:41
2005Stefano Baldini  Italy29:36[6]
2006Martin Lel  Kenya28:45[8]
2007Martin Lel  Kenya29:02[4]
2008Edwin Soi  Kenya28:57[9]
2009Edwin Soi  Kenya29:01[1]
2010Edwin Soi  Kenya29:17
2011Imane Merga  Ethiopia28:37
2012Hillary Kiprono Bii  Kenya29:23
2013Thomas Lokomwa  Kenya29:18
2014Silas Kirwa Ngetic  Kenya29:41
Women's race
YearWinnerNationalityTime
(m:s)
2010Sylvia Kibet  Kenya23:33
2011Sylvia Kibet  Kenya24:35

See also

References