2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships
Race results -- Women 's
Table:
Rank
Athlete
Nationality
Time
Notes

Lornah Kiplagat
Netherlands
1:03:21
WR

Constantina Diţă-Tomescu
Romania
1:03:23
NR

Rita Sitienei Jeptoo
Kenya
1:03:47
AR

4
Dire Tune
Ethiopia
1:05:16
NR

5
Edith Masai
Kenya
1:05:21

6
Kayoko Fukushi
Japan
1:05:32
NR

7
Yurika Nakamura
Japan
1:05:36

8
Natalya Berkut
Ukraine
1:05:42

9
Souad Aït Salem
Algeria
1:06:11

10
Teyba Erkesso
Ethiopia
1:06:15

11
Anikó Kálovics
Hungary
1:06:20

12
Gulnara Vygovskaya
Russia
1:06:30

13
Natalya Kurbatova
Russia
1:06:33

14
Eunice Jepkorir
Kenya
1:06:47

15
Irina Timofeyeva
Russia
1:07:10

16
Luminița Talpoș
Romania
1:07:11

17
Ashu Kasim
Ethiopia
1:07:19

18
Anna Thompson
Australia
1:07:23

19
Ryoko Kizaki
Japan
1:07:52

20
Masami Sakata
Japan
1:08:13

Looking at the following table and the supplementary paragraphs listed below.

Answer the following question: How many athletes were born in 1985 ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

Lornah Kiplagat ( born 1 May 1974 ) is a Dutch long-distance runner . She was born in Kabiemit , Rift Valley Province , Kenya and came to the Netherlands in 1999 . She gained Dutch citizenship in 2003 and has competed for the Netherlands since . She runs not only road events but also in cross country and track and field . She ran at the 2004 , 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics , was the 2007 gold medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships , and took three straight World Road Running Championship titles from 2006 to 2008 . In the marathon , she holds a best time of 2:22:22 hours and has won major races in Rotterdam , Amsterdam and Osaka . She currently holds the world road record over 5 kilometres and 10 miles . Her best times over 20 km and the half marathon distance were world records from 2007 to 2011 and remain the second fastest times ever . Part of a highly successful family of runners , her relatives include Sylvia Kibet , Hilda Kibet and Susan Sirma . She is the founder of the famous high altitude training centre in Iten Kenya . The centre is at 2400 metres high above sea level . Elite athletes and recreational runners from all over the world visit HATC every year for training .
The Netherlands ( Dutch : Nederland , [ ˈneːdərlɑnt ] ( listen ) ) , informally Holland , is a country in Northwestern Europe with some overseas territories in the Caribbean . In Europe , it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east , Belgium to the south , and the North Sea to the northwest , with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the United Kingdom . Together with the Caribbean Netherlands - Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba - it forms a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The official language is Dutch and a secondary official language in the province of Friesland is West Frisian . In the north and east of the country , Low Saxon is also spoken , and in the southeast , Limburgish . In the Caribbean Netherlands English and Papiamento are recognised languages . The five largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven . Amsterdam is the country 's most populous city and nominal capital , while The Hague holds the seat of the States General , Cabinet and Supreme Court . The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe , and the busiest in any country outside Asia . Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands , and the third busiest in Europe . The country is a founding member of the EU , Eurozone , G10 , NATO , OECD and WTO , as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union . It hosts several intergovernmental organisations and international courts , many of which are centered in The Hague , which is consequently dubbed 'the world 's legal capital ' .
Constantina Diță ( formerly Constantina Diță-Tomescu born on January 23 , 1970 in Turburea , Gorj County ) , is a Romanian long-distance runner , who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon . She was the marathon gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , having previously won a bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics . She also represented her country at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004 . She has a marathon best of 2:21:30 hours . She was the champion at the 2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships - the first Romanian to win that honour . She was the 2004 Chicago Marathon winner .
Romania ( /roʊˈmeɪniə/ ( listen ) ro-MAY-nee-ə ; Romanian : România [ romɨˈni.a ] ( listen ) ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central , Eastern , and Southeastern Europe . It has borders with the Black Sea to the southeast , Bulgaria to the south , Ukraine to the north , Hungary to the west , Serbia to the southwest , and Moldova to the east . It has a predominantly temperate-continental climate . With a total area of 238,397 square kilometers ( 92,046 square miles ) , Romania is the 8th largest country and also the 6th most populous member state of the European Union , having almost 20 million inhabitants . Its capital and largest city is Bucharest , and other major urban areas include Cluj-Napoca , Timișoara , Iași , Constanța , Craiova , Brașov , and Galați . The River Danube , Europe 's second-longest river , rises in Germany 's Black Forest and flows in a general southeast direction for 2,857 km ( 1,775 mi ) , coursing through ten countries before emptying into Romania 's Danube Delta . The Carpathian Mountains , which cross Romania from the north to the southwest , include Moldoveanu Peak , at an altitude of 2,544 m ( 8,346 ft ) . Modern Romania was formed in 1859 through a personal union of the Danubian Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia . The new state , officially named Romania since 1866 , gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877 . Following World War I after declaring its neutrality in 1914 , when Romania fought on the side of the Allied powers starting with 1916 , Bukovina , Bessarabia , Transylvania as well as parts of Banat , Crișana , and Maramureș became part of the sovereign Kingdom of Romania . In June-August 1940 , as a consequence of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and Second Vienna Award , Romania was compelled to cede Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina to the Soviet Union , and Northern Transylvania to Hungary . In November 1940 , Romania signed the Tripartite Pact and , consequently , in June 1941 entered World War II on the Axis side , fighting against the Soviet Union until August 1944 , when it joined the Allies and recovered Northern Transylvania .
Rita Jeptoo ( born 15 February 1981 ) is a Kenyan marathon runner . Originally a winner of the Boston Marathon three times , including setting the then course record at 2:18:57 in 2014 , she had also won marathons in Chicago , Stockholm , and Milan , as well as having represented Kenya in the event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics . She was the bronze medalist at the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships . Jeptoo tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test 25 September 2014 . Athletics Kenya handed her a two-year ban from sports for the anti-doping rule violation . On 26 October 2016 , the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld an appeal from the IAAF against the leniency of the two-year ban given by Athletics Kenya , and instead set a four-year ban , and the annulling of all results from 17 April 2014 , including her wins in the 2014 Boston and Chicago marathons , citing her deceptive and obstructive conduct throughout the proceedings as aggravating factors justifying the maximum penalty
Kenya ( /ˈkɛnjə/ ( listen ) ) , officially the Republic of Kenya ( Swahili : Jamhuri ya Kenya ) , is a country in Africa with 47 semiautonomous counties governed by elected governors . At 580,367 square kilometres ( 224,081 sq mi ) , Kenya is the world 's 48th largest country by total area . With a population of more than 47.6 million people , Kenya is the 29th most populous country . Kenya 's capital and largest city is Nairobi , while its oldest city and first capital is the coastal city of Mombasa . Kisumu City is the third largest city and also an inland port on Lake Victoria . Other important urban centres include Nakuru and Eldoret . Kenya is bordered by South Sudan to the northwest , Ethiopia to the north , Somalia to the east , Uganda to the west , Tanzania to the south , and the Indian Ocean to the southeast . According to archaeological dating of associated artifacts and skeletal material , the Cushites first settled in the lowlands of Kenya between 3,200 and 1,300 BC , a phase referred to as the Lowland Savanna Pastoral Neolithic . Nilotic-speaking pastoralists ( ancestral to Kenya 's Nilotic speakers ) started migrating from present-day southern Sudan into Kenya around 500 BC . European colonisation of Kenya began in the 19th century during the European exploration of the interior . Modern-day Kenya emerged from a protectorate established by the British Empire in 1895 and the subsequent Kenya Colony , which began in 1920 . Numerous disputes between the UK and the colony led to the Mau Mau revolution , which began in 1952 , and the subsequent declaration of independence in 1963 .
Dire Tune Arissi ( pronounced Deer-ay Too-nay ; Ge'ez : ዲሬ ቱኔ , born 19 June 1985 ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner . Tune competed in the marathon at the 2005 World Championships . At the 2006 World Road Running Championships she finished fourth in the individual competition . This was good enough to help Ethiopia win a silver medal in the team competition . On April 21 , 2008 , Tune won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:25:25 . She was then selected to represent her country in the marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics , and was the only Ethiopian to finish , placing 15th in a time of 2:31:16 . In April 2009 , Tune finished second by one second in the Boston Marathon with a time of 2:32:17 . After finishing the race , she collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital . Her agent said the problem was due in part to dehydration combined with the cool weather and the fact that she trained for a shorter race . Dire Tune holds the One Hour running world record of 18.517 kilometres set June 12 , 2008 in Ostrava . The previous record ( 18,340 m ) was set by Tegla Loroupe ten years earlier . Tune won the 2009 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon , setting the Ethiopian half marathon record of 1:07:18 .
Ethiopia ( /ˌiːθiˈoʊpiə/ ; Amharic : ኢትዮጵያ , ʾĪtyōṗṗyā , listen ( help·info ) , Tigrinya : ኢትዮጵያ , Oromo : Itiyoophiyaa , Somali : Itoobiya , Afar : Itiyoophiyaa ) , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia , is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa . It shares borders with Eritrea to the north , Djibouti to the northeast , Somalia , and the de facto state of Somaliland to the east , Kenya to the south , South Sudan to the west and Sudan to the northwest . With over 109 million inhabitants , Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world and the second-most populous nation on the African continent with a total area of 1,100,000 square kilometres ( 420,000 sq mi ) . Its capital and largest city is Addis Ababa , which lies a few miles west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the Nubian and Somali tectonic plates . Some of the oldest skeletal evidence for anatomically modern humans has been found in Ethiopia . It is widely considered as the region from which modern humans first set out for the Middle East and places beyond . According to linguists , the first Afroasiatic-speaking populations settled in the Horn region during the ensuing Neolithic era . Tracing its roots to the 2nd millennium BCE , Ethiopia 's governmental system was a monarchy for most of its history . Oral literature tells that the monarchy was founded by the Solomonic dynasty of the Queen of Sheba , under its first king , Menelik I . In the first centuries , the Kingdom of Aksum maintained a unified civilization in the region , followed by the Ethiopian Empire circa 1137 . During the late 19th-century Scramble for Africa , Ethiopia and Liberia were two nations that preserved their sovereignty from long-term colonisation by a European colonial power and many newly-independent nations on the continent subsequently adopted its flag colours . However , the country was later occupied by Italy in 1936 and became Italian Ethiopia ( part of Italian East Africa ) until it was liberated during World War II .
Edith Chewanjel Masai ( born 4 April 1967 ) is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in cross country and track races , then road races in her late career . She represented Kenya at the 2004 Summer Olympics . Her best achievements are three individual gold medals in the short race at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships between 2002 and 2004 . She is also known for reaching global top at the age of 35 . On the track she was the bronze medallist over 5000 metres at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and was the 2006 African Champion over 10,000 metres . She has also won silver medals over 10,000 m at the 2007 All-Africa Games and 5000 m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games . Her track best of 8:23.23 minutes for the 3000 metres , set in 2002 , remains the African record for the event . Over the marathon distance , she ran her career best of 2:27:06 hours to win the 2005 Hamburg Marathon .
Kayoko Fukushi ( 福士 加代子 , Fukushi Kayoko , born 25 March 1982 in Itayanagi , Aomori ) is a Japanese long-distance runner , who specializes in the 5000 , 10,000 metres and marathon . Fukushi represented Japan at the 2004 , 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics . She was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics . She holds a marathon best of 2:22:17 hours . Fukushi won two silver medals at the 2002 Asian Games and then won the 10,000 m gold medal at the 2006 edition . She is a former world record holder in the 15 km road race and is the Japanese record holder in the 5000 m , 10,000 m , and 10K road distance . Fukushi is also a six-time national champion over the 5000 m. In addition , she has run more sub 34 minute 10,000 m runs in competition than any other woman in the world ( as of 2014 this mark stands at 44 ) . She was chosen as the torch lighter for the 2003 Asian Winter Games which was held in Aomori Prefecture , her home region .
Japan ( Japanese : 日本 , Nippon [ ɲippoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) or Nihon [ ɲihoꜜɴ ] ( listen ) ) is an island country located in East Asia . It is bordered by the Sea of Japan to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east , and spans more than 3,000 kilometers ( 1,900 mi ) along the coast of the continent from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Philippine Sea in the south . Part of the Pacific Ring of Fire , Japan encompasses a stratovolcanic archipelago of about 6,852 islands , with five main islands ( Hokkaido , Honshu , Kyushu , Shikoku , and Okinawa ) comprising 97% of the country 's total area of 377,975 square kilometers ( 145,937 sq mi ) . Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures and traditionally into eight regions . Approximately two-thirds of the country 's terrain is mountainous and heavily forested , and less than one-eighth of land is suitable for agriculture . Consequently , Japan is among the most densely populated and urbanized countries in the world , with over 90% of its population living in urban areas . The largest of these is the metropolitan area centered on the capital city of Tokyo , which is the most populous in the world and home to more than 38 million people . Japan itself is the world 's eleventh most populous country with a population of 126.2 million , of which 97.8% are ethnically Japanese . The kanji ( or Chinese characters ) that make up the name of Japan in the Japanese language mean sun origin ; in the Western world , the country is often known by the sobriquet Land of the Rising Sun . Periods of influence from other regions , primarily China , followed by periods of isolation , particularly from Western Europe , have characterized the history of Japan . While archaeological evidence indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period , the first written mention of the archipelago appears in Chinese texts from the first century AD . Between the fourth and ninth centuries , the kingdoms of Japan became gradually unified under an Emperor and imperial court based in Heian-kyō ( modern Kyoto ) .
Yurika Nakamura ( 中村 友梨香 , Nakamura Yurika ) ( born 1 April 1986 in Fukuchiyama ) is a Japanese long-distance runner . Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture . She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships , helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team competition . In 2008 , she won the Nagoya Marathon in her marathon debut . In the 2008 Summer Olympics marathon , she finished 13th . She won the 2009 Sapporo Half Marathon title with a time of 1:09:20 .
Nataliya Berkut ( Ukrainian : Наталія Беркут ; born 30 May 1975 ) is a Ukrainian long-distance runner . She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships . On the track she competed in 10,000 metres at the World Championships in 2001 and 2003 . She was qualified in 10,000 metres for the 2008 Olympic Games , but did not actually compete . Her personal best time is 31:08.89 minutes , achieved in June 2004 in Tula .
Ukraine ( Ukrainian : Україна , romanized : Ukrayina , pronounced [ ʊkrɐˈjinɐ ] ( listen ) ) is a country in Eastern Europe . It is bordered by Russia to the north-east ; Belarus to the north ; Poland , Slovakia and Hungary to the west ; and Romania , Moldova , and the Black Sea to the south . Ukraine is currently in a territorial dispute with Russia over the Crimean Peninsula , which Russia annexed in 2014 . Including Crimea , Ukraine has an area of 603,628 km2 ( 233,062 sq mi ) , making it both the largest country entirely within Europe and the 46th largest country in the world . Excluding Crimea , Ukraine has a population of about 42 million , making it the 32nd most populous country in the world . Its capital and largest city is Kiev . Ukrainian is the official language and its alphabet is Cyrillic . The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodoxy . The territory of modern Ukraine has been inhabited since 32,000 BC . During the Middle Ages , the area was a key centre of East Slavic culture , with the powerful state of Kievan Rus ' forming the basis of Ukrainian identity . Following its fragmentation in the 13th century , the territory was contested , ruled and divided by a variety of powers , including the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth , Austria-Hungary , the Ottoman Empire and Russia . A Cossack republic emerged and prospered during the 17th and 18th centuries , but its territory was eventually split between Poland and the Russian Empire .
Souad Aït Salem ( born 6 January 1979 in Mécheria , Algeria ) is an Algerian long-distance runner who specializes mainly in the half marathon and marathon . She won gold in the 10,000 metres at the 2000 African Championships in Athletics and the 2005 Mediterranean Games . Salem also won the gold in the half marathon at the 2007 All-Africa Games . She holds the Algerian records for every women 's event between 3000 metres and the marathon distance . Her first appearance on the world stage was in the junior race at the 1997 IAAF World Cross Country Championships , where she finished in 98th place . Salem reached the top fifty at the 2000 and 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships . She ran in the 5000 metres at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics and the 2004 Summer Olympics but did not progress beyond her heat in either competition . After winning the Universiade cross country competition , Salem switched to the marathon distance in 2006 and the move paid off : she won the 2006 Alexander The Great Marathon in Thessaloniki . She won the women 's race at the 13th Rome Marathon on 18 March 2007 . Her time was 2:25:08 hrs was a new course record . She finished 9th in the women 's marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics , with a time of 2:28:29 hrs . At the 2007 World Championships in Athletics , she finished 16th in the marathon race .
Algeria ( /ælˈdʒɪəriə/ ( listen ) al-JEER-ee-ə ) is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa . The capital and most populous city is Algiers , located in the far north of the country on the Mediterranean coast . With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres ( 919,595 sq mi ) , Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world , and the largest in the African Union and Arab World . With an estimated population of over 42 million , it is among the ten most populous states in Africa . Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia , to the east by Libya , to the west by Morocco , to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory , Mauritania , and Mali , to the southeast by Niger , and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea . It is a semi-presidential republic consisting of 48 provinces and 1,541 communes ( counties ) . Pre-1962 Algeria has known many empires and dynasties , including ancient Numidians , Phoenicians , Carthaginians , Romans , Vandals , Byzantines , Umayyads , Abbasids , Idrisid , Aghlabid , Rustamid , Fatimids , Zirid , Hammadids , Almoravids , Almohads , Zayyanids , Spaniards , Ottomans and , finally , the French colonial empire . Algeria is a regional and middle power . It has the highest human development index of all non-island African countries and one of the largest economies on the continent , based largely on energy exports . Algeria has the 16th largest oil reserves in the world and the second largest in Africa , while it has the ninth largest reserves of natural gas . Sonatrach , the national oil company , is the largest company in Africa , supplying large amounts of natural gas to Europe . Algeria has one of the largest militaries in Africa and the largest defence budget .
Teyba Erkesso Wako ( born 30 October 1982 in Arsi ) is an Ethiopian runner who specializes in road running ( including the half marathon and marathon ) as well as cross-country running . She began running for Ethiopia internationally at the age of sixteen and won her first gold medal at the 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships , helping the Ethiopian women to a team victory . She formed a key part of Ethiopian team competitions in her early career , helping them reach the podium at international events on numerous occasions . Her first individual medal came at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships , where she won the bronze medal in the short race . It was in road running competitions where she made her name . She won the Marseille-Cassis Classique Internationale at the age of 21 but only switched her focus to road running in 2007 . After a fourth-place finish at the 2009 Chicago Marathon , she set a state record of 2:23:53 at the Houston Marathon ( a personal best ) . She won her first major events in 2010 , placing first in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon and then the Boston Marathon . She is perhaps known for pushing the pace during the middle of the race , as she did in Boston and Houston to break away .
Anikó Kálovics ( born 13 May 1977 ) is a Hungarian runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres and the marathon . She is a four-time Olympian ( 2000-2012 ) and has won both the Venice Marathon and Italian Marathon .
Hungary ( Hungarian : Magyarország [ ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ ] ( listen ) ) is a country in Central Europe . Spanning 93,030 square kilometres ( 35,920 sq mi ) in the Carpathian Basin , it borders Slovakia to the north , Ukraine to the northeast , Romania to the east and southeast , Serbia to the south , Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest , and Austria to the west . With about 10 million inhabitants , Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union . The official language is Hungarian , which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world , and among the few non-Indo-European languages to be widely spoken in Europe . Hungary 's capital and largest city is Budapest ; other major urban areas include Debrecen , Szeged , Miskolc , Pécs and Győr . The territory of modern Hungary was for centuries inhabited by a succession of peoples , including Celts , Romans , Germanic tribes , Huns , West Slavs and the Avars . The foundations of the Hungarian state were established in the late ninth century CE by the Hungarian grand prince Árpád following the conquest of the Carpathian Basin . His great-grandson Stephen I ascended the throne in 1000 , converting his realm to a Christian kingdom . By the 12th century , Hungary became a regional power , reaching its cultural and political height in the 15th century . Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 , Hungary was partially occupied by the Ottoman Empire ( 1541-1699 ) . It came under Habsburg rule at the turn of the 18th century , and later joined Austria to form the Austro-Hungarian Empire , a major European power . The Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed after World War I , and the subsequent Treaty of Trianon established Hungary 's current borders , resulting in the loss of 71% of its territory , 58% of its population , and 32% of ethnic Hungarians .
Gulnara Vygovskaya ( born 6 September 1980 ) is a Russian long-distance runner who specializes in marathon races . She finished twelfth at the 2006 World Road Running Championships , helping the Russian team take a fifth place in the team competition . Her personal best time in the half marathon is 1:12:06 hours , achieved in September 2006 in Saransk . In the marathon she has 2:32:51 hours , achieved in October 2006 in Frankfurt .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
Natalya Kurbatova ( Russian : Наталья Курбатова ; born 17 October 1985 ) is a Russian long-distance runner who specializes in marathon races . She finished thirteenth at the 2006 World Road Running Championships , helping the Russian team take a fifth place in the team competition . Her personal best time in the half marathon is 1:11:05 hours , achieved in September 2006 in Saransk . In the marathon she has 2:33:43 hours , achieved in June 2006 in Saransk .
Eunice Jepkorir Kertich ( born 17 February 1982 ) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the steeplechase . She was the 2008 Olympic silver medalist in the event and bronze medalist at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics . She is from Eldama Ravine . Her parents are farmers and she has eight siblings ( four brothers and four sisters ) . She started serious running at the age of 15 while at high school . In 2003 , she competed at some road races in Germany . She finished seventh in the long race at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships , while the Kenyan team , of which Jepkorir was a part , won the silver medal in the team competition . She won the Parelloop 10K in race in the Netherlands in 2005 . She finished fourteenth at the 2006 World Road Running Championships , helping the Kenyan team win the team competition . She won the 2007 Cross Internacional de la Constitución . She beat 3000m steeplechase Kenyan record at the Bislett Games in Oslo on 15 June 2007 by running 9:19.44 . Two weeks later , on 2 July 2007 in Athens she ran 9:14.52 , which is an African and Commonwealth record .
Irina Nikolayevna Timofeyeva ( Russian : Ирина Николаевна Тимофеева ; born 5 April 1970 ) is a Russian long-distance runner who specializes in running the marathon . She won the Singapore Marathon in 2005 and the Paris Marathon in 2006 . She ran for Russia at the 2008 Summer Olympics , placing seventh in the marathon race . She won the Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon in 2009 . She was banned from the sport for two years , starting 6 September 2016 , due to abnormalities in her biological passport .
Luminiţa Talpoş ( born October 9 , 1972 in Craiova , Dolj ) is a female long-distance runner from Romania , who specialized in the marathon race during her career .
Ashu Kasim Rabo ( born 20 October 1984 ) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the half marathon and marathon events . Her personal bests are 68:56 minutes and 2:23:09 hours , respectively . She has won the Istanbul Marathon ( 2010 ) and the Xiamen Marathon ( 2012 ) . Ashu has represented Ethiopia internationally on three occasions : at the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships , the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships , and in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 All-Africa Games ( where she was fourth ) .
Anna Thompson ( born 11 December 1976 in Melbourne ) is an Australian runner who specializes in cross-country running .
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia , is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the largest country in Oceania and the world 's sixth-largest country by total area . The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard . Australia 's capital is Canberra , and its largest city is Sydney . The country 's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne , Brisbane , Perth , and Adelaide . Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years prior to the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th century , who named it New Holland . In 1770 , Australia 's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788 , a date which became Australia 's national day . The population grew steadily in subsequent decades , and by the time of an 1850s gold rush , most of the continent had been explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established . On 1 January 1901 , the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia . Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy , comprising six states and ten territories . Australia is the oldest , flattest , and driest inhabited continent , with the least fertile soils . It has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres ( 2,941,300 sq mi ) .
Ryoko Kizaki ( Japanese : 木崎 良子 ; born 21 June 1985 ) is a Japanese long-distance runner who competes in marathon and half marathon races . She won the 2011 Yokohama Women 's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:26:32 hours . She is a three-time participant at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and a two-time medallist at the Summer Universiade .