In this edition of the Running USA wire:

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Copyright (c) 2000 Running USA

• Chiba Int'l Ekiden, Chiba, Japan, November 23
• USA Fall Cross Country Championships, Boston, MA, November 25 www.usatfne.org
• Run to the Far Side XVI 10K/5K, San Francisco, CA, November 26
  www.rhodyco.com
• 22nd USATF Convention, Albuquerque, NM, November 27-December 3 www.usatf.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bay to Breakers Under New Direction

SAN FRANCISCO - Monday, November 20 - The Bay to Breakers 12K, the World's Largest Footrace, has been purchased by ExIn LLC from the Hearst Corporation. Bay to Breakers has been produced for the last 35 years by the San Francisco Examiner and Examiner Charities, Inc. Paulette Stracuzzi, who produced the event for Hearst, said the success of Bay to Breakers has been due to the support of San Francisco and the Bay Area running community. In handing off the event to ExIn, Stracuzzi also thanked City Hall, especially the Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Public Works and the Police and Fire Departments for their participation.

The new San Francisco Examiner, set to launch its new morning newspaper on November 22, today announced that it will continue the San Francisco Examiner Bay to Breakers. The 90th running is scheduled for Sunday, May 20 according to new race director Angela Fang.

For more information on the 2001 running of the San Francisco Examiner Bay to Breakers please contact Angela Fang at (415) 359-2707, or Race Coordinator Richard Bondroff at (415) 359-2790.

Paulette Stracuzzi
San Francisco Examiner
Special Events Manager
phone (415) 777-8742
Fax (415) 512-7682

By Hank Brown, Running USA wire

Running USA recently caught up with Cheri Kenah prior to the Delchamps Senior Bowl Charity Run on November 4. Delchamps was Kenah's first race back since her disappointing Olympic Trials 5000 where she didn't make the U.S. team due to an injury sustained in late spring.

RUSA: Tell me about your injury.

CK: It was at the Twi-Light meet on May 13. It was the featured event. Things were going great but then my arch got tight with two laps to go. I was in 3rd place with 200 to go and all of a sudden it felt like I got kicked. It was my plantar fascia and the doctors told me later that's what it feels like when it snaps. I finished the race and ended up running 15:10, which was a PR. I called my coach and told him I have good news, bad news, and worse news. The good news is that I just ran a 15:10 PR. The bad news is that I finished 3rd, the worse news is that I can't walk.

RUSA: Pretty bad timing, huh?

CK: Definitely. Up until the injury it was a picture perfect season. But it was taken away in a split second.

RUSA: How did you try to recover for the Trials?

CK: The Trials were July 17 so it didn't give me much time to heal. I was off running for four weeks completely. Then I ran in the pool and did some swimming. I biked a little. At Sacramento I knew I wasn't ready but I had to try anyway. I got into a tough heat. Deena, Regina, everyone was in the heat. I didn't make the finals.

RUSA: How tough was that to swallow?

CK: It was really tough. The hardest part was watching the women's finals in Sacramento. Then watching the Sydney opening ceremonies on TV. That was my last tough day.

RUSA: So, you didn't get to go to Sydney with Rich (Kenah, Cheri's husband and U.S. Olympian in the 800m run)?

CK: No. He went a couple of weeks before me but I got to join him later. Once I got to Sydney, I was okay.

RUSA: How is your training going now?

CK: It's going great. I'm mainly doing long slow stuff. Repeat miles. 4-mile tempo runs.

RUSA: So, is this your first race back? What are your expectations?

CK: Yeah. First race. I don't expect to light the world on fire. I just need to get something on the radar screen. I'm excited!

Postscript: Kenah finished a distant second to Elva Dryer in 34:23 the next day.

CK: I'm happy. It's about what I expected. I have to start somewhere. I knew Elva was in great shape so I figured I was racing for no better than 2nd place. I had to really work hard to hang on 2nd.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CITY OF LOS ANGELES MARATHON XVI -- "A YEAR TO SHINE"
Exploratory committee formed to lay the groundwork for possible course change in future years.

Media contact: Laurence Cohen, (310) 474-5116


LOS ANGELES - (November 21, 2000) - "A year to shine" is the theme for the 16th running of the City of Los Angeles Marathon presented by Honda and broadcast live on UPN-13 on March 4, 2001. While the event traditionally brings out the best in its participants and the people of Los Angeles, the invitation to "shine" will inspire an even greater sense of community as the 26.2 mile course winds its way through the multi-cultural heart of the city. The theme is also inspired by the record 23,000 participants in L.A. Marathon XV, who braved torrential rains averaging an inch an hour at the start, only to finish the race in brilliant sunshine. It was the first sell-out in L.A. Marathon history.

L.A. Marathon XVI may well be the last on the current course as an exploratory committee has been formed to chart a new direction for one of the nation's largest participatory event. Several options are being discussed including the possibility of a point-to-point course and modification of the existing course to eliminate some or all of the hills in the last half of the race. The current course passes Staples Center, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Koreatown, Hancock Park and the world famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood on the way back to the start/finish line in downtown Los Angeles. Plans for the new course will be announced following the 2001 race.

The City of Los Angeles Marathon is in equal parts a "people's race" and a prestigious sporting event featuring elite athletes from around the world. The current course record is 2:09:25 set in 1999 by Simon Bor of Kenya. With the possible change of course in future years, elite athletes will be attempting to break the current record for a $35,000 cash prize, a $25,000 bonus for breaking 2:09 and a new Honda Accord V-6 valued at $25,100. An impressive field of wheelchair athletes is also being recruited for the 2001 race led by the incredible Saul Mendoza of Mexico, who has won the race the past four years.

Runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes from all fifty states and some one hundred nations will take to the streets for the world's most entertaining Marathon. Throughout its history, the City of Los Angeles Marathon has set and raised the standard for more entertainment per mile than any marathon in the world. For the 2001 race, continuous live entertainment at ten Entertainment Centers will inspire runners along the way, as will the more than 85 groups participating in the Marathon of Music at curbside locations throughout the 26.2 mile course. Runners will cross the line into the Gas Company sponsored Finish Line Festival, where live music, food and fun will await.

A full schedule of race day events tailored to people of all ages and levels of ability has helped to establish the City of Los Angeles Marathon as the nation's largest participatory event. In his final year as Mayor, the honorable Richard J. Riordan, for the seventh straight year, will lead a pack of more than 15,000 cyclists on a tour of traffic-free city streets in the Acura L.A. Bike Tour VII starting and finishing in Exposition Park. Shortly after the start of the wheelchair and hand-cranked wheelchair divisions at 8:20am and 8:33, well over 20,000 runners and walkers will be on hand for the thrilling start of the City of Los Angeles Marathon at 8:45am. One hour after the start of L.A. Marathon XVI, thousands of additional participants will gather in front of the Staples Center for the 9:45am start of the L.A. Marathon 5K Run/Walk.

Race week will begin with the three day Quality of Life Expo presented by Sprint PCS from March 1- 3 in Kentia Hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Upwards of 80,000 people and over 400 exhibitors will gather for this showcase of the finest in running, cycling and fitness and what Competitor Magazine calls "one of the best Expos in the country." Another race week highlight is the traditional Carbo Load Dinner, returning to Macy's Plaza on Saturday, March 3 with seatings at 4:30pm and 6:00pm.

The City of Los Angeles Marathon's commitment to community is evident in its development and support of: The L.A. Roadrunners (www.laroadrunners.com) sponsored by City of Angels Medical Center and Sparkletts, a proven training program with a 99% + success rate that has helped more than 12,000 people finish the L.A. Marathon since its inception in 1988; The official L.A. Marathon Charity Program, which annually raises more than a million dollars for fifty worthwhile concerns; and Students Run LA (www.srla.com) a nationally recognized program that trains middle school and high school students to run and finish the L.A. Marathon. Also returning for 2001 is Running Buddies, a first of its kind program in the world innovated by the City of Los Angeles Marathon, which offers marathoners fully-supported, weekly organized runs in the final stages of training.

The City of Los Angeles Marathon enjoys a longstanding relationship with presenting sponsor Honda. UPN-13 will offer five hours of live coverage for the 16th straight year. Other longtime sponsors of the event include American Airlines, City of Angels Medical Center, The Gas Company (a Sempra Energy Company), Saucony, Sparkletts and Sprint PCS.

For applications and information for all City of Los Angeles Marathon events, call (310) 444-5544 or visit www.lamarathon.com.