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| Wire 84, Sept. 5, 2002 | |
| Wire 83, Sept 2, 2002 | In this Edition of the Running USA Wire
Copyright © 2002 Running Running USA All Rights Reserved Upcoming Events
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Contact: Richard Finn, Director of Public Relations, (212) 423-2229 / Amie Desautels, Manager of Public Relations, (212) 423-2294 LORNAH KIPLAGAT TO MAKE HER NEW YORK CITY MARATHON DEBUT NEW YORK - (September 4, 2002)- The world record holder at 20-kilometers and winner at the marathon, half-marathon and 10K distances already this year, Lornah Kiplagat will make her New York City Marathon debut at this year's race on Sunday, Nov. 3 it was announced today by race director Allan Steinfeld. "Lornah has been the best road runner in the world this year and has to be considered the early favorite for this year's NYC Marathon," said Steinfeld, the president and CEO of the New York Road Runners. "She has all the tools - speed, strength and experience - to win here." Also announced today was Kiplagat's fellow Kenyan countrywoman and last year's NYC Marathon runner-up Susan Chepkemei. Kiplagat, 28, and Chepkemei, 27, who both now live and train in the Netherlands for part of the year, join the previously announced United States Olympian Marla Runyan as the first competitors announced in the women's field for the 33rd running of the five-borough race. The world record holder for 20K (1:03:54, Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, March 11, 2001), Kiplagat is also ranked as the second-fastest woman at the 10K distance (30:32) and holds five sub-31:00 finishes, the most by any woman. No stranger to championship titles having won the City of Los Angeles Marathon twice (1997-98), Kiplagat strengthened her resume in 2002, adding first place finishes in the Osaka International Ladies Marathon (2:23:55), the Monterrey Half-Marathon (1:09:32) and defending her championship title for the third consecutive year at the Peachtree 10K (30:32) in Atlanta. Kiplagat, who hopes to become a Dutch citizen in the future, finished second (30:44) at the New York Women's Mini Marathon 10K in June. Her marathon career best of 2:22:36 came in a second place showing at Chicago in 2000. "It has been my dream to run New York," said Kiplagat. "I count it the number one marathon in the world. I am still very new in the marathon and I wanted to get more experience in running the marathon, so that when I came to New York, I'd be prepared. Now, I feel this is the time to do it." Chepkemei set her marathon career best (2:23:19) by placing fifth at the London Marathon last April. A three-time silver medalist at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships (2000-02), she is the fastest woman of all-time at that distance (1:05:44, Lisbon, 2001). Most recently Chepkemei won a silver medal in the 10,000m (31:32.04) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Kiplagat and the other top-seeded women runners will have the benefit of an early start at this year's New York City Marathon-the first ever for any major marathon in the United States. The women's elite division will begin at 10:35 a.m., approximately 35 minutes before the men's elite race and the open race. The early start is expected to increase visibility for spectators and open up the course for an aggressive women's race. The men's and women's champions will each earn $80,000 plus a Pontiac Vibe. The 2002 New York City Marathon is expected to draw an open field of around 30,000 participants. Inaugurated in 1970 with 127 entrants, the New York City Marathon has grown into the world's premiere road race, featuring 30,000 participants, some 2.5 million live spectators, a leading elite field and a guaranteed prize purse of more than $475,000. Broadcast across the nation and in 125 countries worldwide, the 26.2-mile footrace is the United States' most watched one-day sporting event. The New York City Marathon takes places the first Sunday in November each year and is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world's most comprehensive running organization. For more information visit www.nycmarathon.org
Contact: Jenna Perlstein, (323) 993-5958 WESTERN HEMISPHERE MARATHON OFFERS NEW EVENT CULVER CITY, Calif. - (September 5, 2002) - This December, the 55th annual Western Hemisphere Marathon, presented by iFIT.com, the longest consecutively run marathon in the Western United States, will sponsor some exciting new features. In addition to the marathon, half-marathon and 5K run/walk categories, there will be for the first time ever, the Ekiden relay marathon. The Ekiden category will have opportunities for Men's, Women's and Mixed Teams, and Corporate Teams. The event also was selected as the Southern California Ekiden Championship by USA Track & Field. Cheryl Anker, the marathon's Producer/Director in collaboration with world-record holder Jacqueline Hansen, is enthusiastic about this year's events and has expectations of high participation. Anker says, "This year we are expecting to have more than 5,000 participants. I am excited about the addition of the Ekiden relay to our list of races and hope that corporations, associations and charitable organizations will see it as I do...as an opportunity to get involved in the marathon and to support their community." Another new and significant feature of this year is that this is the first time in the marathon's 55-year history that runners will be outfitted with chip timing devices in order to obtain precision race results. "This year I decided to use chip timing for the events," explains Anker, "because we have three races that will be starting simultaneously: the full marathon, the half-marathon and the Ekiden. The chips will enable us to keep track of everybody and to record accurate times." This marathon offers an opportunity for runners interested in qualifying for other marathons like the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials and Boston Marathon as it is being held on a flat certified course consisting of a series of four loops. The 55th Annual Western Hemisphere Marathon presented by iFIT.com will be held at 8:00am, Sunday, December 1, 2002 in Culver City, California. Training programs for the half-marathon and Ekiden relay events are available in the Los Angeles-area through Off 'N Running Tours. Participants can register online or by contacting Cheryl Anker at the Western Hemisphere Marathon Office for an entry form. Corporate Sponsorship packages are available upon request. Information on the Western Hemisphere Marathon or Off 'N Running Tours training programs can be obtained by contacting Cheryl Anker at 1129 Cardiff Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90035, phone (310) 246-1418 and website: www.whmarathon.active.com For more information: Sarah Irvin, (614) 299-8704 Local Elite Athlete to Make Marathon Debut in Columbus COLUMBUS, Ohio - (September 4, 2002) - Coming out of his half-marathon personal record of 1:03:51 at the World Championships in Brussels, Belgium, local elite runner Jim Jurcevich announced today that he will make his marathon debut at the Columbus Marathon on Oct. 20, 2002. "We're very excited to have a local athlete of Jim's caliber participate in this year's marathon," said Mike Collins, Columbus Marathon executive director. "His strong performance in May at the World Half-Marathon Championships proves that he has the potential to threaten the 23-year-old Columbus Marathon record of 2:11:02." Jurcevich, 26, who runs 120 miles per week, is the 2002 USA Half-Marathon Championship runner-up, and the Michigan State graduate is preparing for the Columbus Marathon at the prestigious Fila Discovery USA Camp led by world-renowned marathon specialist Dr. Gabriele Rosa. Recent Rosa successes were demonstrated when Margaret Okayo ran the fourth fastest women's marathon in history to win the 2002 Boston Marathon, and the day before, Paul Tergat ran the third fastest marathon in history at the London Marathon. The camp, which runs from July 20 till a week before the October 20th marathon, includes five men and five women who were chosen after a stringent application process based on past times and potential. There are only four such Fila Camps in the world, one in the United States at Lake Tahoe; the other three are located in Kenya, Italy and Switzerland. A typical Rosa training regimen consists of progressive style runs or structured interval workouts in the morning with light afternoon running. A camp manager and resident coach are charged with guiding the athletes in Rosa's training principles and keeping him updated daily on the athlete's progress and health when he is not able to be at the camp. Rosa's workout regimen is believed to play a large role in the Kenyan runners ability to dominate the sport in recent years. The Columbus Marathon - a Running USA Member
- is the "place to do 26.2" and has been continuously ranked
by Runner's World as one of America's top 20 marathons. Additionally USA
Today has ranked it as one of the top 10 fall marathons. This year's event
includes a Marathon Relay, all-new Walking Division and Kids Run for Fun.
For more information please visit www.columbusmarathon.com or call (614)
421-7866 (RUNN). |
| Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services USATF Road Running Information Center 5522 Camino Cerralvo Santa Barbara, CA 93111 (805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252 |