| Running USA Wire 42, May 27, 2004 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cliff Bosley, Race Director,
(303) 444-7223, x14; cbosley@bolderboulder.com 2004 Bolder Boulder International Team Challenge Announces Entries BOULDER, Colo. - (May 26, 2004) - The 2004 Bolder Boulder International Team Challenge is gearing up for its annual Memorial Day event. With the Summer Games in Athens fast approaching, every team is looking fit and ready to race. So far, 22 teams have signed up to take on the challenge of running the 26th Celestial Seasonings Bolder Boulder. On the men's side, the twelve teams include: Australia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Great Britain, Kenya, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, USA and Venezuela. On the women's side, the ten teams include: Colombia, Ecuador, Great Britain, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia and USA. The International Team Challenge runs in the afternoon, after the citizen's race finishes and after the Memorial Day Tribute. Team introductions in Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus precede the professional races. The women's race starts at 11:26am and the men's race starts at 12:15pm. Teams compete on a 10K five-lap criterium course along Folsom Street with one lap through Folsom Field. Spectators can watch both races along Folsom Street or from inside the stadium on the BuffVision big screen TV. The Bolder Boulder will also be telecast live on the Denver CBS affiliate, KCNC-TV channel 4 from 9am - 1:30pm on race day. The post-race press conference (media only) will be at 1:30pm in the Dal Ward Center. Several key runners have already arrived in Boulder to train, including John Henwood (New Zealand), James Koskei (Kenya) and Benjamin Maiyo (Kenya). Like past editions, the Kenyan men again will be tough to beat, but the Team USA men - Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi and Abdi Abdirahman - could dethrone the defending team champions. For the women, the Kenyan, Romanian and Russian teams should contend for the team title. The International Team Challenge, started in 1998, is the largest international road racing team competition held annually in the United States. International teams are made up of three runners per gender. The teams compete for the largest non-marathon prize purse in the world. Monies are awarded in the team and individual categories. Teams are scored cross-country style with points awarded on the basis of finishing place. The team with the lowest score for all three runners is the winner. Ties are broken by the position of the third-place finishers. About Bolder Boulder The 26th Bolder Boulder will be held on Memorial Day, May 31, 2004. Visit the race website at: www.bolderboulder.com Bolder Boulder Int'l Team
Challenge Entries with Bib #s MEN Colombia (COL) Costa Rica (CRC) Ecuador (ECU) Ethiopia (ETH) Great Britain (GBR) Kenya (KEN) Korea (KOR) Mexico (MEX) New Zealand (NZL) Venezuela (VEN) United States (USA) WOMEN Ecuador (ECU) Japan (JPN) Great Britain (GBR) Kenya (KEN) Mexico (MEX) Poland (POL) Romania (ROM) Russia (RUS) United States (USA)
Return to top / Return to main page FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dryer Set to Return to Freihofer's
Run for Women 5K, the USA Championship ALBANY - (May 27, 2004) - In 1987 the dynasty of Lynn Jennings began at the Freihofer's Run for Women (FRW). She won no less than eight titles between 1987 and 1998. She was dominant and intimidating. She owned the real estate that was the Freihofer's course. She stalked her challengers through Washington Park, and tossed them aside along Madison Avenue. Nobody kicked like Jennings. In 1997 Elva Dryer from Albuquerque, NM came to Albany and dared to challenge the preeminence of Jennings. Dryer made a bold move in Washington Park, opened up a surprising lead, and meticulously pulled away down Madison Avenue to break Jennings' streak of four consecutive victories. Dryer will return to the Capital Region for the 26th edition of the Freihofer's Run for Women set for Saturday, June 5, and gun for another USA 5 km crown. "It was an exciting experience," recounts Dryer of her milestone victory over Jennings. "I admired Lynn a lot. She was the most competitive racer of her time. I went into it not sure what to expect, but hoped to do well. To come away with a victory was very satisfying." The 32-year-old Dryer has since made her own name for herself. She was 3rd in the 2000 Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters, and competed in the 2000 Olympics in that event in Sydney. She was a vital member of the 2002 World Cross Country team which won the silver medal, and the 2003 World Cross team which won the bronze. 2003 was a banner year for Dryer, highlighted by her participation in the World Championships in the 10,000m. She ended the year ranked #2 in the U.S. in that event. The 10,000 will hopefully be her ticket to a return engagement at the sport's largest theater - the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. But first she must go through the grueling U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, CA this July, and earn one of the coveted three berths. One advantage she has over some of her American rivals is the fact that she already has the Olympic "A" qualifying time (31:45) under her belt. "I am optimistic about my chances of making the Olympic team," says the 2003 USA 10K Road Champion. "But I know that I will have to bring my best game forward to make the team." If the 2004 version of the Freihofer's Run for Women seems like déjà vu for Dryer, it's because the circumstances are somewhat similar to 1997. However, this time around it's Marla Runyan on a mini-streak with back-to-back victories in 2002 and 2003. Can Dryer dethrone Runyan in similar fashion? Dryer has the same respect for Runyan that she did for Jennings, but remains cautious about her chances. "Marla is a great competitor. At this point in the year, neither one of us has raced much. We will have to wait and see how the race unfolds. I had a bit of tendonitis and a low ferritin level this spring, but I have been feeling good lately, and the training has been going well. I expect to be ready." FRW organizers also announced that Amy Yoder-Begley will join Dryer in the spotlight to the spectacular backdrop of 4,000 women on the Madison Avenue starting line. Yoder-Begley was a 15-time All-American at the University of Arkansas and 16-time SEC champion. She won the 2000 NCAA Indoor 5000 meter and 2001 Outdoor 10,000 meter titles. According to her coach/husband, Andrew Begley, she hasn't raced much this year due to two stress fractures. He says she's in good shape now and ready to run 15:35 - 15:40. To register for the 2004 Freihofer's Run for Women, a founding member of Running USA, pick up a registration form at any Price Chopper Supermarket, or go to freihofersrun.com. As a national championship, Freihofer's also is part of the 2004 Women's USA Running Circuit, a USA Track & Field road series. The 2004 USARC offers a record of $818,700 in guaranteed prize money with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. At each national road championship, the top 10 U.S. runners earn USARC points. For more information, visit usatf.org. Event sponsors include the Charles Freihofer Baking Company (A Division of George Weston Bakeries Inc.), Price Chopper Supermarkets, B95.5 fm, NewsChannel 13 and the Albany Quality Inn. Return to top / Return to main page FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Ahlers, AOT, (602) 364-3724 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Drums Up $41.4 Million for Arizona PHOENIX - (May 25, 2004) - The inaugural P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & Half Marathon held this past Jan. 11 succeeded beyond expectations by contributing $41.4 million to the Maricopa County economy and more than $1 million directly to state coffers, the Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) announced Tuesday. AOT Director Margie A. Emmermann released the results of the marathon economic impact study along with event organizer Elite Racing, Inc., and the mayors of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe. AOT and Elite Racing jointly funded the study, which was carried out by the Arizona Hospitality Research & Resource Center at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The race attracted more than 29,000 registered participants, making it the country's largest first-time event ever and enabling it to exceed its projected economic impact of $40 million. The event also generated $1.1 million in tax revenues for the state General Fund, the study found. Event co-hosts Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe benefited most from runners' expenditures on hotels, food, shopping and other items. More than half the runners were out-of-state visitors, who tend to spend more than residents. The top five origin states were California, Illinois, Colorado, Texas and Wisconsin. The economic benefits of the race extended statewide, as 17 percent of marathon participants traveled outside of Maricopa County during their stay. Sedona was the most frequently visited community, receiving 54.6 percent of these travelers, followed by Tucson at 24.7 percent. Kingman and the Native American tribal lands each accounted for 19.4 percent, while Flagstaff/Williams captured 15.9 percent. The average age of participants was 41 and the female/male split was 60/40. Three quarters of the runners were running their first Elite Racing "musical marathon," while the rest had run musical marathons in other states. Of the first-time runners, 93.7 percent said they would attend another marathon in Phoenix. Tim Murphy, president of Elite Racing, said that cooperative planning helped the event achieve maximum impact. "We worked with AOT and with the cities to determine the date in the wintertime on which Arizona needed the most help in terms of tourism," he said. Director Emmermann said AOT was proud to support the race and would do so again in 2005."The inaugural marathon was a first-class event and an unqualified team success," she said. "By raising Arizona's profile as a tourism destination and pumping critical dollars into the Valley and communities throughout the state, the event met and exceeded our expectations." Established in 1975, the Arizona Office of
Tourism is charged with enhancing the economy of the state through development
and expansion of the tourism industry. AOT works to serve the Arizona
travel industry and related businesses, the traveling public and the
taxpayers of Arizona.
The 2nd P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
& Half Marathon will take place Jan. 9, 2005. Visit the race website
at: www.rnraz.com Return to top / Return to main page FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bolder Boulder Honors the Armed Services BOULDER, Colo. - (May 27, 2004) - An important part of the Bolder Boulder 10K road race is to honor the men and women who have served our country during peace and war and who have given their lives fighting for our freedom. Bolder Boulder's Memorial Day Tribute after the citizens' race includes the presentation of the Nation's Colors, a 21-gun salute by the ROTC Marines, Taps, a fly-over by the 120th Fighter Squadron and the singing of our national anthem. With as many as 50,000 spectators, the Bolder Boulder Memorial Day Tribute has become the nation's largest Memorial Day Celebration. The festivities begin in Folsom Field at 11am on Memorial Day, May 31, 2004. This year's Medal of Honor recipient is Staff Sergeant Drew Dix. Sgt. Dix is a US Army Senior Advisor, and is responsible for the rescue of 14 United States free world civilians. He will be introduced by former honoree Sergeant Peter Lemon. During the Memorial Day Tribute Sgt. Lemon will honor the MOH recipient, read the Medal of Honor citation and pay homage to all U.S. veterans. Once again, a special Memorial Day "back bib" will be available for any participant who would like to run the race in honor of a family member or friend who served in the Armed Forces of the United States. Honoring those who have served, the Bolder Boulder has dedicated three special waves to those participants who are members or veterans of the United States Military. Join us in the "JD" or "JE" wave if you are a runner or in the "NE" wave if you are a jog/walker. The honorary back bibs are available at the Bolder Boulder store on 3054 28th street in Boulder. Additional bibs will be available at the start line registration area on race morning. Family and friends of the military are also welcome in either of these waves. Celestial Seasonings Race Ambassadors will also be handing out the back bibs on race day at the start area and in Folsom Stadium on race day. Again this year, over 50 Midshipmen and Marines from the Marine and Navy ROTC Units of the University of Colorado will be running the race in formation in honor of their fellow servicemen. The 2004 Flyover will be conducted by the 120th Fighter Squadron from the Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley Air Force Base including Col Buckingham, Maj. Conklin, Maj. Pavlich, and Maj. Hufford. The 21-gun salute will be directed by the Marine Rifle team of the University of Colorado Naval ROTC. The presentation of colors will be by the Navy and Marines of the NROTC Unit at CU. Taps will be played by Cadet J.D. Oredson and Midn 3/c Adam Appelbaum. The Star Spangled Banner will be once again be performed by Platt Middle School teacher John Riggs. The Mile-Hi Sky Diving team will perform their traditional exhibition sky dive to kick off the 26th Bolder Boulder Memorial Day Tribute at CU's Folsom Field beginning at 11:00am after the citizen's 10K road race. Each of the first five jumpers will carry a flag representing the five different braches of the United States armed services followed by the final jumper who will bear a 30 foot stars and stripes. For more race information, visit its website atrace website at: www.bolderboulder.com Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director (805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958 |