Return to top / Return to main page

2004 U.S. Road Running Rankings: Kastor, Keflezighi #1
Click here for 2004 US Rankings

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - (January 9, 2005) - It is no surprise that Olympic Marathon medalists Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor returned to the top of the U.S. Road Rankings in 2004 with 1,256 and 1,045 points respectively. The Team Running USA duo were followed by a solid group of American men and women who achieved at least one world ranking time standard of 28:40 or 33:00 respectively for an equivalent 10K.

The rankings system developed by the Road Running Information Center in 1988, adjusts all road performances to an equivalent 10K time taking into consideration course factors such as drop, climb and altitude. Points are assigned according to the quality of the adjusted time in comparison to the world record and bonus points are given for first place finishes. In 2004, additional points were awarded for achievement of the IAAF 'A' time standard in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, top 3 finishers in the Trials, finishes in the Olympic Marathon and medals at the Athens Olympic Marathon.

For the U.S. men who have had as few as 6 ranked runners in both 1998 and 2000, it was encouraging to have 18 athletes at the 28:40 level - the most since 1992. Meb Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., who first appeared in the rankings in 1999 (#5, U.S.), has been in the number one position for 3 of the last 4 years. In 2002, he was ranked #3 below Khalid Khannouchi and Alan Culpepper. Other men who have achieved the road ranking standard for the last 4 years include Abdi Abdirahman (#5 in '01-02; #6 in '04; #9 in '03) and Tim Broe (#7 in '02-03; #9 in '01, '04). Khalid Khannouchi, the second ranked U.S. male in 2004, was #1 in the world in 1999 while he still had Moroccan citizenship. He topped the U.S. list in 2000 and 2002.

Newcomers to the U.S. Men's Road Rankings in 2004 included Mbarak Hussein (#5) who became a U.S. citizen in October (still to be officially confirmed at press time); Trent Briney (#7), the surprise 4th place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials who is coached by the Hanson brothers, Kevin and Keith; Dathan Ritzenhein (#8), former University of Colorado star who snuck onto the list by running only one road race on the last day of the year, coached by Brad Hudson; Clint Verran (#11), also from Hansons-Brooks team based in Rochester Hills, Mich.; Chad Pearson (#12), 23, of Raleigh, N.C.; #14 Ryan Shay of Team Running USA coached by Joe Vigil, and Matt Lane (#17) from Palo Alto, Calif.

Deena Kastor (formerly Drossin) has dominated the U.S. Women's Road Rankings for a number of years. The Mammoth Lakes resident achieved the world road standard in 1997 and was #3 on the U.S. list for two years. In 1999, she moved up to #2 and has claimed the top U.S. position for all 5 years since. Jen Rhines (#4 in '04) and Sylvia Mosqueda (#7 in '04) have achieved the ranking standard for the last 5 years and like Deena, Elva Dryer (#10 in 2004) has made the rankings list for the last 8 years. But Colleen De Reuck, winner of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and #2 U.S. rank, gets the longevity award for consistent running quality since she achieved the world standard the last 4 years as a U.S. citizen and all 11 years before that as a South African. In fact, she may have run world ranked times for more than 16 years, but 1990 is the first year that the Road Running Information Center began tracking performances in foreign events.

Women to watch in the future include the rankings first-timers Kate O'Neill (#5) and twin Laura (#14), age 24 and Yale graduates; Heather Hanscom (#9), 6th at the Olympic Marathon Trials, and Kelly Keane (#15), winner of the 2004 Motorola and St. Jude's Memphis Half-Marathons.

U.S. Road Rankings
January 1 - December 31, 2004

MEN
Athlete Name/ST/Total Points
1) Meb Keflezighi, CA, 1,256
2) Khalid Khannouchi, NY, 543
3) Alan Culpepper, CO, 272
4) Dan Browne, OR, 239
5) Mbarak Hussein, NM, 200
6) Abdi Abdirahman, AZ, 118
7) Trent Briney, MI, 68
8) Dathan Ritzenhein, CO, 56
9) Tim Broe, MI, 54
10) Anthony Famiglietti, NY, 33
18 overall (at least one time 28:40 or faster 10K equivalent)

WOMEN
Athlete Name/ST/Total Points
1) Deena Kastor, CA, 1,045
2) Colleen De Reuck, CO, 581
3) Marla Runyan, OR, 268
4) Jen Rhines, PA, 251
5) Kate O'Neill, CT, 132
6) Blake Russell, CA, 125
7) Sylvia Mosqueda, CA, 121
8) Magdalena Lewy Boulet, CA, 109
9) Heather Hanscom, VA, 83
10) Elva Dryer, NM, 76
16 overall (at least one time 33:00 or faster 10K equivalent)

For complete 2004 U.S. Open rankings with athlete race summaries CLICK HERE.

Return to top / Return to main page

Contact: Audra Fleming, (858) 518-2923

Yae Wins, Gemechu Repeats at P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon

TEMPE, Ariz. (Jan. 9, 2005) - The second annual P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon brought more of the same on the women's side and crowned a new men's champion as the musical marathon hit the streets of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe on Sunday.

Ethiopia's Shitaye Gemechu, 24, successfully defended her title when she captured the women's 26.2-mile road race in a time of 2:32:51. Close behind was the young Australian, Haley McGregor, 25, who made her marathon debut in a solid 2:33:47.

A tactical race ensued on the men's side. Kenyan teammates Haron Toroitich, the defending champion, and Philip Tarus, ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Ethiopia's Terefe Yae through 25 miles before Yae finally broke away from defending champion Toroitich to capture his first major marathon title. He crossed the line in a time of 2:14:24. Toroitich was second in 2:15:40 and Ethiopia's Belay Wolasha was third at 2:16:23. The top American, Chad Johnson of Team USA Minnesota, finished fifth overall in a personal record 2:16:57.

There were several famous faces in the crowd of over 29,000 marathon and half-marathon registered participants. Shonda Schilling, wife of World Series Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, finished her first marathon in 4:50:57. NFL great and three-time Super Bowl Champion Roger Craig completed the marathon in 3:50:45. Arizona Diamondback outfielder, Luis Gonzalez, completed his first half-marathon in 2:16:19. Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Senator John McCain, walked the half-marathon for Train to End Stroke in 3:58:05.

2nd P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
Phoenix-Scottsdale-Tempe, AZ, Sunday, Jan 9, 2005

MEN
1) Terefe Yae, 23, Ethiopia, 2:14:24, $20,000
2) Haron Toroitich, 27, Kenya, 2:15:40, $10,000
3) Belay Wolasha, 34, Ethiopia, 2:16:23, $6,500
4) Philip Tarus, 30, Kenya, 2:16:36, $4,000
5) Chad Johnson, 28, USA/MN, 2:16:57, $3,000
6) Sergey Emelyanov, 26, Russia, 2:17:44, $1,800
7) Stephen Muturi, 29, Kenya, 2:19:43, $1,400
8) Asnake Ferkadu, 22, Ethiopia, 2:23:55, $1,200
9) Driss Dacha, 42, USA/NM, 2:28:38, $1,100
10) Marty Dalton, 28, USA, 2:29:44, $1,000

WOMEN
1) Shitaye Gemechu, 24, Ethiopia, 2:32:51, $20,000
2) Hayley McGregor, 25, Australia, 2:33:47, $10,000
3) Karla Sokolovich, 32, USA, 2:55:35, $6,500
4) Mindy Kuehl, 26, USA, 2:56:01, $4,000
5) Sarah Shuler, 26, USA, 2:57:25, $3,000
6) Lisa Pohlit, 24, USA, 2:57:53, $1,800
7) Rebbechah Castilo, 43, USA, 2:58:40, $1,700
8) Suzy Schumacher, 35, USA/AZ, 3:00:21, $1,200
9) Stephanie Hodge, 39, USA, 3:03:22, $1,100
10) Stacey Lauritano, 38, USA, 3:06:23, $1,000

For complete results, go to the race website at: www.rnraz.com

Return to top / Return to main page

Conference Contact:
Julie Lazarus, The Active Network, Inc.
julie.lazarus@active.com; (858) 551-9916, x269

Register Online Now for Running USA 2005 Conference
Annual Industry Event for the Sport of Running Comes to San Diego in February

LA JOLLA, Calif. - (January 10, 2005) - There is still time to register online and reserve a spot at this year's Running USA 2005: The National Conference for the Running Industry, powered by Running USA, The Active Network, Inc. and National Sports Network. The annual signature event for the road racing and distance running industry comes to San Diego next month, February 3-5, 2005, featuring industry leaders and innovators in event management, sponsorship, retail and marketing. Attendees can register now at www.runningusa.active.com

This year's conference will cover debate and discussion on issues impacting the sport, including economic factors, sponsorship investment, charity involvement, media coverage and expanding support and growth for running. A special lunch will celebrate women in the industry and recognize their impact on the sport of running. A series of specialty vertical workshops and roundtables will also be offered for race directors of all levels, running store retailers, youth training program providers and media communication professionals. Topics for workshops and roundtables include event marketing and promotion, specialty running store programs, race operations and a media summit.

Keynote speakers for this year's conference include a variety of industry leaders:
* Melissa Johnson, Executive Director, President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports
Sports and Fitness and the Challenges Facing 21st Century America
* Courtney Page Ferrell, #17, PLAY
Creative Imagination - Shaping The Years Ahead
* Rick Geswell, Executive VP Revenue & Marketing, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Running for a Cause
* Andrew Hersam, Publisher, Runner's World
Recent Trends in Road Racing
* Jeff Bail, Senior VP Marketing & Sales, Devine Racing
The Marketing and Branding of the Industry in the 21st Century
* Michael Mondello, Professor, Florida State University
Economic Impact of Running Events on a Locality
* Laren Ukman, Managing Director, IEG
Sponsorship Trends and Best Practices
* Phil Olsman, Producer, NBC
Television Production - Running from the Network Perspective

Conference information, online registration and hotel reservations are available at www.runningusa.active.com. The conference will be held in conjunction with the Competitor Endurance Sports Awards at Sea World, San Diego, with discount tickets available to conference attendees.

Conference date, location and costs include:
Date: February 3-5, 2005
Location: Paradise Point Resort Mission Bay - San Diego, California
Cost: $345 (Running USA members)/$445 (Non-members)

About Running USA
Running USA is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit professional organization devoted to improving the status and experience of road racing and distance running in the United States through collective marketing and promotions, information and communications within the industry and to the national media, services to events and industry members, and the development of American world-class stars. It seeks the advancement of the sport and the provision of value to each of its member's events and businesses. Running USA was formed in 1999 as a joint venture between a coalition of leading road races, race services companies, running-related media companies, the athletic industry and USA Track & Field. The organization is based on the idea that its goals can best be achieved through everyone in the sport working together. For more information, visit www.runningusa.org

About The Active Network, Inc.
The Active Network, Inc., an Inc. 500 company, is a leading provider of application and marketing services for the participatory activities and non-profit sectors. Organizations of all size use the company's application services to automate information collection, activity registration, facility reservation, membership and fundraising management. The Active Network's application services provide the technology to help organizations increase efficiency, while reducing the cost and complexity of managing community activities and fundraising events. The company's marketing services offer integrated online and field marketing campaigns to reach active consumers. The Active Network's consumer properties also offer a one-stop shop of services for the active lifestyle. Through a network of properties, the company delivers services to the largest customer base in its market. For more information, please visit www.theactivenetwork.com or call 1-888-543-7223.

About National Sports Network
National Sports Network is a group of 17 regional magazines focused on local amateur sports. With a circulation of 1.14 million every month, the magazines of the National Sports Network provide the essential local resource for event information, training advice, new product reviews, and features to help get the most out of an active lifestyle. For more information, visit www.nationalsportsnetwork.net

Return to top / Return to main page

USATF Hires Estes as LDR Programs Manager

Former USATF Men's Long Distance Running Chair Jim Estes has been hired by USA Track & Field to serve in the newly created position of Long Distance Running Manager.

Estes will work closely with USATF's LDR Sport Committees, as well as the Elite Athlete, Marketing, Events and Communications departments on LDR community outreach, LDR Championships promotion and service and USA Running Circuit programs. Estes will contribute to marketing proposals and sponsor fulfillment related to LDR events and programs, and he will spearhead USATF's LDR communications efforts, providing relevant information on the organization's website: www.usatf.org.

Estes and his wife Camille have run their own running/walking specialty store, Fleet Feet Sports in Louisville, Kentucky, since June 1999. Estes has 12 years experience in event management and marketing, having directed several large road races in the Louisville area, including the 2003-04 USA Men's 10 Mile Championship.

Estes will begin his new duties on January 10.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org

www.runningusa.org