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"The Challenge" Returns to the City of Los Angeles Marathon
$75,000 Bonus to the First Runner Across the Finish Line

LOS ANGELES - (February 24, 2005) - In 2004, David Kirui of Kenya would have been the first runner to cross the finish line of the City of Los Angeles Marathon XIX were it not for Tatyana Pozdnyakova of the Ukraine, but he had to settle for finishing first among the elite men.

How could it be that a woman won the race when natural differences in speed, strength and muscle mass would almost guarantee a male victor?

Last year, in an exciting new format created by the L.A. Marathon, elite men and elite women were pitted against each other on a level playing field for the first time in the history of running a marathon, to see just who would be King or Queen of the 26.2-mile road. "The Challenge," which allows the elite women to start roughly 20 minutes ahead of the elite men, is on again for 2005 and will determine who will be King or Queen of the L.A. Marathon XX.

Both defending champions return - Pozdnyakova to defend her title and Kirui to settle the score against a top international field.

On Sunday, March 6, will masters superstar Pozdnyakova hold on to her Challenger title? Will Kirui make the pass? Will a new face emerge?

"The Challenge" victor earns a $75,000 bonus ($25,000 more than in 2004), and each winner receives $25,000 and a Honda Accord EX V-6. Total prize purse equals $260,200.

For more on this topic or media credentialing information, please contact Stacey Ellis or Alexis Anzalone at (310) 450-6060 or by email at: sellis@blazecompany.com or aazalone@blazecompany.com

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Larger Fields for 2005 Twin Cities Marathon and TC10

This October, the Twin Cities will welcome an additional 1,000 runners during "The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America™," thanks to a new increased field limit. There will be an additional 500 spots per race, bringing the total field size to 10,500 for the 26.2-mile Twin Cities Marathon and 4,500 for the TC 10 Mile Race.

"We're delighted to make this opportunity available to runners across the country," says TCM Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman. "We've been working for a long time to make this happen."

Adding spaces for more participants isn't as easy as it sounds. TCM has worked with the Minneapolis Park Board for more than five years to make this happen.

"The first step was implementing a wave start in 2003, which helped manage congestion through the early phases of the course," says Brophy Achman.

This is critical for two reasons. One, the permits granted by Minneapolis have a four-hour limit. "The moment those four hours are up, the streets have to be reopened, which means TCM has to have every runner through, every aid station dismantled and every water cup picked up," Brophy Achman describes. "The wave start has been successful and now the Park Board is ready to support our next step: increasing the field size."

Second, and most importantly, keeping congestion down keeps participants safer. The roads on the St. Paul side are wider so congestion isn't as much of an issue; however, TCM wants to maintain the quality of the race for every participant.

"We'll never be able to put 30 or 40,000 runners on our course," says Brian Mastel, TCM's Race Operations Manager, "but the 16,000 that run our races will have a great experience."

Brophy Achman makes it clear that the volunteers on the race operations committee deserve much of the credit for overseeing the course activities on race day.

Mastel agrees. "We want to be clear about the reason for the field increase," he says. "It's entirely due to the fact that we've been able to successfully manage the flow of participants, especially along the parkways and city streets. This will mean more work for our race ops and medical committees, but also for volunteers in other areas like merchandise, packet pickup, and more. But we're ready for those additional 1,000 people!"

Maybe that's one reason why Runner's World called TCM the most organized road race.

So who will fill those extra 1,000 spots? Megan Ryan, TCM's Marketing Director, says, "We are expanding our marketing efforts to runners outside the Midwest - specifically the West Coast, Northeast and South. We are proud of our event and want to share it with runners everywhere."

But don't worry: there will be plenty of spots for area runners. In fact, marathon entry is guaranteed for those who attend the Marathon Registration Kick Off event on Thursday, April 28. Mark your calendars now and be at the start line of the 24th Twin Cities Marathon - host of the USA Open and Masters Championships - on October 2!

For more information, visit the race website at: www.twincitiesmarathon.org

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Contacts: Kim Dettwiller, (615) 330-5656; Audra Fleming, (858) 450-6510

Phil Vassar to Headline 2005 Country Music Marathon®
Bering Strait to be very special guests

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - (Feb. 23, 2005) - Arista recording artist Phil Vassar will entertain runners at the sixth annual Country Music Marathon® & ½ Marathon concert with Universal South Recording Group, Bering Strait, as very special guests.

The concert, which takes place at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville at 7:00pm, Sat., April 30, 2005, culminates a weekend of running and music featuring over 16,000 marathoners and half-marathoners with more than 50 live bands staged along each mile of the 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses.

Tickets for the concert will be sold to the public for $20 and will go on sale March 2, 2005. Tickets can be purchased through TicketMaster charge-by-phone at (615) 255-9600 or at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon starts at West End Avenue near Centennial Park, winds its way in and out of the downtown area and finishes at The Coliseum. The two-day Health & Fitness Expo, expected to attract 35,000 attendees, will be held at the Nashville Convention Center.

The Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through their Team In Training program. The fundraising goal for the 2005 event is $2.5 million.

Entries to the Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon are available at CMMarathon.com, by calling (615) 742-1660 or contacting the Country Music Marathon office at 240 Great Circle Rd, Ste 340, Nashville, TN 37228.

About Phil Vassar
Singer-songwriter Phil Vassar has been enjoying the success of his third Arista Nashville album, "Shaken Not Stirred." The acclaimed album boasts the single "In a Real Love," which spent two weeks atop the country music charts. Phil's latest single, "I'll Take That as a Yes (The Hot Tub Song)", is climbing the charts. He recently performed the hit on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show and the steamy music video for the song is in rotation on CMT and GAC. Vassar's tour schedule keeps him out on the road presenting his energetic performances that have earned fan support and widespread critical acclaim.

Taking a different approach in the studio for this album, Phil used his own band on much of the record rather than the familiar Nashville studio players. The aim was to tap his strength as a vocalist and musician by recreating the sound of his performances that have helped this native Virginian develop a reputation as a potent live performer. In a three out of four star album review, People Magazine says of Phil's talent, "[he] decorates his vocals with his keyboard work in a way that evokes the best singer-pianists, from Nat 'King' Cole and Hoagy Carmichael to Ronnie Milsap and Diana Krall." Music Row Magazine raves, Vassar delivers one of the best crafted country albums of the year.

Vassar began his career performing his growing repertoire of original songs at his Nashville club-restaurant. Before embarking on his solo career, which has produced more than half a dozen Top 10 hits (including his break out #1 single "Just Another Day In Paradise"), Vassar penned hits for a number of top artists including Tim McGraw ("My Next Thirty Years"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), and Jo Dee Messina ("Bye, Bye"). Englebert Humperdinck also recorded Once in a While, a composition that Vassar penned in the beginning of his career with a fellow bartender. He has earned numerous songwriting awards as well as new artist distinctions from ACM, CMA, R&R and Gavin.

About Bering Strait
After years of classical training and later playing together in a country bluegrass-fusion band in their native Russia, Bering Strait moved to Nashville in the late '90s to a pursue a recording career in America.

Upon arriving in the U.S., the band found themselves the subjects of the Emmy Award winning documentary, The Ballad of Bering Strait, produced and directed by Nina Gilden Seavey. The film chronicled the band's many struggles as they try to make their dream happen. The documentary was released theatrically and is now available on DVD.

In January of 2003, their hard earned efforts were rewarded with their self-titled album, released on Universal South Records-the joint venture between Universal Records and highly respected music executives Tony Brown and Tim DuBois. They were also nominated for a Grammy Award for their instrumental original composition, "Bearing Straight".

The group's unique story has been the focus of many high profile outlets-they have been profiled in The New York Times, The Washington Post and on CBS 60 Minutes, just to name a few. Their second album, titled Pages, will be released in June 2005.

About Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon
The Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon is produced by Elite Racing, Inc. The annual event attracts over 16,000 runners and 100,000 spectators and benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which has raised over $9.5 million in its five-year history with the Nashville-based event. In addition, the race receives extensive national, regional and local media coverage and will be taped to broadcast nationally on FSN and regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast.

Elite Racing, Inc., a sports marketing and management company based in San Diego, Calif., is the leader in producing world-class running events. In addition to the Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon, Elite Racing, a Running USA Founding Member, produces eight events each year, including the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and the upcoming Carlsbad 5000, the world's fastest 5K

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Running Legend Bill Rodgers Set for 28th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K

CLEVELAND, Ohio - (Feb. 22, 2005) - Four-time New York City Marathon and four-time Boston Marathon winner Bill Rodgers is returning to Cleveland to run in the 28th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K. The race, scheduled for Sunday, May 22, will mark Rodgers' first appearance in Cleveland in 12 years. In 1993, he ran the 10K with a time of 30:50, setting an U.S. masters age group record for 45-49 year olds. The record still stands. It is one of six American records that Rodgers currently holds.

"I am looking forward to returning to Cleveland to run in one of my favorite races," said Rodgers. "Cleveland is a special place for me, as it was one of the races in the early running boom. The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K helped put running on the map and has a terrific history, rivaling any of the other big races."

"We are delighted that Bill is coming back to Cleveland," said Jack Staph, executive director of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K. "He is a running legend and is one of the best long distance runners this country has ever seen."

Rodgers was ranked #1 in the world in the marathon in 1975, 1977 and 1979 by Track & Field News, and in 1989, was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame. At age 57, he still runs in approximately two dozen races a year.

The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K is one of the 50 longest running marathons in the country. A new addition to the 2005 race day schedule is a half-marathon along with walking divisions for both the marathon and half-marathon.

About the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K
The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K is now in its 28th year of providing a running experience for all individuals who want to participate regardless of their abilities. More than 250,000 runners have participated, generating more than $6.8 million annually to benefit the Cleveland community and raising more than $1 million for various charities.

Sponsors of the 28th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon & 10K include:
Rite Aid, Alpine Springs Natural Spring Water, American Greetings, Miller Brewing, Lamisil Tablets, Carb Boom Energy Gel, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Hershey's Payday Pro, Coca-Cola, Sports Health/Cleveland Clinic, ASICS, Galleria at Erieview, Powerade, Panera Bread, WKYC-TV3, WAKS Kiss 96.5 FM, WGAR 99.5 FM, WMJI Magic 105.7 FM, WMMS 100.7 FM, WMVX Mix 106.5 FM and WTAM 1100 AM

CONTACT:
Tom Koch, Highland Public Relations, (330) 996-4140

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