Hussein Sweeps USA Open, Masters Marathon Titles
Aish, Loken Claim Women's Crowns at Twin Cities
By Charlie Mahler, Running USA wire

ST. PAUL, Minn. - (October 2, 2005) - A marathon veteran and a newcomer to this humbling event won USA titles at the 24th Twin Cities Marathon on a challenging Sunday morning.

Mbarek Hussein, 40, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Kenya, fought unseasonable humidity and windy conditions to win the men's USA Open and Masters titles in 2 hours, 18 minutes, 28 seconds. Nicole Aish, 29, of Gunnison, Colo., a track standout making her marathon debut, survived difficulty in the final miles to claim the USA Open crown in 2:40:21. Both are first-time USA champs.

Susan Loken, 42, of Phoenix, Ariz. won the USA Masters title for women, her first as well, finishing third overall in 2:43:10. Skies were cloudy throughout the race which started in 66 degree temperatures.

Hussein, an Albuquerque, N.M. resident, pulled away from James Carney and Brandon Leslie as the course crossed the Mississippi River in the race's 20th mile. Despite running only 5:39 and 5:40 over the following two miles and looking taxed himself, Hussein built more than a minute's lead over his pursuers by mile 22. Carney would ultimately drop out of the race; Leslie would finish sixth.

"Actually, I don't think I made a move, I only kept the same pace," Hussein, the younger brother of three-time Boston Marathon champion Ibrahim Hussein explained. "I thought I was slowing down, but I looked back and I didn't see anyone coming. It felt kind of hard running alone."

Unlike the race leaders at the 20 mile mark here the past two years, however, Hussein rallied to hang on for the victory. His perseverance paid off to the tune of $38,000 once his overall, USA Open, USA Masters, and overall masters earnings were rung up. His time was the second slowest winning time in Twin Cities history.

In the early going, perhaps sensing the sticky weather would make for tough marathoning, the men's lead pack crept through the first three miles at 5:20 pace, before unwinding, albeit cautiously, as the course passed Minneapolis' picturesque lakes neighborhood. The lead pack, which winnowed itself from some twenty runners at five miles to eight by the half-way mark, passed the half-marathon in 1:08:27.

Admission to the lead pack, though, was ultimately costly to all but Hussein. Runner-up Ben Rosario of St. Louis (2:20:43) and third place finisher Wynston Alberts of Portland, Ore. (2:21:42), succeeded from off the lead pace. David Ernsberger of Little Lake, Mich. did finish fourth in 2:22:05 coming from the lead pack, but fifth placer Brantley Lutz clocked 2:22:34 also from behind.

Lead-packers Carney, Sergio Reyes and Kyle Baker would all drop out.

Defending USA Master's champion Dennis Simonaitis was runner-up in the masters division, running 2:27:33 for 20th overall.

In the women's race, Aish was a lead pack unto herself, finding no one to follow her to what she hoped would be a 2:34 marathon debut. Aish had amassed a three-and-a-half minute lead by the half-way point, and was reportedly clear by more than five minutes at the 18 mile mark. Not unlike Blake Russell's 2003 debut victory here, however, the off-the-front racing in the early miles meant a lot of suffering along St. Paul's Summit Avenue in the late-going for Aish, who stopped twice due to leg cramps in the final five miles.

"I was just throwing my body forward," Aish explained. "I started blacking out at about twenty. I knew I was slowing. I thought someone might catch me, but I just tried to stay positive and keep my legs moving. I knew I had to finish - I had to finish."

"I'd always heard about hitting the wall," the marathon debutante added, "and I think I hit the wall pretty good."

Aish's hard landing was cushioned by the $30,000 she earned for the overall win and USA Open title. Her time was the slowest women's winning time in race history.

Zika Palmer of Blowing Rock, N.C. was national runner-up in 2:41.06. Behind masters champ Loken was Nicole Hunt of Deer Lodge, Montana, fourth in 2:43:10 and Johanna Olson, a Minnesota native now living in Corvallis, Ore., fifth in 2:44:09.

Loken, the master division bridesmaid last year, was ecstatic with her run.

"I came in second here last year, so this is a thrill," she said. "National champion, how cool is that?"

2004 USA Masters champ Janet Robertz of Shorewood, Minn. did not finish today.

In this the first opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, 12 women and only 3 men made the standards of 2:47:00 and 2:22:00, respectively. Most notable among the qualifiers was 48-year-old Joan Benoit Samuelson, the gold medalist at the inaugural Olympic Marathon in 1984 and until 2003, the U.S. record-holder in the event.

"I just said, you're not getting any younger, Twin Cities is the first Olympic Trials qualifier and then the window closes until next year, you have your health, go for it," Benoit Samuelson said of her choice to run here. "I'd had a nagging hamstring and Achilles problems that were compensation injuries - one for the other - but I finally started to feel like I was getting it together this summer."

Samuelson clocked 2:46:27 for 11th overall and runner-up in the master's division.

Despite the weather, both races had a record number of finishers with 7,753 runners completing the marathon and 4,085 finishing the TC 10 Mile "Shortcut to the Capitol."

The Twin Cities Marathon will host the USA Marathon Championships for Open and masters men and women again in 2006.

24th Twin Cities Marathon: USA Men's, Women's & Masters Championships
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, Sunday, October 2, 2005

MEN
1) Mbarak Hussein, 40, NM, 2:18:28, $38,000
2) Ben Rosario, MO, 2:20:43, $17,500
3) Wynston Alberts, OR, 2:21:42, $11,000
4) David Ernsberger, MI, 2:22:05, $9000
5) Brantley Lutz, NM, 2:22:34, $7000
6) Brandon Leslie, NM, 2:22:54, $5000
7) Mark Pilja, CA, 2:22:56, $4000
8) Michael Little, MN, 2:23:00, $3500
9) Chris Lundstrom, MN, 2:24:04, $2400
10) Michael Reneau, WI, 2:24:12, $1000

MASTERS Men (40+)
1) Hussein, see above
2) Dennis Simonaitis, 43, UT, 2:27:33, $6000
3) Paul Aufdemberge, 40, MI, 2:29:49, $4000

WOMEN
1) Nicole Aish, CO, 2:40:21, $30,000
2) Zika Palmer, NC, 2:41:06, $17,500
3) Susan Loken, 42, AZ, 2:43:10, $19,000
4) Nicole Hunt, MT, 2:43:25, $9000
5) Johanna Olson, OR, 2:44:09, $7000
6) Christy Nielsen, IA, 2:45:19, $5000
7) Jennifer DeRego, MI, 2:45:22, $4000
8) Jill Boaz, CA, 2:45:34, $3000
9) Sopagna Eap, OR, 2:45:57, $2000
10) Mary Kate Bailey, VA, 2:46:03, $1000

MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Loken, see above
2) Joan Benoit Samuelson, 48, ME, 2:46:27, $6000
3) Doreen McCoubrie, 43, PA, 2:50:05, $4000

Full results at: TwinCitiesMarathon.org

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Joseph, Constantina Tomescu-Dita Win World Half-Marathon Titles in Edmonton
Shay Leads Team USA
Special to USATF, by Paul Merca

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - (October 1, 2005) - Led by the 15th place finish of Ryan Shay of East Jordan, Mich., the Team USA men's squad earned sixth place at the 14th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships with a cumulative time of 3 hours, 11 minutes, 38 seconds on Saturday morning.

The U.S. men's placing is their highest at this highly competitive international event since the 1996 squad finished eighth. The five members of Team USA will split $3000 for finishing sixth.

The race at Hawrelak Park was held under cloudy skies, with light drizzle and temperatures in the low 40s at the start of the men's race. The course consisted of 4 1/2 laps in and around the park's perimeter. During the race, the runners crossed a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River once each lap.

In an exciting men's race, Fabiano Joseph of Tanzania was the gold medalist in 1:01:08 as he edged Mubarak Shami of Qatar at the tape. Ethiopia won the team competition, running a cumulative time of 3:06:18, followed by Eritrea (3:07:05) and Japan (3:08:30).

Shay's 15th place performance - 1:03:13, a personal record - was also the highest ever placing by an American male at the World Championships, eclipsing the 17th place finish by Clint Verran in 2000. He was followed by Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.), who finished 20th in 1:03:50. Matt Downin (Norwood, N.J.) rounded out the American scorers, finishing 30th in 1:04:53.

"It was cold out there, but I'd rather enjoy that if it weren't for my hands getting numb. My game plan was to stick with the Japanese runners, since I know they would run pretty consistent. I had a pretty good sprint with a Kenyan and an Ethiopian at the end," commented Shay. "It's a pretty good testament to my fitness, and puts me in a very good position leading up to the ING New York Marathon. I wanted a top 15 finish, and I got that!"

In the women's competition, Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania dominated the field as she won by over a minute, 1:09:17 to 1:10:19 for Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands. Romania also won the team title in 3:31:00 with Russia (3:33:05) and Japan (3:35:42) second and third, respectively. Team USA finished ninth in 3:49:50.

Laura Turner (Tacoma, Wash.) was the top American, running a PR of 1:16:11 in finishing 38th. Jenny Spangler (Lake Villa, Ill.) placed 43rd in 1:16:41, while Stephanie Bylander (Alamosa, Colo.) rounded out the American scorers, finishing 46th in 1:16:58.

14th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships
Edmonton, CAN, Saturday, October 1, 2005

MEN
1) Fabiano Joseph, TAN, 1:01:08, $30,000
2) Mubarak Shami, QAT, 1:01:09, $15,000
3) Yonas Kifle, ERI, 1:01:14, $10,000
4) Sileshi Sihine, ETH, 1:01:14, $7000
5) Abebe Negera, ETH, 1:01:53, $5000

U.S.
15) Ryan Shay, MI, 1:03:13
20) Jason Hartmann, CO, 1:03:32
30) Matt Downin, NJ, 1:04:53
33) Jason Lehmkuhle, MN, 1:04:58
49) Mike Morgan, MI, 1:06:46

TEAM
1) Ethiopia, 3:06:18, $15,000
2) Eritrea, 3:07:05, $12,000
3) Japan, 3:08:30, $9000
6) USA, 3:11:38, $3000

WOMEN
1) Constantina Tomescu-Dita, ROM, 1:09:17, $30,000
2) Lornah Kiplagat, NED, 1:10:19, $15,000
3) Susan Chepkemei, KEN, 1:10:20, $10,000
4) Galina Bogomolova, RUS, 1:10:34, $7000
5) Mihaela Botezan, ROM, 1:10:36, $5000

U.S.
38) Laura Turner, WA, 1:16:11
43) Jenny Spangler, IL, 1:16:41
46) Stephanie Bylander, CO, 1:16:58
48) Dot McMahan, MI, 1:18:44
53) Michelle LaFleur, GA, 1:20:36

TEAM
1) Romania, 3:31:00, $15,000
2) Russia, 3:33:05, $12,000
3) Japan, 3:35:42, $9000
9) USA, 3:49:50

For more results and information on the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships, visit: IAAF.org or USATF.org

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Kamindo, Portilla Set Course Records at 3rd Road Runner Akron Marathon
Record 4,000 runners participate in marathon and team relays

AKRON, Ohio - (Oct. 1, 2005) - At the 3rd Road Runner Akron Marathon, Charles Kamindo from Kenya won the men's title in 2:18:48, while Maria Portilla from Peru captured the women's crown in 2:39:09. Both champions also earned $12,000 and set course records. The previous course records were 2:21:59 by Kenyan Jonah Rono in 2003 and 2:40:17 by Elena Orleva of Russia in 2004.

Near perfect weather greeted a field of approximately 4,000 runners for the 3rd edition including team relays, the largest number of runners in the race's history. Additionally, 2,000 children participated in the Kid's Fun Run, a 1K run along the Ohio & Erie Canal.

Team relays covered the full marathon distance race (42.2K/26.2 miles) with five legs (10K, 5K, 10K, 5K and 12.2K) or two legs (25K and 17.2K).

The winning five-person relay team members were Ryan Desgrange, James Jurcevich, Josh Ordway, Aaron Rowe and Matthew Wehrman from team "Columbus Running Company" with a time of 2:12:47. The winning female five-person team (2:42:58) included Alexandra Alves, Anjeanete Arabian, Melissa Converse, Marlene Persson and Michelle Rupe from team "Running Goddesses". "SupportBHunt" with Adam Bray, Colleen Harrison, Dave Mooney, James Sjostrom and Rick Williams took the mixed team title in 2:20:06.

"First Energy Team 8" won the new two-person relay in 2:58:22. Team members were Mick Albanese and Paul Carris. The winning female team, "Cougars" - Karen Howard-Goss and Cheri Triner-Napho, completed the course in 3:14:15. "Breaking Wind" (Jeff Day and Yi Huang) won the mixed team title (2:58:11).

The third Road Runner Akron Marathon and Team Relays started near the National Inventors Hall of Fame and concluded in Olympic fashion inside the Canal Park Stadium in downtown Akron.

3rd Road Runner Akron Marathon
Akron, OH, Saturday, October 1, 2005

MEN
1) Charles Kamindo, Kenya, 2:18:48*, $12,000
2) Albert Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:19:25, $5000
3) Sergey Emelyanov, Russia, 2:19:50, $2000
*course record (previous record, 2:21:59, Jonah Rono (KEN), 2003)

WOMEN
1) Maria Portilla, Peru, 2:39:09*, $12,000
2) Wioletta Kryza, Poland , 2:42:46, $5000
3) Marina Bychkova, Russia, 2:47:08, $2000
*course record (previous record, 2:40:17, Elena Orleva (RUS), 2004)

Complete race results are available online at: AkronMarathon.org

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Kravtsova, Arciniaga Set Course Records at the Orange County Race for the Cure 5K

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - On Sunday, September 25, at the 14th Orange County Race for the Cure 5K®, Olga Kravtsova of Belarus was the class of the field as she ran 16 minutes, 14 seconds to win the race and shattered the 3.1 mile course record.

Kravtsova, 24, was a little tired after running the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile in 4:35 - good for 11th - on Saturday morning in New York City and flying coast-to-coast, but she nonetheless blazed the first mile in 5:00 to open a significant lead.

In her runaway victory on the challenging course, 9,000 women heartily cheered Kravtsova as defeated previous course record holder Sylvia Mosqueda of Los Angeles and Ethiopians Aster Demissie and Alemtsehay Misganaw. Runner-up Demissie, with her 16:24, also bettered Mosqueda's 2003 course record of 16:28.

At the post-race press conference, Kravtsova - who earned $1500 from the Orange County Register prize purse - praised the event's organization and said how much she enjoyed running in Newport Beach as its climate reminded her of home in Belarus.

The co-ed race of over 11,000 participants was treated to a record breaking performance in the men's race as well. Nick Arciniaga of Saucony Racing was part of a lead pack thru most of the first mile then he started to pull away on the Avocado Hills. Arciniaga ran the last 2 miles unchallenged to finish in 15:16, two seconds faster than the previous course record of 15:18 set in 2000 by Wilhelm Gidabuday.

Over 23,000 runners and walkers raised over $1.8 million for the Orange County Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer research.

14th Orange County Race for the Cure 5K
Newport Beach, CA, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2005

WOMEN
1) Olga Kravtsova, Belarus, 16:14*, $1500
2) Aster Demissie, Ethiopia, 16:24, $1000
3) Alemtsehay Misganaw, Ethiopia, 16:29, $800
4) Sylvia Mosqueda, Los Angeles, CA, 16:35, $600
5) Erin Nehus, Indianapolis, IN, 17:09, $400
6) Genevieve Graff-Ermeling, Tustin, CA, 17:34, $200
7) Cassandra Henkiel, Austin, TX, 17:38, $150
8) Julie Swail, Irvine, CA, 17:52, $150
9) Carmen Troncoso, 46, Austin, TX, 17:54, $600
10) Cosette Smith, Palos Verdes, CA, 17:57, $100
*course record (previous record, 16:28, Sylvia Mosqueda, 2003)

MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Troncoso, see above
2) Carol Montgomery (CAN), 40, San Diego, CA, 18:04, $300
3) Kelley Taylor, 42, Santa Monica, CA, 18:51, $100

MEN
1) Nick Arciniaga, Fountain Valley, CA, 15:16*
2) Marcos Campos, CA, 15:23
3) Ricky Barnes, Newport Beach, CA 15:37
*course record (previous record, 15:18, Wilhelm Gidabuday 2000)

For more results, go to: KinaneEvents.com

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
415 E Figueroa St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252
Ryan@RunningUSA.org

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