| Running USA wire 89, November 6, 2005 |
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Tergat, Prokopcuka Win ING
New York City Marathon in Exciting Races NEW YORK - (November 6, 2005) - In an era when marathons around the world have focused on the ever more elusive quest for faster times, doing everything, but building downhill courses with aiding wind machines, the ING New York City Marathon hews to the old fashioned value of head-to-head competition, let the times fall where they may. That philosophy has produced some stirring races, rather than paced time trials, but none more stirring than on Sunday morning. "The men just beat the hell out of each other," said New York Road Runners CEO Mary Wittenberg, whose first turn as race director saw the closest men's finish ever. In a reprise of the famous Rod Dixon-Geoff Smith "Duel in the Rain" of 1983, world record holder Paul Tergat barely held off defending champ Hendrick Ramaala, who hit the deck a la Smith as he dove to catch Tergat at the finish line. A single second (2:09:30 vs. 2:09:31) separated the two, halving the previous closest margin of victory, set in 1994 when German Silva overcame a wrong turn in the final mile to best Benjamin Paredes. American Meb Keflezghi, second here last year, was third, followed by Kenya's Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Abdi Abdirahman. That marked the first time since 1993 two Americans have placed in the top 5 at New York. Keflezighi's 2:09:56 and Abdirahman's 2:11:24 (a personal record by 5:45) are the two fastest marathon times recorded by U.S. men this year. Under warm (62F) and somewhat humid, at times foggy, conditions, a large lead group of men raced through halfway, which was reached in 1:04:55. The real racing began, as it often does, as the course climbed the Queensboro Bridge and entered Manhattan. By the time they hit First Avenue and the race's largest and loudest crowds, it was being whittled down to four, with Ramaala doing most of the winnowing with a 4:22 mile 17 split. "I wanted to thin out the race, get it down to the serious contenders," he said. The principles thus identified, the quartet raced through Manhattan and into the Bronx, with Keflezighi, Ramaala and Cheruiyot taking turn in the lead, Tergat content to sit behind after being gapped and then rejoining the group on First Avenue. "I've raced Paul for many years, so I know his tactics," said Ramaala. "He sits in the back and dominates the race from behind. When he came back, I knew we were in for a tough race, he wouldn't give up without a fight." Ramaala proved prescient, and the pace stayed strong as the group reentered Manhattan, with Cheruiyot the first to fall off. The remaining three continued together into Central Park, a virtual replay of last year's race. This time, Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist, was the first to falter, bothered by a calf cramp at 24 miles. "Considering all I've been through this year [several injuries that limited his marathon buildup to seven weeks] I'm delighted, third place is not bad." Ramaala and Tergat matched strides and surges through the final mile, with the ultimate outcome in doubt until the former lunged two strides before the finish - he was non-committal about whether it was a dive or a stumble - and Tergat had the win. "When I hit the tape, that was the first time I knew I would win," said the five-time world cross country champion. "The last thing I was expecting was a sprint finish, but from 24 miles on I knew that was what was going to happen. The last 400 meters were very painful." The women's race, while only the third closest ever, was one of the most thrilling, with multiple lead changes for much of the race before Latvia's Jelena Prokopcuka - who Wittenberg dubbed "our secret weapon" - swept past Susan Chepkemei (2:24:55) and Derartu Tulu (2:25:21) in the final miles for a 2:24:41 victory and a $160,000 prize. "Our women showed how gutsy, determined and talented they are," said Wittenberg, adding that "for the second year in a row they had us hanging by our fingertips." Chepkemei, second last year by three seconds to Paula Radcliffe in the closest women's finish in race history, was undone this time by a bout of vomiting just past 22 miles. "When I saw that, I got confident I could win," said Prokopcuka, who had battled side stitches of her own from the 10K point. "I wasn't expecting Jelena to catch us, but I knew it was possible," said Tulu, who was fourth in the World Championships marathon in August. Salina Kosgei (2:25:30) and Bruna Genovese (2:27:15) rounded out the top five. Jen Rhines, the top American in 18th (2:37:07), said she was never comfortable and able to find a rhythm. "In my wildest dreams I didn't think we'd see races like this," said Wittenberg. "We did the work and put the fields together, but it's up to the athletes to perform on race day. But this solidifies what I think you can expect from New York going forward" - in short, loaded fields and lots of exciting, head-to-head racing. 36th ING New York City Marathon MEN WOMEN For full results, go to: INGNYCMarathon.org Return to top / Return to main page Ritzenhein Wins USA 10K Title at the Food
World Senior Bowl Charity Run MOBILE, Ala. - (November 5, 2005) - Winning by over 30 seconds and running a course record 28 minutes, 11 seconds, Dathan Ritzenhein of Boulder, Colo. won his first USA road title at the Food World Senior Bowl Charity Run 10K in Mobile on Saturday morning. Ritzenhein, 22, quickly took the lead and was never challenged as the 2004 Olympian challenged Mark Nenow's U.S. 10K record of 27:48 through the first 3 miles, but the warm conditions combined with oppressive humidity hampered his record attempt. "I wanted to give myself a shot at 27:48," recounted Ritzenhein, who took home $10,000 as national champion. "I wanted to go out on that pace. I held it for three or four miles, but then I kind of lost it. It was definitely hot and humid. I just wanted to be aggressive. I'm happy to get the course record at least." Behind Ritzenhein, Matt Gonzales and Brian Sell ran together, taking turns in the lead of the chase pack until Gonzales gradually pulled away at five miles and hung on for second place in 28:39. Sell held on to third in 28:48 with Josh Moen fourth and Fernando Cabada rounding out the top five. The women's race was not a national championship, but race director Vic Knight recruited some of America's best female distance stars to Mobile. 2005 USA 10,000 and 10K champion Katie McGregor of Team USA Minnesota took the lead early and was in control the entire 10 kilometers. She won in 32:51 with Missy Buttry of Team Running USA well back in 33:35. Jenny Crain claimed third, Kate O'Neill fourth and Alicia Craig fifth also of Team Running USA. A total of 4,753 runners took part in the 10K and One-Mile Fun Run races, a new race record for total participation. The USA Men's 10K Championship concluded the 2005 USA Running Circuit (USARC), a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. Abdi Abdirahman is the men's Grand Prix champion with 48 points ahead of defending USARC champion Ryan Shay with 44 and Sell third 41. Nicole Aish was the women's USARC GP champion. The first ten U.S. runners earned points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000, and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $5 million dollars to U.S. distance runners. For more information on the 2005 USA Men's 10K Championship and the USARC including final standings visit: USATF.org 18th Food World Senior Bowl
Charity Run 10K: USA Men's Championship MEN WOMEN Complete results at: SeniorBowl.com Return to top / Return to main page Contact: Steven Karpas, (713) 957-3453; skarpas@houstonmarathon.com Prize purse increases for 2006 Chevron Houston Marathon HOUSTON - (Nov. 3, 2005) - The Chevron Houston Marathon is increasing its prize purse to further rekindle international interest in the nation's premier winter marathon. More than $172,000 will be at stake for elite runners in both the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, with top prizes of $15,000 going to the male and female winners of the marathon and $5000 to the winners of the half-marathon. "Increasing the amount of prize money we're offering is an important step in providing incentives for the top runners in the world to come to Houston," race director Brant Kotch said. "With a flat course, traditionally ideal weather conditions and great crowd support, we have all the ingredients necessary to produce world-class times in both the marathon and half marathon." The $172,900 prize structure includes payouts to the top finishers in several participation categories in both races, including: * Men's and Women's Open All athletes will be eligible to win prize money in more than one category. A portion of the prize offerings has been allocated to the USA Men's Half Marathon Championship, which will be part of the Aramco Houston Half Marathon for the second consecutive year. The country's top distance runners will compete for $21,000 in prizes, with $7000 for the national champion. A new prize offering for the 2006 Chevron Houston Marathon is a time-bonus purse. Competitors in both the men's and women's race have the opportunity to achieve substantial bonus es for running specified world-class times, including a $7500 bonus for a new course record. Time bonus incentives are detailed below: TIME BONUS The Chevron Houston Marathon race weekend, which marks the 34th running of the marathon, will also include the Houston Press/Smart Financial 5K and the Texas Children's Hospital Kids' Fun Run. Registration is under way online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com. Registration fees are $90 for the marathon, $70 for the half-marathon and $25 for the 5K. The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and nearly 20 foreign countries. The Chevron Houston Marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. More information is available online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or by calling (713) 957-3453. Return to top / Return to main page Peggy Fort, California Marketing Concepts, (949) 422-4210; info@askcmc.com Second Annual OC Marathon Presented by PacifiCare
Set for January 8, 2006 NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - (November 3, 2005) - The Second Annual "OC Marathon Presented by PacifiCare" looks to draw runners from around the world and provide a fast and scenic race benefiting eleven Orange County children's charities. Sponsored by PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., the race will take place Sunday, January 8, 2006 and expects to draw 15,000 runners and 40,000 spectators to Orange County. In addition to the marathon, there will also be a half-marathon and several other races of shorter distance. The race will again benefit children's charities through the nonprofit organization Run for Orange County Kids (ROCK). Last year, in its inaugural year, The OC Marathon generated over $300,000 for ten Orange County Children's Charities. Over 10,000 runners from 10 countries, 42 states and over 600 cities accompanied 25,000 spectators to set the high mark for one of the most successful inaugural marathons in history with many dramatic story lines. The 2006 ROCK charities that will benefit from this year's races include: Make A Wish Foundation Orange County, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Southern California Chapter, SeaStar, Shortstop, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Orange County, The CSUF Special Games/Kathleen Faley Memorial, Olive Crest Orange County, Orange County Ronald McDonald House, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, SCAMP - Southern California Asthma Medical Program and The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana. "PacifiCare is proud to bring a world-class event such as a marathon to Orange County," said James Frey, president of PacifiCare of California. "Our commitment to promote healthy, active lifestyles and physical fitness, combined with the marathon's support of numerous local charities, reinforces our company theme that 'Caring is Good. Doing Something is Better.'" The 26.2-mile course will begin at Newport Center, adjacent to Fashion Island in Newport Beach and wind its way through the cities of Newport Beach and Irvine to finish at the Greater Irvine Spectrum area. The race should prove to be a fast course with perfect marathon weather conditions, showcasing the scenic destination and glamour of Orange County, California. "The marathon will not only provide a fun and healthy activity for the county, but will also serve to improve the lives of our children through the charities that it benefits," said ROCK Board Member Tom Wilson, Orange County Supervisor, 5th District. "We support the marathon as a way to bring the diverse populations of the county together in a spirit of friendship. We also want to share with the world what we have known for many years: Orange County is a great place to work, play and run!" Bill Sumner, director of the marathon, added: "Orange County now has a world-class venue for runners in what is the nation's second-largest running market. Orange County is widely popularized in pop culture by the appeal of Disneyland and the Fox television series The OC. It's only fitting that the county has a marathon to add to its list of attractions." In addition to the races, the weekend will also offer a runner's expo Friday and Saturday, January 6-7. Visit OCMarathon.com or call (949) 222-3327 to sign up as a runner, sponsor or volunteer. Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director (805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252 |