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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - (September 27, 2006) - Returning Open and Masters champion Mbarak Hussein (Albuquerque, N.M.) leads the men and two-time Olympian Marla Runyan (Eugene, Ore.) leads the women's field at The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, host of the USA Marathon Championships this Sunday, October 1 in Minneapolis. The fields feature Open and Masters (40+) division championships for U.S. men and women. This year's event marks the sixth time that The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon has hosted the USA Championships. Hussein, 41, returns to defend the both titles that he won last year in unseasonably warm, humid conditions, but he is not likely to dominate the field as easily this time. Hometown favorite Jason Lehmkuhle of Team USA Minnesota appears to be in prime position to challenge for the title after a strong fifth place finish at the USA 20K Championships, held in New Haven, Conn., on Labor Day. Lehmkuhle's finish in New Haven placed him ahead of a number of U.S. men who were using the 20K as their final tune-up for the U.S. marathon championships, including two-time USARC grand prix champion Ryan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.), who looks to be returning to similar form that carried him to the USA marathon title in 2003. After an eighth place finish at the 20K Championships, Shay came back two weeks later to finish third at the USA 5K Championships in Providence, R.I. |
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"I am healthy and my fitness level is good. I just finished my second to last interval session before the race," said Shay, who is wrapping-up his sea-level training at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. "The tapering phase has gone well, and my legs and body are feeling refreshed and I'm looking forward to a very competitive field and exciting race." Also looking to add a championship trophy to their collections will be Simon Sawe (Albuquerque, N.M.), a new U.S. citizen who was sixth at the 20K championships and fifth at the 5K championships; Chris Graff (Arlington, Va.), the 2003 USA Men's 10 Mile Champion who finished ninth at New Haven and Fasil Bizuneh (Bristol, Va.), the runner-up at the 5K national championships and seventh place finisher at the U.S. 20K championships who will be making his marathon debut. Also challenging for the masters title will be Dennis Simonaitis (Draper, Utah) and Paul Aufdemberge (Redford, Mich.). Simonaitis won his third straight USA Masters 10K Championship last weekend with Aufdemberge finishing second. Runyan Expecting Challenges
One of the more familiar faces that Runyan is expecting to see is training partner Heather Hanscom (Eugene, Ore.). "I train with Heather, she is a great training partner and incredibly tough," remarked Runyan. "She will run well." Other familiar faces include 2006 USA 25K champion Turena Johnson Lane (Muncie, Ind.); 2003 USA Marathon champion and Team USA Minnesota athlete Sara Wells; Emily Levan (Wiscasset, Maine), the first U.S. woman at this year's Boston Marathon and Jenny Crain (Milwaukee, Wis.), fourth at the USA 20K Championships. Runyan is also looking for competition from a newer runner on the USARC - Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, Colo.), who has recorded top five finishes at the USA 20K and USA Half-Marathon Championships this year. Returning masters champion Susan Loken (Phoenix, Ariz.) leads the women's Masters race. She will be joined by "new" master Michelle Simonaitis (Draper, Utah) and Kim Jones (Ft. Collins, Colo.), former TCM champ. Jones has run the Twin Cities Marathon four times, winning twice and finishing second twice. The race's prize purse exceeds $240,000 and the USA Championship purse per gender goes ten deep with $25,000 for each national champion. In addition, a new course record - besting 2:10:05 and 2:26:51, respectively - will be awarded a $25,000 bonus. About the USARC Heading into the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, the finale on the men's 2006 USARC, Team USA Minnesota's Andrew Carlson leads with 35 points, Bizuneh is second with 28 and Fernando Cabada third with 27. The women's circuit is currently led by Turena Johnson Lane with 24 points, Zoila Gomez is second with 20 and Jenny Crain third with 19. The first ten U.S. runners earn 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 USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled. 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 $5.6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners. For more information on the USA Marathon Championships and the 2006 USARC, visit: USATF.org |
Return to top / Return to main page Virginia Brophy Achman Interview When the gun fires Sunday morning for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, with the race again serving as the USA Marathon Championship for Open and Masters runners, it will mark the 25th running of the event. With a new title sponsor and burgeoning fields in its various races, Running USA wire's Charlie Mahler talked to Twin Cities Marathon Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman about the event. You've been the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Executive Director for two years now, is the job what you thought it would be? I have been Executive Director for two years and Race Director four years prior. The technical and administrative parts I knew well, but the opportunities to share the values and direction of the marathon have far surpassed my expectations. What about the executive director job has surprised you? The impact we have outside of the running community. As race director, your focus is on just that, the race. As executive director, you have more freedom to explore new ideas and create partnerships in the community. You have been involved with Twin Cities for a long time. What have been the main changes to the event and to marathoning that you've seen? From our organizations perspective, we have tried to grow our events, yet keep the event safe. Our course is limited in size for several reasons, including congestion, so we have had to come up with creative ways to add participants to the field. We collected two years of data on the course and implemented the wave start as a measure to reduce course congestion and allow us to add additional runners to the field. I think our events reflect the continued growth the sport has seen in the past few years. There are more and more everyday participants out there hitting the roads and in particular, women. Our ten-mile and 5K races have more female participants than male. That is a trend running is experiencing at all distances. Twin Cities has a new title sponsor and seems to be doing very well with its other sponsorships. What do you attribute that progress to? Our event is highly visible in the community and associated with positive, healthy lifestyles. As an industry, we have a demographic that most others can't match. We also work very hard to develop and grow our partnerships and we are fortunate to have long term relationships with local and national sponsors. In the spectrum of marathoning - from the household names like Boston and New York to smaller events across the country - where do you think Twin Cities fits? What's your niche? We continue to be in the top ten for marathon finishers because of the beautiful course, from the lakes and trees, to the 250,000 plus spectators and 5,000 hospitable volunteers. We put on a well organized, world-class event, steeped in tradition and history, which continually draws repeat runners. From a race perspective, we continue to host national championships. We strongly support the training efforts of the post-collegiate athletes, by sponsoring Team USA Minnesota and the USA Distance Project. The self-declared "Big Five" marathons have taken steps to raise the profile of the sport and set themselves apart. Has that helped or hurt Twin Cities? It helps us because it gives the sport high visibility and we all benefit from the additional exposure. Are mid-sized marathons like Twin Cities doing things in association with one-another like the "Big Five?" As a top ten race, we try to network with other races and support their efforts, by providing exposure for them. It's important to support the sport. We do things like trade expo booth space and packet stuffers, to maximize exposure. Once our registration closes, we list alternative races in the fall on our website, so we don't loose those runners to other activities. What's new for Twin Cities this year? * We are celebrating our 25th Anniversary and honoring our Charter Club members. We have 66 participants who have run all 24 of our races. * TCM, Inc. has added a title sponsor, Medtronic, which is a first in the history of our organization. * With Medtronic as our partner, we are focusing on the growth of our Family Events, including the creation of the Medtronic TC Kids Marathon Program. We are reaching out to families, schools, and park and recreation programs to build a year round youth running program. Our pilot program this summer included over 500 kids from the Minneapolis and St. Paul Park and Recreation Programs. * We are focusing our efforts in the neighborhoods along the course with the creation of Cheers Zones. We have created a contest out on the course, dividing the course into five year segments, within each five miles of the course, and inviting the spectators to put together a party zone that reflects that designated period of time. The top three parties will be rewarded with cash prizes that will be donated to churches or schools in the winning neighborhoods. * This past year, we became a proud Silver Sponsor of the USA Distance Project. * Partnering with Medtronic, we have been able to significantly increase our fundraising efforts for our community partners. This year our focus is on non-profit organizations that focus on youth fitness and health issues. What are the upcoming changes and challenges for Twin Cities in the near future? We really want to focus our growth in our youth programs, with the introduction of the Medtronic TC Kids Marathon and we will continue to enhance our relationship with Medtronic, by expanding our current programs. We continue to develop our newest companion event, the Medtronic TC 1 Mile held in April. We like the urban, downtown feel, but we also want to include audiences like children. We will be looking at ways to grow this event and get the message out there for new runners to take their first steps in the spring with us. Our greatest challenge, is managing the popularity of our events. When we turn away 3,200 people in the ten-mile race and fill the marathon in 15 days, we are always asking ourselves, how can we grow and maintain a safe race. Did Twin Cities not being awarded either Olympic Marathon Trials adversely affect your long-term planning for the event? We learned a lot from the application process and we will continue to develop our application for the 2012 Trials bid. We need to create a stronger national media presence. What one thing would you want people unfamiliar with Twin Cities to know about your event? We are the most beautiful urban marathon, a well-organized race, with over 250,000 spectators lining the course. You will never take a step alone on the course. One of the biggest misconceptions is the weather. We are not cold year round. We have great weather in October for racing. Generally speaking, at the start the temperatures are in the 30s and the end of the race they are in the 50s. Minneapolis / St. Paul are great destination cities, and people are pleasantly surprised by its urban charm. And finally, who's going to win your race on Sunday? We have a deep field this year. Because we always have such great up-and-coming runners competing, as well as added favorites like Ryan Shay and Marla Runyan, each year we have an exciting race that could turn into anyone's day. Return to top / Return to main page Contact: Elite Racing, Inc., Ian Monahan / Susan Reid, (800) 311-1255 Olympian Meb Keflezighi to Run Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose SAN JOSE, Calif. - (Sept. 26, 2006) - American silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Meb Keflezighi, announced Tuesday that he will compete in the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose, Calif. on Sun., Oct. 8, 2006 For the past few months, Keflezighi, 31, has been training at altitude in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. in preparation for his fourth ING New York City Marathon. He will attempt to become the first American to win New York since Alberto Salazar in 1982. "The timing of the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon is perfect to test my fitness," Keflezighi said. "I am looking to run fast and I think more athletes will recognize this race for its potential speed." "We are thrilled to have Meb, who is one of the world's premiere distance runners, race at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in San Jose before, I hope, he wins in New York," said Tim Murphy, CEO of Elite Racing, Inc. In 2005, Elite Racing attracted American Deena Kastor who also medaled (bronze) at the Athens Olympics in the marathon. As part of her preparation for the Chicago Marathon, where she was eventually victorious, Kastor made history at the 28th annual Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run on Sept. 18 when she shattered Joan Benoit's long-standing U.S. half-marathon record by 41 seconds in a time of 1 hour, 7 minutes and 53 seconds. Elite Racing would like nothing more than for the new San Jose course to help Keflezighi produce similar results. "Meb will compete against a strong field of international elite athletes and it just goes to show that the City of San Jose remains 'Speed City'," Murphy added in reference to the region that became famous as the training center for the world's best sprinters in the late 1960s and early 70s. Keflezighi, who is also a football fan, was excited to hear three-time San Francisco 49er Super Bowl Champion and three-time marathoner Roger Craig would also be running the race. "It is always an honor when a professional athlete who you admire from another sport takes an interest in your sport," Keflezighi said. "Roger was amazing to watch on the football field." Keflezighi gained worldwide recognition as a distance runner after his silver medal performance in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He is the U.S. record holder at 10,000 meters (27:13.98) and a 15-time national champion on the track, roads and cross country. Keflezighi is a member of seven World Championship teams and a four-time NCAA champion while attending UCLA. Keflezighi began running at age 12 and competed with two of his brothers at San Diego High School where he won three state titles his senior year. At UCLA, running for his current coach Bob Larsen, Keflezighi won four NCAA titles while earning a B.A. in communications. Keflezighi's family immigrated to the United States in 1987 from the East African country of Eritrea (after living in Italy for two years). Keflezighi lives in San Diego and in Mammoth Lakes, where he trains with Team Running USA. The Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon San Jose is patterned after the popular Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon that runs thru Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, the Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon in Nashville, Tenn. and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, Va. The race offers a scenic course through San Jose. In addition to rockin' music staged approximately every mile, hundreds of local high school cheerleaders line the route to provide further motivation. The event concludes with an evening post-race concert featuring the band Train at the HP Pavilion. For additional information or to register for the race, visit RnRSJ.com or call (800) 311-1255. Return to top / Return to main page Simonaitis, Mosqueda Take USA
Masters 10K Titles PASO ROBLES, Calif. - (September 24, 2006) - Dennis Simonaitis (Draper, Utah) won his third consecutive USA Masters 10K road title, while Sylvia Mosqueda (Rosemead, Calif.) captured her first national masters crown at Sunday's USA Masters 10K Championships in Paso Robles. The USA Championships were hosted for the fourth consecutive year by the Heritage Oaks Bank 10K. Simonaitis, 44, defended his title, running 30 minutes, 31 seconds to win by 13 seconds over Paul Aufdemberge, 41, (Redford, Mich.) with Sean Wade, 40, (Houston, Texas) third in 31:05. In the women's race, Mosqueda's, 40, time of 34:36 was good for a 29-second victory over Michelle Simonaitis, 40, (Draper, Utah), while Lynn Mentzer, 47, (Sparks, Nev.) rounded out the top three in 36:08. 8th Heritage Oaks Bank 10K:
USA Masters Championship MEN WOMEN USATF age group national champions include: 50-54 55-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 Full results at: HoBFunRun.com Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |