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GRAPEVINE, Texas - (November 19, 2006) - With the highest overall finish (men / women combined) in national ultra championship history since Ann Trason won overall in 1989, Carolyn Smith of Milwaukee continued her 3-year steady rise to the top of American women's ultradistance racing at the National 24-Hour Run Championship in Grapevine, Texas this weekend. Smith bested former National 24-hour champ Rebecca Johnson of Lafayette, Colo. by nearly 5 miles in raising her personal best distance for the all-day / all-night race by over 13 miles. In doing so, she fell less than 1/2 mile short of taking the Men's silver medal and moved all the up to #4 on the all-time U.S. women's 24-Hour list. On the men's side, Alex Swenson of Vashon, Washington continued a similar route to the top among American men, having taken the bronze medal in last year's national title race and then scored as #2 man for the U.S. team at this year's World 24-Hour. He's now a national champion, after running away from the field and winning by over 6 miles. Taking the men's silver medal for the second year in a row was the amazing 58-year old Roy Pirrung of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, who won his first national 24-hour title 17 years ago with barely 5 more miles than he ran this weekend. Pirrung's singular tribute to the extended athletic capacity of "seniors" in ultradistance racing was reflected throughout the field. In this Open national championship race, the median age of the top 10 men was 45, of the top 10 women, 43. |
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The top 10 men and women also included one "household name" celebrity of each sex. With best-selling books, numerous national TV appearances, and major print media feature stories on their resumes, Pam Reed and Dean Karnazes each found time in their busy promotional schedules to drop in for a weekend of round-the-clock running. Unfortunately, Reed, one of America's most consistent long-range female ultrarunners over the past half-decade, had an off race but still finished in the top 10. Karnazes, having just completed his "50 marathons in 50 days" whirlwind tour of the U.S., then set out to run back home to California from New York, took a brief hiatus, flew into Dallas for the weekend, barely missed winning the men's individual bronze medal, and finally headed back to Virginia to complete his transcontinental run. Guaranteed spots on the 2007 U.S. 24-Hour Run National team (to the World 24-Hour in Quebec, Canada, July 28-29) went to the top 3 men and women. Three additional team spots for each sex will be determined and announced shortly. "Ultracentric" 24-Hour:
National 24-Hour Run Championship MEN WOMEN Full results at: AmericanUltra.org |
Return to top / Return to main page Team USA Set for International Chiba Ekiden Road Relay INDIANAPOLIS - (November 17, 2006) - USA Track & Field has announced the U.S. team for the 2006 International Chiba Ekiden, to be held in Chiba, Japan on Thursday, November 23. A total of 11 teams including Team USA, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, France and Great Britain will compete in the marathon relay. "Once again, we have several post-collegiate athletes who are eager to compete in such a prestigious international event," said Fred Finke, USATF Long Distance Running Division Chair. At the 2005 edition, the U.S. men took third in a U.S. record 1:59:08 (and their highest place at Chiba), while the U.S. women finished ninth. The 26.2 mile relay teams will consist of six legs each, ranging in distance from 5K to 10K, Team USA is as follows: MEN WOMEN The 2006 Chiba staff will include Dennis Barker (St. Paul, Minn.), Bob Sevene (Monterey, Calif.) and Sam Grotewold (New York, N.Y.). For more information on the International Chiba Ekiden, visit: USATF.org Return to top / Return to main page 2006 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival Generated Nearly $15 Million for City BALTIMORE, Md. - (November 8, 2006) - According to a recent study by RESI, a research and consulting firm located at Towson University, the 2006 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival generated $14.8 million dollars in revenue for the state of Maryland. This number is up nearly $1.3 million from a year ago due in part to record entry of nearly 12,000 participants. $2.217 million dollars was also collected in state and local taxes. In six years, the event has resulted in $70 million dollars being pumped in the state's economy. To determine the economic impact, RESI used information from other marathons, the Maryland State Department and Assessment and the Census. RESI assumed that for every Marathon runner, an additional 1.8 guests would accompany the runner. Based upon other marathons, all visitors spend approximately $177.50 per day and stay 2.5 days. Of the $177.5, 21% is spent on hotels, 21% spent on eating, 15% on retail, 18% on transportation and 25% on entertainment. "The Marathon has proven to have a significant positive impact for City and State Tourism," stated race director Lee Corrigan, president of Corrigan Sports Enterprises. "Since the inception of the event the number of out-of-towners that participate every years has grown from 25% to 40%. Our event has become a national and international event drawing runners from every state in the country and over 24 different countries worldwide. We have been experiencing double digit growth since Under Armour has become our title sponsor. Based on the positive reviews from our runners survey, I would expect another record crowd for 2007." As a result of this year's running festival, more than $600,000 was generated for local charities. This year, the marathon initiated the Ferris Baker Watts Charity Chaser Program where Chris Dean started last in the race and tried to pass as many people as possible to raise money for the United Way of Central Maryland and Queen Anne's School. Dean finished the race in 3:57:03 and passed 2,086 runners along the way resulting in $6,258 being donating to the two charities. Some of the other beneficiaries this year were The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Baltimore Reads, Moveable Feast, Special Olympics of Maryland, Parkinson's Foundation Strive, Baltimore Fire Foundation, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, Ronald McDonald House, C.A.S.E. and Health Care for the Homeless, to name a few. Since the inception of the event in 2001, more than $3 million dollars has been raised for charity. "The Renaissance Hotel has been a proud supporter of the Marathon since day one," commented John Davis, sales manager. "This year, we experienced a sellout over the weekend in large part because of the Marathon. Additionally, the event seems to attract an upscale demo that we strive to showcase our property to. We look forward to being a partner of the Baltimore Marathon again next year." The seventh annual Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival will take place on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at M&T Bank Stadium. Online registration will open on Friday, December 1, but mailed and faxed applications are currently being accepted. For more information, visit: TheBaltimoreMarathon.com The Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival is produced by Corrigan Sports Enterprises, a leader in sports promotions in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. region. Founded in 1991, CSE owns and operates the following events: Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, The Charm City Challenge All-Star Basketball Game, The Capital Classic, the Toyota Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the Thrash & Jam Tour presented by Slammers Ultimate Milk and the annual Baltimore BikeJam event. For more information on the Under Armour Baltimore Marathon, visit TheBaltimoreMarathon.com or call Gene Brtalik at (410) 605-9381. Return to top / Return to main page Flora London Marathon 2007 Entries Still Available for North Americans BOSTON - (November 13, 2006) - The 2007 Flora London Marathon is now closed, but North American runners looking to enter the coveted race still have a chance to get a spot. Boston-based Marathon Tours and Travel, the official North American travel agency for the marathon, has a limited number of entries for London hopefuls, but their allotment of entries and accommodations typically sells out by the end of November. The Flora London Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, April 22, 2007. One of the world's largest and most prestigious road races, the Flora London Marathon typically receives 120,000 applications for its 46,000 race entry slots. A relatively small amount of entries are reserved for international runners. "The event is extremely popular because of its flat scenic course and outstanding organization," said Thom Gilligan, president of Marathon Tours and Travel. "The Flora London Marathon is also one of the five World Marathon Majors and there seems to be quite a bit of interest among everyday marathoners to run all five events." The World Marathon Majors (WMM) is a series offering a $1 million prize purse to be split equally between the top male and female WMM point scorers. Other WMM events include the Boston Marathon (April 16, 2007), real,- Berlin Marathon (Sept. 30, 2007), LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (Oct. 7, 2007) and ING New York City Marathon which is held in November. Marathon Tours' Flora London Marathon hotel packages range from $739 for a three-night stay and includes a paid guaranteed entry, welcome reception, transportation to the race start in Greenwich and the on-site services of the Marathon Tours Staff. Airfares can be quoted from city of origin. For more information, call Marathon Tours and Travel at (800) 444-4097 or visit MarathonTours.com. Marathon Tours and Travel, the leading marathon tour operator in North America., offers comprehensive travel packages to marathons on all seven continents, including the Antarctica Marathon and Safaricom Marathon in Kenya, the only marathon run entirely within a game park. Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |