Gelana, Burangulova Win ING Miami Marathon
Nyamboki, Friend-Uhl half-marathon champions; over 11,000 participate in races
From Danny Elfenbein

MIAMI - (January 28, 2007) - Hours after 176 soldiers in Tallil, Iraq completed a "shadow" race of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon®, more than 9,100 runners from around the world kicked off the start of the fifth annual race in Miami this Sunday. Excited runners stood in front of the American Airlines Arena while rain and wind came down at the start. The rain stopped 20 minutes later and runners celebrated South Florida's premier road race with temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s.

The morning included 1,800 middle school students who ran along Congressman Kendrick Meek, participating in the Final Mile of the ING Run for Something Better, a program that promotes youth running through Miami Dade County Schools. Children were finishing a 15-week program in which they completed a marathon by running every day in school, more than a mile and a half a week. In addition to the kids, more than 50 athletes with disabilities led out the race, including the Avis Achilles Freedom Team, soldiers from the Walter Reed Medical Center who were recently injured in Iraq.

Miami has proven itself to be a major destination for runners from around the world, with nearly 70 percent of runners coming from outside Miami-Dade County and 10 percent of the field as international entrants.

The professional men in the marathon consisted of several African runners, a contrast to the strong South American runners in past years. At the 11-mile mark, Teshome Gelana, 23, from Ethiopia began to distance himself from the pack, running five minute plus miles through the finish. Gelana finished in 2 hours, 17 minutes and 51 seconds, collecting $5000 as race champion. Columbian Juan Carlos Cardona followed behind in 2:18:26, while third place runner Charles Kamindo, from Kenya, took his shoes off at mile 16 and finished the race with only socks in 2:23:07.

In the women's marathon, Caroline McIlroy from Canada led the elite field for the first 14 miles, but was caught by seasoned veteran Ramilya Burangulova of Russia and Rima Dubovic of Ukraine. Burangulova, 45, took the title with her 2:40:22, followed by Dubovic (2:42:58) and then front runner McIlroy third in 2:51:11.

In the half-marathon, an ING Miami Half Marathon course record was set by Jared Nyamboki of Kenya in 1:07:09. The previous record was 1:07:56 by Johnny Loria-Solano at the inaugural race in 2003.

The women's half-marathon was won by South Florida's national class runner, Sonja Friend-Uhl of West Palm Beach. Friend Uhl, an Olympic Trials competitor, ran 1:19:25.

The 2008 ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon® is scheduled for Sunday, January 27. Registration opens Tuesday, January 30 with fees as low as $25 for the half-marathon and $37.50 for the full marathon. Close to 15,000 runners are expected for next year's race. For more information, call (305) 278-8668 or logon to INGMiamiMarathon.com.

5th ING Miami Marathon
Miami, FL, Sunday, January 28, 2007

MEN
1) Teshome Gelana, Ethiopia, 2:17:51, $5000
2) Juan Carlos Cardona, Columbia, 2:18:26, $3500
3) Charles Kamindo, Kenya, 2:23:07, $2500

WOMEN
1) Ramilya Burangulova, 45, Russia, 2:40:22, $5000
2) Rima Dubovic, Ukraine, 2:42:58, $3500
3) Caroline McIlroy, Canada, 2:51:11, $2500

Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Jared Nyamboki, Kenya, 1:07:09*, $750
*Course record (previous record, 1:07:56, Johnny Loria-Solano, Costa Rica, 2003)

WOMEN
1) Sonja Friend-Uhl, USA / FL, 1:19:25, $500

Complete results at: INGMiamiMarathon.com

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Ryan Hall to Debut at Flora London Marathon

LONDON - (January 25, 2007) - The USA's latest distance running star Ryan Hall has chosen London as the venue for his first ever marathon.

Little more than a week after smashing the North American half-marathon record at the USA Championships in Houston, the 24-year-old Californian is the latest star name to sign up for the 2007 men's Flora London Marathon on Sunday, April 22 when he will line up alongside the legendary Haile Gebrselassie, the world record holder Paul Tergat, the two-time world champion Jaouad Gharib and the 2004 Olympic champion Stefano Baldini.

Hall became the first American ever to run the half-marathon in under an hour when he won the Aramco Houston Half Marathon on January 14 in 59:43, beating the 21-year-old record by 72 seconds. He also defeated the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist and Team Running USA teammate Meb Keflezighi, and is now the 8th fastest half-marathon runner of all-time from an unaided certified course.

Afterwards, Hall announced that he was looking to make his marathon debut in the spring to gain experience ahead of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials to be held as part of the ING New York City Marathon in November.

"We are delighted that Ryan has chosen the Flora London Marathon to make his debut at the distance," said race director David Bedford. "Ryan has shown that he is a very exciting talent in superb form and he will be a valuable addition to the illustrious elite field we announced earlier."

"It's going to be really hard and I'm expecting it to be more challenging than anything I've ever done," said Hall of his first marathon experience. "I'm just going to go out there and stick my nose in it."

Hall has been in highly impressive form recently. He set a U.S. record of 57:54 for 20K when he finished 11th at the IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, in October 2006.

The Stanford grad was the 2005 U.S. collegiate champion at 5000m and won a place on the U.S. team for the IAAF World Championships in Helsinki that year by finishing third at the USA Championships. A U.S. high school mile champion while at school in Big Bear, California, he ran the third fastest ever 1500m by a U.S. high school student.

As well as chasing prize money and record bonuses totaling more than $250,000, the competitors in this year's race will also by fighting for points towards the World Marathon Majors (WMM) series. The other WMM races this year are the Boston Marathon (April 16), real,- Berlin Marathon (September 30), LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (October 7) and ING New York City Marathon (November 4), plus the IAAF World Championships marathon races on Osaka (August 25 for men and September 2 for women).

Flora London Marathon 2007 Men's Field

NAME / personal record
Paul Tergat (KEN), 2:04:55, world record
Khalid Khannouchi (USA / NY), 2:05:38, U.S. record
Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), 2:05:56, two-time Olympic 10,000m gold medalist
Felix Limo (KEN), 2:06:14, defending race champion
Martin Lel (KEN), 2:06:41, 2005 race champion
Hendrick Ramaala (RSA), 2:06:55
Jaouad Gharib (MAR), 2:07:02, 2003 / 2005 World Champion
Stefano Baldini (ITA), 2:07:22, 2004 Olympic Marathon gold medalist
Benson Cherono (KEN), 2:07:58
Hicham Chat (MAR), 2:07:59
Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA), 2:08:48
Jon Brown (GBR), 2:09:31
Meb Keflezighi (USA / CA), 2:09:53, 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist
Juan Carlos De la Ossa (ESP), debut
Ryan Hall (USA / CA), debut

For more race information, go to: London-Marathon.co.uk

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Kastor Leads Team USA for Yokohama International Women's Ekiden

INDIANAPOLIS - (January 24, 2007) - USA Track & Field announced Wednesday that U.S. Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor will lead an all-star Team USA roster February 25 at the 2007 Yokohama International Women's Ekiden in Yokohama, Japan.

Featuring four U.S. Olympians and multiple USA champions, Team USA for the 2007 Yokohama Ekiden will include:

Deena Kastor, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. - A bronze medalist in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Kastor brings a host of titles and accomplishments to the Team USA squad, including seven USA cross country titles and multiple USA Running Circuit wins. Kastor's major marathon titles include the 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon (2:21:25) and the 2006 Flora London Marathon, where she set the current U.S. record of 2:19:36.

Elva Dryer, Gunnison, Colo. - A two-time U.S. Olympian, Dryer recently captured the USA Women's Half-Marathon title at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon with a time of 1:11:42. Continuing to improve as one of America's top distance runners, Dryer also finished as the top American at the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon with a debut time of 2:31:48.

Katie McGregor, Minneapolis, Minn. - One of the U.S.'s top 10,000 meter runners, McGregor is the 2005 USA outdoor track champion at the distance as well as two-time defending USA 10K champion on the roads. Looking to replicate Kastor's path to Olympic success, McGregor made her marathon debut last fall at the ING New York City Marathon, running 2:32:36 to finish ninth overall.

Jen Rhines, Mammoth Lakes, Calif. - A member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon squad with Kastor, Rhines also has claimed national titles in the 10,000 at the 2002 USA Outdoor Championships and the USA 15K Championships in 1998 and 2005. Rhines' 2006 season was highlighted by a U.S. leading 14:55.18 5000 meters as well as a personal best 2:29:32 at the Rome Marathon.

Amy Rudolph, Providence, R.I. - Also a two-time Olympian, Rudolph was the 2006 10,000 meter champion at the USA Outdoor Championships and the 2005 USA 5K champion on the roads. Like her teammates, she has enjoyed national success at a variety of distances and disciplines. Rudolph also has won two USA cross country titles at 4K (1998-99), two U.S. indoor 3000 meter titles and two USA 8K titles (1998-99).

Sara Slattery, Lafayette, Colo. - Slattery led teammates Rhines and Dryer to the International Challenge team title by winning the 2006 BolderBOULDER 10K last May. Slattery also captured the 2005 NCAA 10,000 meter title, giving her a second NCAA individual title (2003 Indoor 5000) and her 10th All-American honor. Slattery has won multiple Big 12 championships in both indoor and outdoor track.

Jenny Crain, Milwaukee, Wis. - The alternate for the 2007 Yokohama team, Crain is a four-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. She recently finished 6th at the USA Half-Marathon Championships in a personal best of 1:13:37. Crain also represented the U.S. at the 2005 IAAF World Championships Marathon in Helsinki, where she finished 36th (2:39:02).

The Team USA staff members for the 2007 Yokohama International Women's Ekiden will be Terrence Mahon (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and Kathy Nary (Newbury, Mass.).

Team USA will compete with teams from at least six countries including the defending champion Team Russia and host country Team Japan. The relay teams will consist of six legs each, ranging in distance from 5K to 10K. The 1986 U.S. women's team ran 2 hours, 18 minutes, 51 seconds to win the silver medal, the best Team USA finish at Yokohama.

For more information on the event, visit: USATF.org

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Denver Marathon Offers Two-for-One Buddy Pass on Opening Day of Registration January 31

DENVER - (January 24, 2007) - To inspire runners across the country to run the Denver Marathon™ with a companion, organizers have announced that athletes who register for the marathon or half-marathon on opening day, Wednesday, January 31, 2007, will receive a free entry for a friend or family member to register in the marathon or half-marathon. The world class Denver Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, October 14, 2007.

More than 5,000 individuals participated in the events of the inaugural 2006 Denver Marathon. The racecourse will again start in front of the State Capitol, and travel past many of Denver's major landmarks such as the Denver Public Library and the Denver Art Museum, Larimer Square, the Pepsi Center, Union Station and Coors Field, as well as City, Cheesman and Washington Parks.

"We'd like to welcome back all of last year's runners while encouraging new runners to experience this memorable event by training and running in the 2007 Denver Marathon," said Anton Villatoro, Executive Director of the Denver Marathon. "Our inspiration to create the Buddy Pass came from an email we received from Major Easthagen, a mentor to a young teen, Dominic Rubio, through Colorado Youth at Risk, who plans to help Rubio achieve the goal of running the Denver Marathon."

Colorado Youth at Risk is an organization whose mission is to reduce the risk of teens dropping out of high school through an adult mentorship program. The United Way, a sponsoring partner of Colorado Youth at Risk, will follow Easthagen and Rubio's progress throughout the year.

"Running a marathon isn't easy, and many runners who train for a marathon need the support and motivation of another running partner and that added inspiration to make it to the finish line," said Villatoro. "This year, we'd like to inspire runners to set their goals on running and finishing the Denver Marathon."

In order to receive a free registration for a friend, all runners will need to register online for either the marathon or half-marathon at DenverMarathon.com before 11:59pm MST, on January 31, 2007. After registering, runners will receive a Denver Marathon Buddy Pass code in their confirmation email that is good for one free entry to the marathon or half-marathon (the pass is not good for marathon relay). The Buddy Pass code will be valid for 30 days (through 11:59pm on March 2, 2007). Registration is limited in all divisions and will close when field limits are met with no prior notice. The free entry is for first-time event participants only.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org | www.RunningUSA.org