Sundell, Crosby-Helms Win Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon
By Mark Winitz

NAPA, Calif. - (March 4, 2007) - Steve Sundell, 24, of Redwood City, Calif. and Devon Crosby-Helms, 24, of San Francisco recorded overall wins at Sunday's 29th Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon. Both runners took home their first-ever victories at the marathon distance. The race, which is one of the oldest and most scenic marathons in the country, attracted about 1,800 participants. Competitors enjoyed ideal, slightly overcast and mild racing conditions along the scenic 26.2-mile race course from Calistoga to Napa that tours the Napa Valley's wine growing region.

Sundell had quite an outing in his debut at the marathon distance. The recent All-American in cross country and track at Columbia University recorded a winning time of 2 hours, 21 minutes and 3 seconds, the fastest men's mark at Napa since 1988. Crosby-Helm's convincing women's victory in 2:52:49 came on what she called a "training run" for the U.S. 100K National Championship, and only a month after she won the Jed Smith 50K race in Sacramento.

The men's race included several interesting twists. As one of three officially designated rabbits, or pacers, in the race, Sundell surprised everyone, even himself, by crossing the finish line first at Napa's Vintage High School. Sundell was originally recruited, along with pacers Tommy Greenless and Artie Gilkes to pace his training partners Tom McGlynn (Burlingame, Calif.) and Mike Wallace (Menlo Park, Calif.) to sub-2:22:00 finishing times, marks that would earn them entries into the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials race in New York City this November 3.

"I was asked to run 16 miles [with McGlynn and Wallace] on Trials qualifying pace," Sundell said. "But, I knew there was a big hill at mile 19. I figured if I feel good, I'm going to help them."

By 17 miles, an original pack of five composed of the three pacers and McGlynn and Wallace broke down to Sundell and McGlynn sharing the lead, on 2:21 finishing pace. When McGlynn fell off the pace a bit by 24 miles with a cramp in his calf, Sundell's fortunate fate was cast.

"My legs were getting a little tired," admitted Sundell, whose longest previous race was the San Francisco Half Marathon, which he won last year. "But I kept going and looking back because my goal was to get Tom or Mike a qualifying time. I accomplished my goal."

McGlynn finished second in 2:21:24, 36 seconds under USA Track & Field's "B" qualifying cutoff for entry into the Trials race. Wallace, who suffered hamstring cramps mid-race, finished third in 2:30:28, missing a qualifier.

"I think I was more excited to see Tom qualify than it was for me," said Sundell, who works as a fund raising specialist at Stanford University. "I would have hated for me to get the qualifying time if Tom or Mike didn't."

Said McGlynn, who also qualified for the Marathon Trials in 2000 and 2004: "I don't have any aspirations of making the Olympic team at the Trials in New York. I'll just be one of the guys pushing at the back, trying to help the top guys run better. The Trials are my Olympic Games."

Although women's winner Crosby-Helms failed to reach her outside goal of gaining a sub-2:47:00 time for a spot at the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, she was happy with her 2:52:49 time, which she said was a fifth consecutive personal record in five marathon finishes.

"Since I'm training for the 100K, I didn't really keep track of mile markers," said Crosby-Helms, who began running two years ago following a lustrous stint as one of the nation's top prep basketball players at Seattle's Roosevelt High School.

Crosby-Helms took the lead almost from the starting gun and never relinquished it. Two-time Napa Valley Marathon winner Mary Coordt, 37, of Elk Grove, Calif. was second in 2:55:44. Shelly Hack, 34, of Kirkland, Wash. was third in 2:56:33.

Each overall winner took home titles as 2007 Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) national marathon champions. The event served as RRCA's National Marathon Championship event. Both Sundell and Crosby-Helms won five cases of premium wine donated by the Napa Valley Silverado Trail Wineries Association. Each winner also carried home a specially produced, etched bottle of Napa Valley wine.

Dick Beardsley, 50, of Detroit Lakes, Minn. finished 10th man overall in 2:45:11, earning the men's masters (40 years and over) victory. Beardsley, a fixture at NVM in recent years as a featured guest and speaker, holds the NVM men's course record of 2:16:20 (1987).

"This race has been very good to me over the years," said Beardsley, who is the fourth fastest U.S. man at the marathon distance all-time. "And, it worked out really well for me this year. It was just a perfect day to run. Finishing in the top 10 at the RRCA National Marathon Championship made it special."

Stephanie Hodge, 41, of Long Island City, NY won the women's masters crown in 3:03:41.

Among senior competitors, standout Helen Klein, 84, of Rancho Cordova, Calif. finished in 5:20:49, topping the currently listed U.S. record for 84-year-old women of 6:02:03. 82-year-old multiple U.S. age group record holder John Keston (McMinnville, Ore.) finished in 4:15:21.

"I'm pleased with my time because I really haven't trained for a marathon in two years," said Keston. "I've just been running off base mileage. My longest training run was 10 miles."

This year's perfect running conditions allowed the NVM's 1,236 finishers to fully appreciate the unparalleled Napa Valley.

"This is one of my favorites," said Kent Buehrer, 44, of Maumee, Ohio, who finished in 3:43:41, his 59th marathon. "It's a similar course to Boston. The rolling hills, and the [overall net elevation loss], are an attraction to me. And this year the scenery was spectacular with no fog."

"It worked out really well this year, especially because of the Trials qualifying story," said Co-Race Director Rich Benyo. "We don't offer prize money, but the times were excellent, we had rabbits, and a rabbit won."

29th Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon
Napa, CA, Sunday, March 4, 2007

MEN
1) Steve Sundell, Redwood City, CA, 2:21:03
2) Tom McGlynn, Burlingame, CA, 2:21:24
3) Mike Wallace, Menlo Park, CA, 2:30:28
4) Dave Granger, Jacobus, PA, 2:33:14
5) Fritz Van De Kamp, Berkeley, CA, 2:34:55

MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Dick Beardsley, 50, Detroit Lakes, MN, 2:45:11

WOMEN
1) Devon Crosby-Helms, San Francisco, CA, 2:52:49
2) Mary Coordt, Elk Grove, CA, 2:55:44
3) Shelly Hack, Kirkland, WA, 2:56:33
4) Liz Gottlieb, San Rafael, CA, 2:57:14
5) Stephanie Hodge, 41, Long Island City, NY, 3:03:41

MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) See Hodge above

Complete results at: NapaValleyMarathon.org

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Team USA Set for World Cross Country Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - (February 28, 2007) - USA Track & Field has named the members of the 2007 Team USA World Cross Country squad for the 35th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya on Saturday, March 24.

The experience of five-time Team USA member Katie McGregor (Minneapolis, Minn.) and three-time members Renee Metivier-Baillie (Boulder, Colo.) and Kathy Newberry (Williamsburg, Va.) will lead the Open women's team in the 8K race at Mombasa. Joining them will be Desiraye Osburn (Lyndon, Kan.), Catherine Ferrell (Eugene, Ore.) and Mary Duerbeck (Henderson, Nev.).

The men's team for the Open 12K event will be led by Michael Spence (Ogden, Utah), fifth at the USA Cross Country Championships in Boulder, Colo. Joining Spence will be Zach Sabatino (Morgantown, W.V.), Fazil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Andrew Carlson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Celedonio Rodriguez (Alamosa, Colo.), 2003 USA Marathon champion Ryan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.) and Martin Rosendahl (Rochester Hills, Mich.).

Elliott Heath (Winona, Minn.), who took the field by surprise to win the national title in Boulder, will lead the U.S. team into the Junior men's 8K. Joining him will be Kenny Klotz (Beaverton, Ore.), Matthew Tebo (Albuquerque, N.M.), Ryan McNiff (Los Alamos, N.M.), Noel Bateman (Rochester, N.Y.) and Joshua Edmonds (Cooperstown, N.Y.).

Leading the Junior women's team over the 6K World Championship course will be Junior sensation Jordan Hasay (Arroyo Grande, Calif.), the 2005 Foot Locker Cross Country champion. Hasay's teammates for Mombasa will include 2004 Foot Locker Cross Country champion Aislinn Ryan (Bellvale, N.Y.), Kari Hardt (Queen Creek, Ariz.), Aurora Scott (Chesapeake, Va.) and Jocelyn Burke (Waunakee, Wis.).

The team staff for Mombasa will include legendary coach Joe Vigil (Tucson, Ariz.), former two-time World Cross Country champion Craig Virgin (Lebanon, Ill.), 1992 Olympian Gwyn Coogan (Exeter, N.H.) and Kim Duyst (Sacramento, Calif.).

A total prize purse of $30,000 will go to individuals placing in the top-six in both the men's and women's Open races, while winning teams in the Open divisions will receive $20,000 and awards again reaching down to sixth for the men's and women's teams.

For more information on the 2007 World Cross Country Championships, visit: USATF.org or IAAF.org

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Contact: Diana Towsley, Communications Director, (801) 949-2905 or diana@ragnarrelay.com

Ragnar Relay Series presented by NordicTrack Announced

MIDVALE, Utah - (March 1, 2007) - Over the last 3 years the national running community has seen the explosive growth of a new type of event, the overnight relay race. The overnight relay race generally covers 170 to 200 miles, involves 10 to 12 runners on a team, and requires each participant to run 3 alternating legs of 3 to 8 miles over a 20-30 hour period.

Ragnar Events, LLC has been leading the way in relay racing and has announced the Ragnar Relay series presented by NordicTrack, the nation's largest series of overnight relay races. The series includes the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back in Utah, the Ragnar Relay Great River in Minnesota, the Ragnar Relay Del Sol in Arizona and the new Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage in Washington State.

"Our goal from the beginning has been to provide participants with a premier series of unforgettable relay adventures. We knew eventually we would accomplish that goal, but we are amazed that it has happened so quickly," said Dan Hill, Director of Race Operations for Ragnar Events. "By partnering with NordicTrack, the international leader in fitness equipment and fitness apparel we've been able to go from a single relay with almost 300 participants to 4 relays in 4 states with an expected participation of 10,000 participants this year."

Ragnar Events' first race, the Wasatch Back Relay, began only 4 years ago and has grown dramatically since.

"We started the Wasatch Back Relay with a $1000 and attracted 260 participants," said Hill. Within one year, the Wasatch Back Relay became the fastest growing relay in the nation. Now in its fourth year, the Wasatch Back Relay has changed its name to the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back and is on pace to be the second largest overnight relay in the nation.

"We have taken relay racing to a new level. From live bands along the course, to flawless course logistics, to the technical running tees and custom finisher medals provided to participants, everything we do is aimed at providing participants with an unforgettable relay adventure. We thought it was time for the rest of the nation to experience an overnight relay 'Ragnar style'," said Tanner Bell, Director of Race Development for Ragnar Events.

The Ragnar Relay Series is attracting the attention of some of running's most distinguished athletes. "First and foremost, it's the fun factor and the adventure involved in this type of event. It is not the ordinary 5K or 10K you've done a million times," said Olympic Marathoner Ed Eyestone.

When asked why the Ragnar Relay series has experienced such remarkable growth he continued, "Distance running can become a selfish pursuit because you are always concerned with how fast you run, or beating your personal record. These events are unique because they infuse the team component and instead of running for yourself you are running for your team members."

The organizers of Ragnar Events have taken this "team" approach a step further by teaming up with the national children's charity Operation Kids. Ragnar Events works closely with Operation Kids to ensure that funds raised through any Ragnar Relay directly benefit children in that area.

For more information about the Ragnar Relay series, visit RagnarRelay.com or call the Ragnar Relay hotline at (877) 83-RELAY.

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