Contact: Tim "Timo" Yanacheck, Race Director, (608) 259-2311

Jurek Leads Top Field at USA 100K Championship Hosted by Mad City

MADISON, Wis. - (April 2, 2007) - Although the Mad City 100K will not start until sunrise on Saturday, April 7, race director Tim Yanacheck promises that the stars will be shining that morning in Madison.

"The stars of ultramarathoning will be here," said Yanacheck, and the competition will be intense at Mad City as it also serves as the 2007 USA 100K Road Championship.

The distance, 100 kilometers, is just over 62 miles. Competitors will run the scenic 10-kilometer course around Lake Wingra ten times providing support crews and spectators many opportunities to see the athletes during the event. There is a 13 hour time limit to complete the race.

Over 50 ultramarathoners from around the country are slated to compete at the 6:30am start in Madison's Vilas Park. The prize purse is $9650 to be awarded to the top six (6) male and female finishers in the USA Championship division (which is limited to USATF members) as follows: national champion - $2000, 2nd - $1200, 3rd - $750, 4th - $500, 5th - $250 and 6th - $125.

Athletes vying for the national title and prize money include:

* Greg Crowther, 33, Seattle - Just last month, Crowther won the USA 50K title and set a course record of 3:04 and he wants the double 50K / 100K crown. He won the prestigious Sunmart 50 Mile trail run last December. Crowther ran on the national team at the World Cup in Japan in 2005.

* Scott Jurek, 33, Seattle - For Jurek, a living legend among ultramarathoners, 100 kilometers is one of his shorter races. He has won the Western States 100 Mile race a record seven consecutive times and the notorious 135 Mile Badwater Ultramarathon through Death Valley in 2005 and 2006. Last year, Jurek also won Greece's famed 246K race, the Spartathlon, the first American male ever to do so.

* Chad Ricklefs, 39, Boulder, Colo. - A former member of the national team, Ricklefs ran the fastest 50 mile race of the year in 2004 and won the national championship. He has won the legendary high-altitude Leadville Trail 100 Mile race twice.

* Patrick Russell, 31, Minneapolis - Russell proved he is on track when he set a personal best at 50 miles earlier this year, winning the Rocky Raccoon Trail race in Texas. He is a veteran of World Cup competitions, running for the U.S. team in 2005-06.

The women's field is also very strong, according to Yanacheck, and includes at least four members of national teams:

* Nikki Kimball, 35, Bozeman, Montana - Kimball was the national 50 mile trail race champion in 2003-06, and added the road race title in 2005. She has been a U.S. national team member every year since 2001, including 2005 when the Team USA won the team gold medal.

* Julie Udchachon, 36, Eagle River, Alaska - A rookie member of the national team last year, Udchachon finished the World Cup 100K in Korea as the third American. In a record-breaking performance in 2005, she finished second in the famous JFK 50-mile race to then-national champion Anne Riddle Lundblad.

* Carolyn Smith, 41, Milwaukee - Smith also has national team credentials. Among other international ultramarathons, she finished 11th in the world at the 2005 24 Hour Run Championship, helping the U.S. win the team bronze medal.

Does Yanacheck have a favorite in the race? He doesn't hesitate. "My favorite", he boasts, "is my wife." Yanacheck just happens to be married to Ann Heaslett, 43, Madison, former national champion at 50 miles and in the 24 hour run. Heaslett has also been a member of the national ultramarathon team at the IAU World Cup 100K four times. Most recently, she has been concentrating on Ironman-distance triathlons, but Yanacheck thinks the opportunity to run a big-time ultramarathon in her hometown was too much to resist. "Just like me, Ann likes home-cooking," said Yanacheck.

The Mad City 100K could also produce some fast times by a couple of "senior" Wisconsin men:

* Roy Pirrung, 58, Sheboygan - Pirrung is a world masters champion and U.S. Open and masters champion. He has broken over 50 national records and won 50 national titles. Since 1981, Pirrung has run 80 marathons and 122 ultramarathons, along with over 500 other events. Perhaps most remarkable of all: Pirrung has completed every race he has started.

* Kevin Setnes, 53, Eagle - Setnes was national champion in this event three times, in 1996, 1997 and 1999. At the 1993 USA 24 Hour Championship, Setnes set the U.S. record by covering over 160 miles, and repeated as champ in 1999.

At stake are possible spots on the national team going to The Netherlands for the 2007 World Cup 100K this September. U.S. men must run a qualifying time of 7 hours, 20 minutes, while the standard for women is 8 hours, 40 minutes.

For more race information, visit: MadCity100K.com

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Contact: Ian Monahan, Elite Racing, (800) 311-1255

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego Celebrating 10 Years
A world-class running event and world-class destination make for a one-of-a-kind experience

SAN DIEGO - (March 28, 2007) - On Sunday, June 3, 2007, the original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with 20,000 runners and walkers and once again take over the streets of San Diego, Calif., bringing its unique experience of music and running to the marathon masses.

"The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is 'the original' musical marathon and it holds a special place in our hearts here at Elite Racing," explains Tim Murphy, founder and CEO of Elite Racing, Inc. "This race laid the foundation for all six of the company's current marathons and half-marathons and we are thrilled to celebrate this milestone in race history."

In 1998, with a method behind his marathon madness, Murphy put his musical marathon concept into motion by placing live bands on stages, cheerleaders and themed water stations at each mile along the race course to entertain participants. To-date, more than 175,000 people have toed the start line at historic Balboa Park behind some of the world's best professional athletes, "high-fived" guitarists and lead singers along the course, and ultimately, crossed the finish line to the cheers and tears of family and friends. This year, the event's post-race concert will move to the Embarcadero, an outdoor, bayside concert venue conveniently located near hotels and dining in downtown San Diego.

The first Rock 'n' Roll Marathon crushed the record formally held by the 1997 Cologne Marathon by 4,600 finishers as the world's largest inaugural running event and later annual event. Along with its massive participant numbers and innovative musical style the race had an immediate impact on the running industry by blending running, entertainment, tourism, retail and charity, effectively turning the average road race into a weekend-long event.

"I wanted to change the marathon experience," says Murphy who has completed four marathons. "The marathons I ran in the past lacked support and spectator participation, but with the addition of live music and entertainment, the experience is positive, inspirational and interactive. Today, most running events have a budget for on-course entertainment," he adds. "Ten years ago, that did not exist."

"The Rock and Roll Marathon is truly the first of its kind," says Olympic gold and silver medalist in the marathon, Frank Shorter. "Those of us who have been with Tim Murphy and Elite Racing since the start knew this event would attract more runners to the sport because it made sense and felt right."

"It made sense because the concept aimed at positively influencing people and the sport of running," Shorter says. "It felt right because Elite Racing had people with the management skills to make the event a success."

The alluring mix of music and entertainment together with running in one of America's most attractive coastal communities has proven to be a dynamic recipe for success. Over the past nine years, more than half of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon's participants have traveled from outside California to attend the race. Today, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon formula has spread to six cities nationwide, creating the first national series of marathons and half-marathons, which attract more than 120,000 runners and walkers to Elite Racing's race courses annually.

Marathon Makes for Mega Fundraising
In addition to promoting fun and fitness, a 10-year partnership between the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Team In Training (TNT) has inspired people to give help and hope to others. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's TNT is the largest endurance sport fundraising program in the world. Its participants, who are committed to fighting blood cancers, have raised more than $109 million (net) at the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon alone to support the Society's research and patient services programs. This year, TNT's fundraising total will reach approximately $125 million (net).

"The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego is one of the country's most outstanding venues and has become one of the signature destinations for the Team In Training program," said Donna Grogan, Senior National Director of TNT. "Our 10 years of involvement with this event has been mutually beneficial. We're thrilled to be able to play a significant role in celebrating this major milestone."

Economic Impact
Including this year's event festivities, the combined 10-year economic impact to the city of San Diego will surpass $400 million. Built on the foundation of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, Elite Racing's series of six national running events generate an annual economic impact of more than $150 million in the cities of San Diego, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Nashville, Virginia Beach, Philadelphia and San Jose combined.

More than an Athletic Event
The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, the country's 7th largest marathon, is a weekend celebration complete with a two-day free Health & Fitness Expo and a post-race concert featuring a headlining act. The San Diego Convention Center is home to the Health & Fitness Expo where all race participants go to pick up their race number and browse through thousands of fitness related products, samples, informational clinics and race souvenirs.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon's Headlining Acts
1998 - Pat Benatar and Huey Lewis and The News
1999 - Hootie & the Blowfish
2000 - Chicago
2001 - Smash Mouth
2002 - Sugar Ray
2003 - Chris Isaak
2004 - Live
2005 - Pinback
2006 - Ozomatli

For more information or to register for the 10th Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, please visit RnRmarathon.com.

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Contact: Bethany Mousseau, Stanwood & Partners PR, (781) 544-3677; bmousseau@wyoming.com

PowerBar to Fuel Olympic Silver Medalist Meb Keflezighi
Energy bar leader officially partners with Team Running USA athlete

BERKELEY, Calif. - (April 3, 2007) - PowerBar Inc. has announced that it has signed a two-year endorsement contract with 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. The contract names PowerBar as the exclusive energy bar sponsor to Meb, one of the company's more than 30 sponsored 2008 Olympic hopefuls.

"I feel honored to have the support of PowerBar in my pursuit of another Olympic medal. There is a lot of work that goes on between the Olympics Games, and PowerBar has stepped up to support me during this critical time in my preparation for Beijing," stated Meb Keflezighi, a two-time Olympian. "I look forward to having PowerBar as an exclusive member of Team Meb, the support group that allows me to "BE GREAT."

Since his days at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he won four NCAA titles in a single year, Meb continues to rely on the superior performance of PowerBar products to achieve his personal best during training and competition.

"The partnership with Meb serves as another example of PowerBar's commitment to the proper nutrition for superior performance in our athletes," stated Chad Comstock, Senior Sports Marketing Manager. "Elite athletes like Meb require an incredible amount of energy for optimal performance, and we're proud to provide Meb the nutritional tools he needs to help him reach his Olympic goals."

Meb, 31, has recently been spotted in two national television commercials (Finish Line and MasterCard) and has taken on prominent roles in two upcoming distance running documentaries. "Myth and Reality: Black Americans and the Marathon Distance" is about the issue of limited African-American involvement in distance running and "Showdown" is a documentary that captures the lifestyles of five elite American distance runners. The 16-time USA champion is preparing for the Flora London Marathon on Sunday, April 22.

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