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Contact: Ian Monahan, Elite Racing, (800) 311-1255 Khalid Khannouchi Leads American Bid at
Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon SAN JOSE, Calif. - (October 10, 2007) - Former world and current U.S. record holder in the marathon Khalid Khannouchi has never made an Olympic team in his historic career. Now, at the age of 35, Khannouchi leads the American bid at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon San Jose on Sunday, October 14, in preparation for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon in New York City next month. Without the 2006 women's champion Silvia Skvortsova in this year's field, Kenyan Edna Kiplagat returns to San Jose to better her runner-up finish from last year's inaugural running. Khannouchi's list of career accomplishments is impressive. Twice, the four-time LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon champion has set world records at the marathon, once in Chicago 1999 (2:05:42), and again in London 2002 (2:05:38) in what many in the running world believe to be the greatest marathon ever run. Today, he remains the U.S. record holder from his 2002 London performance, but he is now focused on the 2008 Olympics and earning a spot on the U.S. marathon team - a goal that has eluded him since becoming a citizen in 2000. In 2000 and 2004, bothered by injury, he had to postpone his Olympic dream. An immigrant from Morocco who worked as a dishwasher in New York before his rise to running fame, Khannouchi considers a spot on the U.S. Olympic team to be the crowning achievement to his career as an American athlete. "This has been my dream and this may be my last chance," said Khannouchi. "Qualifying and representing the United States would be an honor for me." As a Muslim, Khannouchi has been training through the Ramadan holiday. In some cases, he has had to begin his training runs at midnight to honor his religious obligations, some of which include fasting from sun up to sun down. "I feel pretty good," said Khannouchi who is running an average of 100 miles per week. "I'm training really hard and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will give me a good indication to see how I will perform in the Trials." Alongside Khannouchi will be a strong group of East African competitors led by Tom Nyariki, 36, and Tanzanian John Yuda, 27, who finished second and third respectively at last month's prestigious Philadelphia Distance Run (half-marathon). Both men will need to live up to the dominant performance laid down by Kenyan Duncan Kibet who won the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon San Jose in 1 hour, 22 seconds, establishing the race as California's fastest half-marathon. Only running legend Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and American Ryan Hall have run faster on U.S. soil than Kibet for the 13.1 mile distance on a record standard course, 58:55 (former world record) and 59:43 (current U.S. record), respectively. The current world record is 58:33 by Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya. Kibet's absence at this year's race leaves the door wide open for Yuda, who has the fastest half-marathon time in the field at 1:00:02. Yuda may be looking to strike back at Nyariki after finishing third behind him at the Philadelphia Distance Run. 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi had to withdraw from the race with a calf problem. Keflezighi's coach Bob Larsen of Team Running USA told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday, "If he had any problem (at the race), there wouldn't be enough time to recover for the Trials." Including Khannouchi, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon San Jose will feature 11 men who have qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials. Qualifiers include Bay Area residents J.T. Service from San Jose, Steven Moreno from Oakland and Tom McGlynn from Burlingame. Other California qualifiers include Carlos Carballo from Cathedral City, Allen Wagner from Crescent City, Miguel Nuci from Turlock and Brad Poore from Davis. Jason Delaney from Golden, Colo., Daniel Mackey from Portland, Ore. and Marzuki Stevens from Detroit, Mich. round out the qualifiers. Seven Kenyan women are poised to dominate the race on Sunday. Edna Kiplagat, 27, Magdalene Makunzi, 24, and Anne Jelegat, 38, all finished in the top five last year in San Jose. However, they struggled against the consistent and rugged pace set by women's champion Silvia Skvortsova from Russia. Kiplagat has been running well as of late. She won the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Virginia Beach (1:11:14), and two weeks later set a personal best time of 1:10:11 in her third place finish at the Philadelphia Distance Run. Japan's Megumi Oshima, 31, holds the second fastest half-marathon time in the women's race (1:09:59) and has the potential to unhinge the Kenyans' strategy. Melissa White, 26, and Jennifer DeRego, 27, lead a group of five American women entered in Sunday's race. DeRego, from San Luis Obispo, Calif., has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon to be held in Boston next April. Saturn SKY to Pace the
Race The second Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will welcome more than 13,000 runners and walkers to the streets of San Jose on Sunday, October 14, 2007. In addition to 16 live bands along the course, the scenic tour of San Jose features hundreds of local high school cheerleaders and water stations to provide further entertainment and motivation to runners and walkers. The event concludes with a finish line party and an afternoon headliner concert featuring a premier rock 'n' roll act. In 2006, three men and four women ran under the old California state record times of 1:02:06 for the men and 1:11:16 for the women. For more race information and the complete professional field, go to: RnRsj.com |
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Return to top / Return to main page 2007 Denver Marathon Builds Strength, Inspiration
and Numbers in Second Year DENVER (October 9, 2007) The 2007 world class Denver Marathon will ring in its second year with momentum and almost double the number of race registrants as last year for the annual race that will occur in the Mile High City on Sunday, October 14. Approximately 10,000 participants are planning to participate over race weekend, which includes a marathon, a half-marathon, ING marathon relay and the McDonald's Mile Kids Race. The McDonald's Mile Kids Race, which has doubled in size since last year, will now be held on Saturday, October 13. The race day will draw runners from around the world and more than 1,200 volunteers will join together again to help make the event a success over the course of race weekend. The Denver Marathon will also waive marathon entry fees to runners who were registered for the recent LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, but were unable to finish. Chicago runners registering for the race will need to present proof of registration for the Chicago Marathon and a photo ID at packet pick-up. For more information about this special entry or packet pick-up, please go to: DenverMarathon.com "We are thrilled that in only our second year, we have almost doubled our growth," said Denver Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray. "Our team has worked hard to make sure that every runner's experience is incredible from bathrooms to supplies to volunteers everything is in place to help runners experience a memorable sporting event." This year, the Denver Marathon announced its
Celebrity Inspiration Run designed to encourage everyday people
to find the inspiration to run with someone they admire while benefiting
a worthy charity. The Celebrity Inspiration Run will have 13 celebrities
who have all accomplished inspiring achievements including former
Denver Broncos player Bill Romanowski; Scott Elrod, a cast member
on ABC's "Men in Trees"; Maggie Ireland, Miss Colorado
2007 and Rowdy Gaines, a gold-medal winning Olympic swimmer. Each
celebrity will run approximately two miles in a relay on the day
of the marathon. The race course follows a spectacular scenic route designed by renowned Boston Marathon and Denver Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray and his Denver Marathon operations team. The course will start in front of the State Capitol, travel past many of Denver's major landmarks such as the Denver Public Library and the Denver Art Museum. It loops through LoDo (lower downtown) including Larimer Square, Pepsi Center, Union Station and Coors Field and winds through City, Cheesman and Washington Parks and their neighborhoods. The final stretch will take runners down Denver's art district on Santa Fe Drive to the finish line and a post-race festival in Civic Center Park. The racecourse is flat and has little to no elevation change and will be certified by USA Track & Field as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. Return to top / Return to main page Houston Marathon Establishes Foundation to Support Running Locally, Nationally HOUSTON - (October 10, 2007) - The Houston Marathon Committee, governing body of the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and EP5K, has established a philanthropic organization to support running initiatives in the Houston area and nationwide. "The Houston Marathon Committee wanted to find a way to support running in the community and nationally on a level that goes beyond offering a series of races once a year," says Committee President Brant Kotch. "The Houston Marathon Foundation will allow us to do that through contributions to programs and projects that promote running." The Foundation primarily will support efforts that foster education about running and the advancement of running, and organizations that help develop running as a sport in the Houston community and nationwide. Three programs are being funded initially: the USA Distance Project, a national program that focuses on developing elite U.S. distance runners; the HARRA Kids' Race and the Texas Children's Hospital Kids' Fun Run. Foundation members will meet quarterly to review other programs for potential funding. "We're dedicated to both the fitness and the competitive aspects of running," says Madeline Bunch, president of the Foundation and a member of the Houston Marathon Committee Board of Directors. "We hope that by supporting local projects, such as these youth runs, children will get to experience the joy of running and the importance of fitness. On a national level, we want to support the effort to make Americans successful both at home and on the international stage, and return Americans to the victory platforms at every Olympic competition." Those interested in contributing to the Foundation, and groups interested in applying for funding from the Foundation, should contact the Houston Marathon Foundation, Inc., 720 N Post Oak Road, Suite 100, Houston, TX, 77024. The Chevron Houston Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, is the nation's premier winter marathon, annually attracting participants from all 50 U.S. states and more than 30 foreign countries. The marathon offers the only closed marathon course in Texas and is ranked among the top five in the nation by the Ultimate Guide to Marathons for fastest course, organization and crowd support. More than 5,000 volunteers organize the race, which is Houston's largest single-day sporting event. More information is available online at ChevronHoustonMarathon.com or (713) 957-3453. Return to top / Return to main page Akron to Host 2008 USA Women's USA 8K Championship INDIANAPOLIS - The women's Long Distance Running Committee of USA Track & Field (USATF) has announced that Akron, Ohio, has been selected to host the 2008 USA Women's 8K Championship. The national championship will be held as part of the Road Runner Akron Marathon next September and will be organized by the Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation. Marking the return of the 8K distance to the women's USA Running Circuit (USARC) schedule for the first time since 2005, Akron, which hosted the North American Men's Relay Championship (2003-04), will host the event on Saturday, September 27, 2008. "The leadership of the Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation is excited and honored to be awarded this opportunity to host the 2008 USA Women's 8K Championship race," said Dave Hunter, spokesman for the Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation. "We look forward to working closely with USATF to stage an outstanding and competitive championship race for the elite athletes, the fans, USATF and our community." For more information on the 2008 USARC, visit: USATF.org Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director |
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