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Rowbury, Tegenkamp, Wurth-Thomas and Myers Win USA Indoor Titles
By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

BOSTON - (February 23-24, 2008) - Shannon Rowbury won her first Open national title in the women's 3000 meter Saturday night, as three of four distance finals were contested at the 2008 AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships here at the Reggie Lewis Center. In addition to the national championships, the meet will select the U.S. team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Valencia, Spain on March 7-9.

Rowbury, who is coached by John Cook and training with Shalane Flanagan and Erin Donohue in North Carolina, sat back as Kristin Anderson took the early pace, and stayed back around fourth in the pack as Team Running USA athlete Jen Rhines took over the pace from Anderson. Rhines led the pack through the first two kilometers in 3:01.58 and 6:02.90.

With a bit more than two laps remaining, Donohue moved to take over the lead. Rowbury, the 2007 NCAA indoor mile champion and runner-up at this distance, reacted immediately, blasting to the front and opening an immediate lead on both Rhines and Donohue and following up with a sub-30 final 200m to finish in 8:55.19, a seven second PR.

Two-time Olympian Rhines met Donohue's challenge as well, and held off another from Julie Culley to finish second in 8:59.98, with Culley third in 9:00.14.

"I wanted to just stick with the pack and see what I had at the end," Rowbury explained. "I was surprised that I felt so comfortable with it. I don't know what's going to happen with Worlds now; I still have to get the Olympic standard [for the 5000m], so I need to discuss this with my coach."

"I planned to push harder," said Rhines. "I'd been planning on going to the World Indoor Championships, but I'll have to re-evaluate. I wasn't in the form I wanted to be in today, so we'll have to see if it still makes sense to go to Worlds. I didn't have the speed to burn more people off in the middle."

Men's 3000m
Like the women's race, the men's 3000 meter would be decided by strong moves in the final laps, but unlike the women, the men lacked a strong pacesetter in the middle laps, and the final times were relatively unimpressive. ChrisSolinsky shadowed a procession of early pacemakers through kilometers of 2:50 and 5:36, with teammate Matt Tegenkamp, 26, far back in the pack, but when Solinsky bid for the lead he found Tegenkamp right on his shoulder.

"Sometimes when you get passed, it's easy to give up on the race," Solinsky said. "Tonight, I really tried to hang on as long as I could."

Tegenkamp's closing laps were too strong for even Solinsky's resolve, with the last 400 meters coming in 56 seconds. Tegenkamp, fourth by .01s in the 5000m in last year's World Championships, won in 8:02.52 with Solinsky second in 8:03.80.

"I need to stay focused and not get ahead of myself," said Tegenkamp about the coming year, where he'll face World 5000m Champion Bernard Lagat before even reaching the Olympics. "The Trials is going to be a real challenge. I'm in an early phase of my training now, and there's a lot more to come this summer."

Women's 1500m
Christin Wurth-Thomas' mile PR last week at the Tyson Invitational made her the favorite for the women's 1500 meter, and she delivered on that expectation forcefully with five laps remaining. Wurth-Thomas, 27, went essentially unchallenged from there, winning her first-ever national title in 4:14.21 to Jenelle Deatherage's 4:17.38. Sara Hall of Team Running USA was third in 4:19.23.

"I feel good, but I have a long way to go," said Wurth. "We're going after the Russians, and I'm going after the [1500m Olympic] "A" standard indoors at the Worlds. This year, we've been going in with a lot of confidence. You need to in this sport."

Men's 1500m
Rob Myers won his second USA Indoor 1500 meter title on Sunday evening here at the Reggie Lewis Center, taking the lead for good with 400 meters to go. Myers, the 2004 champion, was just .09 slower than his meet-record 3:40.80 from that year, winning in 3:40.89. Russell Brown was national runner-up in 3:41.20.

Myers, 27, followed early leader Kalpanatic Broderick through a 1:59.82 800 meter split before taking the lead with two laps to go. Myers then had to fight off the challenges of everyone else hoping for a late-race kicker's victory, but his 55 second closing 400 (28 and 27 seconds for the closing two laps) was enough to keep him clear.

Stanford redshirt Brown, from Hanover, N.H., wound up following Myers to the line, just pipping Steve Sherer (third, 3:41.52). Brown will join Myers on the World Indoor team.

Myers credited a return to strength work for his second U.S. title. After winning as an Ohio State senior in 2004, Myers has stuck with Coach Robert Gary and this year is training with steeplechaser Brian Olinger and Dan Huling in Columbus.

"I sharpened up a little this week, but I haven't sacrificed any of my training for outdoors," Myers continued. "It doesn't take a lot to be able to change gears the way you need to [in the mile], at least for me, and I was more confident because I felt strong."

AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
World Championship Team Qualifier - Valencia, Spain
Boston, MA, Sat-Sun, Feb 23-24, 2008

Saturday
Women's 3000m
1) Shannon Rowbury (NC), 8:55.19, $2500
2) Jen Rhines (CA), 8:59.98, $1500
3) Julie Culley (MD), 9:00.14, $500
4) Katie McGregor (MN), 9:03.34
5) Erin Donohue (NC), 9:07.88

Men's 3000m
1) Matt Tegenkamp (WI), 8:02.52, $2500
2) Chris Solinsky (WI), 8:03.80, $1500
3) Jonathon Riley (WI), 8:04.86, $500
4) Kyle King (NC), 8:07.11
5) Bolota Asmerom (OR), 8:07.16

Women's 1500m
1) Christin Wurth-Thomas (AR), 4:14.21, $2500
2) Jenelle Deatherage (MN), 4:17.38, $1500
3) Sara Hall (CA), 4:19.23, $500
4) Tiffany McWilliams (AL), 4:21.82
5) Amy Mortimer (RI), 4:22.11

Sunday
Men's 1500m
1) Rob Myers (OH), 3:40.89, $2500
2) Russell Brown (CA), 3:41.20, $1500
3) Steve Sherer (CA), 3:41.52, $500
4) William Leer (OR), 3:41.94
5) Grant Robison (MI), 3:42.81

Full results at: www.usatf.org/events/2008/USAIndoorTFChampionships

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Competitive Women's Field Ready for Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon
Joan Benoit Samuelson will inspire women's Olympic Trials aspirants

NAPA, Calif. - (February 22, 2008) - In 1984, when Joan Benoit Samuelson won the Olympic gold medal in the very first Olympic Games marathon for women, the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon was already six years old. And, in Napa, women were already competing at the 26.2-mile marathon distance - just as they had since Kathrine Switzer broke the female gender "barrier" at the Boston Marathon in 1967.

For the 30th Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday, March 2, Benoit Samuelson will, appropriately, be on hand as a group of focused women pursue their own "Olympic" dreams in an Olympic year.

Their individual goals?

To be on the starting line for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon, which will take place in Boston on Sunday, April 20.

The Trials race will select the three women for the U.S. Olympic marathon squad that will compete at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China in August. For these Napa Valley Marathon entrants, though, simply toeing the line at the Trials with women who will contend for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team is their ultimate athletic objective. The talented women will run the Napa Valley Marathon as a "last chance" qualifying attempt for the Trials.

"Qualifying for the Marathon Trials is a goal that women definitely put out there, and people, by nature, try to achieve their goals," said Benoit Samuelson, 50, who has qualified for each of the seven U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials races since 1984. "For a woman who's competitive, the Marathon Trials is a logical goal. That's the reason these women are coming to Napa."

Relatively few long distance runners have the ability or dedication to make it to the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Approximately 125 of America's top female distance runners will participate in this year's women's Marathon Trials race. Specifically, at Napa, half a dozen women will aim for a finishing time that is 2 hours, 47 minutes flat or faster, the "B" standard set by USA Track & Field to qualify for the Trials. The women's "A" standard is 2:39:00 (which awards travel and lodging expenses for the Trials to the women who achieve it).

The qualifying window for the Trials began on January 1, 2006. It will end on March 23, 2008, just three weeks after this year's Napa Valley Marathon. Women seeking a Trials qualifier, in a marathon with an excellent chance for fair weather, have two final opportunities in California: the Napa Valley Marathon and the City of Los Angeles Marathon (on the same day as Napa).

For the hopeful women who will run the fast Napa Valley Marathon course, just landing a spot at the Trials will validate their own, personal Olympian efforts. All of the aspirants have previously run marathon times within striking distance of the 2:47 standard. If they can achieve it, a personal "gold medal" will be theirs. They will gladly pay their way to the Trials.

Shaluinn Fullove, a former track and field and cross country competitor at Stanford University, is intimately familiar with trials and tribulations. In the early spring of 2005, the 30-year-old Palo Alto, Calif. resident was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. After receiving a thyroidectomy and radiation treatments, Fullove eventually resumed serious training and recorded a time of 2:51:06 at the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Now, Fullove will compete at the Napa Valley Marathon with a goal of qualifying for the Trials.

"It's been a longtime goal. It's taken two years to get here," said Fullove, who works as a marketing manager for Google Inc. "I was really shocked when I was diagnosed with cancer. For someone who's used to being really healthy, and takes pride in being fit, it really rocked my world. Now, I'm ready for this (Napa). Hopefully, it's just the beginning."

Ginger Reiner of Cambridge, Mass. will come to Napa with a goal of flying back home as an Olympic Trials qualifier.

"It would be an honor to toe the line with some of the best women runners in the U.S. and race the Trials right in my hometown," said Reiner, 30, a Boston high school math teacher who regularly trains on the Trials course. "I'm glad that there are several women at Napa who will be going for the same time."

Reiner places high in road races and triathlons. She placed third in her age group, and 39th overall, at the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii. Her best time to date in a solo marathon is 2:49:18.

Dr. Kari Bertrand of Gilroy, Calif. will contend for the women's title at Napa while attempting to qualify for her second consecutive U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials. Bertrand competed in the 2004 Trials while she was ten weeks pregnant. She received permission from a physician (herself) to do that. The 2:46:47 marathoner specializes in Obstetrics-Gynecology.

Caroline Annis has already qualified for her second consecutive Marathon Trials. Annis, 27, of San Francisco, will run Napa as a training run. Annis' personal marathon best of 2:43:46, recorded at the 2005 Boston Marathon, is the fastest time among the female entrants at Napa. Annis will run "right on qualifying pace" to encourage the other women, according to her coach, Tom McGlynn. McGlynn also coaches Fullove and Claudia Becque (Chicago) who is another Trials aspirant entered in the Napa Valley Marathon.

"Napa is the perfect course to qualify on," said McGlynn about the point-to-point 26.2-mile race route that runs the length of the famed Napa Valley wine-growing region. "You don't have sharp turns on the course. There aren't a lot of long straight stretches where you can see miles ahead. Rather, the road meanders, so it's psychologically stimulating."

McGlynn, a resident of Burlingame, Calif., has intimate knowledge of Napa's course.

At last year's Napa Valley Marathon, men's winner Steve Sundell of Redwood City, Calif. qualified for last November's U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials with a finishing time of 2:21:03 the fastest men's mark at Napa since 1988. Sundell's training partner McGlynn placed second and also qualified for the Trials.

The 2008 Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, however, will feature women, spotlighting their personal quests for excellence.

Among the 2,300 runners entered in this year's marathon, 45 percent are women. According to the Running USA Road Running Information Center, females compose 40 percent of the estimated 410,000 finishers in all U.S. marathons annually. That's a fair progression from Benoit Samuelson's heyday in the 1980s when only about 10 percent of marathon participants were women.

"Given an opportunity, women are going to knock at the door and open it and run through," said Benoit Samuelson. "Running is a very accessible sport for women, especially for working mothers who want to participate in recreational sports, or be fit."

Benoit Samuelson plans to accompany Napa Valley Marathon participants - at least partway through the race - as a training run in preparation for the Olympic Marathon Trials. She will also deliver the event's keynote address on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00pm at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa (race headquarters).

Benoit Samuelson has already announced that the 2008 Trials will be her last one, ending a superlative Olympic career.

Time to pass the baton to up-and-coming women aiming for their first Olympic Trials.

The Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon starts on Sunday, March 2 at 7:00am sharp in Calistoga on the Silverado Trail near the intersection of Rosedale Road. The race finishes at Vintage High School in Napa. Top runners are expected to reach the finish between 9:15am and 9:30am. Runners will receive official times up until 1:00pm when the course closes.

MORE INFORMATION: visit: NapaValleyMarathon.org

MEDIA CREDENTIALS: Contact Mark Winitz, Media Relations, (650) 799-3319, winitz@earthlink.net

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Runner Reaches Boston Marathon Goal and Gained Inspiration from St. Jude Patient

Race enthusiast and Minnesota native Bryce Gaudian has spent a lot of time training for and running marathons, and racing since 1979, Gaudian had been dreaming of running the prestigious Boston Marathon, but in 2004, 2005 and 2006, he missed the qualifying standard.

Since fall 2004, Gaudian has been running as a St. Jude Hero, helping to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®. The St. Jude Heroes program began in 1999 when a group of avid runners paired their love of the sport with raising money for the renowned children's cancer treatment and research hospital. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance, and no child is ever denied treatment because of a family's inability to pay.

In June 2006, after completing Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn., Gaudian spent two hours in the medical tent, hooked to four IVs because of excruciatingly painful leg cramps. After this experience, Gaudian told his wife he would never run another marathon. But instead of hanging up his running shoes, he found inspiration in a little girl named Anna Grace.

Abandoned in southern China when she was only a day old was just the beginning of Anna Grace's story. Adopted and home with her parents for only a week, Grace's health quickly deteriorated. She began suffering from ear infections, one of her eyes turned inward and she was losing the ability sit up. After doctors ran a CT scan, they quickly identified an orange-sized tumor called medulloblastoma on her brain stem. Anna survived a complex, life-threatening surgery to remove the tumor and was referred to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where the 13-month-old began 16 months of chemotherapy and a procedure called conformal radiation. St. Jude pioneered the use of this therapy in protocols for children with brain tumors.

Today, Anna Grace is a typical giggly 7-year-old little girl who loves Disney's High School Musical and Hannah Montana. To an outsider, she appears to be just another kid in second grade. To those who know her, she's the epitome of a hero.

After reading Anna Grace's story in a St. Jude Heroes mailing, Gaudian decided to run one more marathon. In May 2007, he ran the Fargo Marathon, and to qualify for the 2008 Boston Marathon, Gaudian needed to run a sub-3 hour, 35 minute marathon and he finished the race with a 3:32:58.

So this April, 50-year-old Gaudian will lace up his shoes and take his place on the starting line of the historic 112th Boston Marathon, likely with the image of St. Jude patient Anna Grace in his mind. Because of charity athletes like Gaudian, St. Jude has, since its inception, developed protocols that have helped push survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent to more than 70 percent overall. In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is 94 percent thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude.

For more information on how to become a St. Jude Hero, visit: StJudeHeroes.org

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