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Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot to Defend Boston Marathon Title Against Top Field
Including Ivuti, Kwambai, Kiogora, Cheboiboch and more for the 112th edition

BOSTON - (February 27, 2008) - In its 23rd year as the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial announced their team of top male contenders for the 112th running of the historic race on Monday, April 21.

Three-time Boston champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot is set to defend his title against 2007 LaSalle Bank Chicago champion Patrick Ivuti, 2007 Boston runner-up James Kwambai and 15 other top international athletes.

Cheruiyot, the course record holder (2:07:14) and winner in 2003, 2006 and 2007, has added incentive to win as he will seek to become the first Kenyan to claim four Boston Marathon crowns. Cheruiyot also won Chicago in 2006, Milan in 2002 and was the inaugural World Marathon Majors Series champion last year.

Countryman Ivuti is determined to begin his own legacy on the Boston course. In one of the most exciting marathon finishes of all time, Ivuti won at Chicago last year by a scant .05 of a second over two-time World Champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco. He also bested Cheruiyot in the pair's first head-to-head marathon, as Cheruiyot finished fourth after fading from the leaders in the oppressive heat.

A two-time World Cross Country silver medalist Ivuti also competed in the 10,000m at the Sydney Olympics where he finished fourth, less than a second out of the medals. Ivuti excelled in his 2005 marathon debut turning in a fast 2:07:46 in Chicago. In 2007, he won the Prague Half Marathon in a course record 1:01:00 and in Rotterdam improved his personal best to 59:27.

John Hancock also announced the return of 2007 runner-up James Kwambai, who showed his potential by challenging Cheruiyot until the final mile last year. Kwambai debuted in 2006, winning his first two marathons in Brescia and Beijing. With experience on the course now and respect for Cheruiyot's racing strategy, Kwambai is determined to win this year.

"Since I was young, I have worked hard to be a good athlete, and I hope to be able to realize this dream by making a good result in the Boston Marathon," he said.

Additional top contenders on the John Hancock Elite Team include last year's third place finisher Stephen Kiogora of Kenya and Gashaw Asfaw of Ethiopia, the 2006 Paris winner and 2007 Paris and Mumbai runner-up. Also at the start will be Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco, the 2007 runner-up in Seoul and Ottawa and past winner of Tunis, Marrakesh and Ottawa, and William Kiplagat of Kenya, who was runner up in Lake Biwa in 2007 and past winner in Seoul and Rotterdam.

Other athletes of note include Shadrack Kiplagat of Kenya, a 2:07 marathoner, and Christopher Cheboiboch, a past Boston and New York City runner-up and 2007 Las Vegas winner.

Young talent set for this world class race includes 21-year-old Yirefu Birhanu of Ethiopia, who won Baltimore in 2006 and finished third in Seoul in 2007, and 23-year-old James Mwangi Macharia of Kenya, who finished second in Vienna in 2007 in his marathon debut.

These top athletes will join the complete John Hancock Elite Team, which will be announced in March. For further athlete information, contact Brian Carmichael, (617) 663-4748 or bcarmichael@jhancock.com

For more race information, visit: BostonMarathon.org

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Lottery Opens for the ING New York City Marathon 2008
Annual lottery drawing to take place in mid-June

NEW YORK - (February 25, 2008) - The lottery for the ING New York City Marathon 2008 opened at noon today, with applications available online at INGNYCMarathon.org, announced race director Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. The 39th running of the ING New York City Marathon, a World Marathon Majors event, will be held on Sunday, November 2.

Applications for the lottery from individuals with a U.S. address will be accepted until 11:59pm on Sunday, June 1, 2008, and results will be posted in mid-June. Applications from individuals without a U.S. address and all applicants eligible for guaranteed entry will be accepted until 11:59pm on Thursday, May 1, 2008, and results will be posted in mid-May. Entry fees for runners accepted through the lottery (as well as guaranteed entrants) will be $125 for New York Road Runners members and $155 for non-members. International entrants will be charged $210.

A record number of more than 103,000 people applied to the 2007 event, and the race hosted its (and the distance's) largest field ever with more than 38,000 finishers. Kenyan Martin Lel, 29, won the men's race in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 4 seconds, and British Olympian Paula Radcliffe, 34, captured the women's title in 2:23:09, just nine months after the birth of her first child.

"Marathon Sunday has become a New York tradition that we expect to grow even more in 2008," Wittenberg said. "This year is extra special, as New York Road Runners celebrates our 50th anniversary of promoting running in New York City and throughout the world."

The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing more than 103,000 applicants. The race attracts many world class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and more than 300 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the nearly 750,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit: INGNYCMarathon.org

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Tug McGraw Foundation Announces Team McGraw Participation at Country Music ½ Marathon
Team McGraw is lacing up to make a difference; join Team McGraw in Nashville to run, walk or cheer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - (February 27, 2008) - The Tug McGraw Foundation (TMF), founded in honor of legendary pitcher Tug McGraw to fund quality of life research on behalf of brain tumor patients, has announced that Team McGraw will participate in the Country Music ½ Marathon on Saturday, April 26, 2008.

"We have had widespread interest in and support for Team McGraw and we are thrilled to be warming up for another year of raising awareness and funds by running a half-marathon in the home of country music," said TMF Honorary Chairman, Tim McGraw, Tug's son and a GRAMMY® Award-winning musician.

Team McGraw's successful debut in the ING New York City Marathon 2007 raised more than $280,000 for brain tumor research. The Foundation will kick off 2008 participating in Elite Racing's Country Music ½ Marathon.

"We are continuing to recruit team members who are committed to raising awareness and funds to improve the quality of life of individuals diagnosed with brain tumors. I'd like to encourage our fans and fans of country music to lace up their running shoes and come run or walk with Team McGraw in the Country Music ½ Marathon this April. Brain tumors are serious business, but the spirit and musicality of Elite Racing's Rock 'n' Roll marathons also reflect the fun and quality of life we seek for those on whose behalf we run, so it is a thrill to share in this event," said Jeff McMahon, keyboard player for Tim McGraw's band the Dancehall Doctors, a TMF board member and chairman of the Foundation's marathon program.

McMahon knows firsthand the urgency of Team McGraw's fundraising and awareness efforts. He is running this year in memory of friend and fellow musician, Jeannie Kauffman, who passed away this February after battling a brain tumor for 27 months. Many team members will dedicate their runs to a special person or people whose lives had been touched by a brain tumor, emphasizing the need for research and the important impact that the Tug McGraw Foundation continues to have for patients, families, caregivers and professionals. McMahon will be joined by band mate Dean Brown, fiddle player, as well as family and friends, musicians, athletes, students and healthcare professionals.

"I'm honored to run this year on behalf of Jeff Hinson, who has been battling this devastating disease since November 2006. I, like Jeff, am the father of a busy family, and I have great respect for his role as a committed and connected father. I also know that when one family member becomes ill, be it with a common cold or something as life-changing as a brain tumor, the entire family suffers...so I feel blessed to be able to contribute," said Brown.

About Brain Tumors
Brain tumors are the leading cause of death from solid tumors in children under age 20 and the third leading cause of all cancer deaths in young adults ages 20 to 39. Over the past 10 years, brain tumor research has advanced significantly, yet the reality of living with a brain tumor remains the same. Brain tumors may alter thought, emotion, memory, movement and language. Quality of life research is recognized as a needed component of brain tumor care.

"The Southeast has a particularly high incidence of deadly brain cancers," according to Dr. Reid C. Thompson, director of the Vanderbilt Brain Tumor Center in Nashville, Tenn. "The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is conducting research to identify genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to the region's relatively high incidence of glioma. With our knowledge of the potential impact on our loved ones and neighbors, Team McGraw's effort to raise awareness and funds for research takes on a particular significance for our community."

For more information about the Tug McGraw Foundation, visit TugMcGraw.org

For information about the Country Music Marathon & ½ Marathon, go to CMMarathon.com or call (800) 311-1255.

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Read, Right & Run Marathon® Reaches Record-Breaking Numbers!

GO! St. Louis' youth initiative, the Read, Right & Run Marathon, has eclipsed participant numbers from previous years by registering over 3,000 children from 92 schools in both the city and county. The six-month program begins in October of every school year and challenges students to read 26 books, perform 26 good deeds and run 26.2 miles. Children and their families gather in St. Louis' famed Forest Park every April to watch the little marathoners finish up their mileage.

Since its inception in 2001, the Read, Right & Run Marathon has grown remarkably. In 2008 alone, a total of 24 new schools and youth organizations will be participating for the very first time. When children gather to run their final miles on Saturday, April 5, they will have read 78,000 books, performed 78,000 good deeds and run 78,600 miles. In only six years, the Read, Right & Run Marathon has impacted close to 10,000 children. Although the registration deadline for the 2008 Read, Right & Run Marathon has passed, GO! St. Louis is always adding schools and parents to its mailing list. For more information on the program, contact Courtney Irwin at: cirwin@gostlouis.org

Also visit GoStLouis.org for race information and more.

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