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Tune, Cheruiyot Produce Historic Runs at 112th Boston Marathon
Closest Boston women's race; Cheruiyot repeat and four-time race champion
By Parker Morse, Running USA wire

BOSTON - (April 21, 2008) - Dire Tune and Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot were the winners of the 112th BAA Boston Marathon, run Monday morning from Hopkinton, Mass. to the finish in downtown Boston.

Cheruiyot, who was the champion here in 2003, 2006 and 2007, joined Gerard Cote, Clarence DeMar and Bill Rodgers as the only four-time male winners in the 112 runnings of the historic race. (DeMar won a record seven times.) His winning time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 46 seconds was the sixth-fastest time ever run in Boston, and the fourth-fastest winning time.

Through the halfway mark, at least, Cheruiyot, 29, was on pace to shatter even his own course record of 2:07:14 that he set in 2006. At halfway, Cheruiyot was running with a large pack of over a dozen athletes who passed that mark at 1:03:07, and only then began to thin out. Cheruiyot led a series of surges into and among the Newton Hills which clipped the pack down to four, then two and then left him alone.

Relieved of pursuit, Cheruiyot didn't find enough in his legs to maintain his his own pursuit of the course record, falling off record pace in the closing miles after being almost a minute ahead. He will now await the judgement of Kenyan athletics officials to see if he will be selected for the Beijing Olympics.

Behind Cheruiyot were two Moroccans, Abderrahime Bouramdane (2:09:04) and Khalid El Boumlili (2:10:35) marking that nation's best-ever results in Boston. Nick Arciniaga of Rochester Hills, Mich. and the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project was the first U.S. finisher, taking 10th in 2:16:13.

Tune, only 22 years old, became the youngest woman ever to win the Boston Marathon and the second Ethiopian woman to win here, following Fatuma Roba from 1997-1999. She found it far from easy, however. The 2008 Chevron Houston Marathon champion followed a pack which included defending champion Lidiya Grigoryeva and 2006 race champion Rita Jeptoo as well as two-time ING New York City Marathon champion Jelena Prokopcuka, twice second here in Boston, in the early going.

As Prokopcuka and then Jeptoo took turns pushing the pace and thinning the pack after Wellesley, Tune hung on. When Alevtina Biktimirova of Russia, like Grigoryeva from the Russian marathoning hotbed of Cheboksary, made the move which dropped first Prokopcuka, then Jeptoo, in the hills, it was only Tune hanging on.

Tune and Biktimirova battled down through Brookline, both unwilling to commit to a decisive move in the closing miles, and it was only in the final mile, as the pair turned off Commonwealth Avenue and on to Hereford Street before the final stretch on Boylston, that Tune made a move to the front.

Biktimirova battled back, however, and not only pulled in front of Tune but practically cut her off. Tune had one more move remaining, and she used it in the final yards. Tune won in 2:25:25 with Biktimirova just two seconds back in 2:25:27. It was the closest women's winning margin in Boston history. Like Cheruiyot, Tune also earned a race record $150,000 first place prize.

Jeptoo was third in 2:26:34. Unlike the leading men, all three women ran negative splits, having reached the halfway mark around 1:14:46.

With the U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials the previous day, the first U.S. woman to finish was Ashley Anklam of Bloomington, Minn. who ran 2:48:43 for 15th place.

The 2008 World Marathon Majors (WMM) series also continued at Boston and inaugural WMM men's champion Robert K. Cheruiyot moved into second place in the 2007-08 series championship, while Tune added her name to the series leaderboard. For current WWM standings and more, go to: WorldMarathonMajors.com

112th Boston Marathon
Boston, MA, Monday, April 21, 2008

MEN
1) Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (KEN), 2:07:46, $150,000
2) Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR), 2:09:04, $75,000
3) Khalid El Boumlili (MAR), 2:10:35, $40,000
4) Gashaw Asfaw (ETH), 2:10:47, $25,000
5) Kasime Adillo (ETH), 2:12:24, $15,000
6) Timothy Cherigat (KEN), 2:14:13, $12,000
7) Christopher Cheboiboch (KEN), 2:14:47, $9000
8) James Kwambai (KEN), 2:15:52, $7400
9) James Koskei (KEN), 2:16:07, $5700
10) Nicholas Arciniaga (USA / MI), 2:16:13, $4200

WOMEN
1) Dire Tune (ETH), 2:25:25, $150,000
2) Alevtina Biktimirova (RUS), 2:25:27, $75,000
3) Rita Jeptoo (KEN), 2:26:34, $40,000
4) Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT), 2:28:12, $25,000
5) Askale Tafa Magarsa (ETH), 2:29:48, $15,000
6) Bruna Genovese (ITA), 2:30:52, $12,000
7) Nuta Olaru (ROM), 2:33:56, $9000
8) Robe Tola Guta (ETH), 2:34:37, $7400
9) Lidiya Grigoryeva (RUS), 2:35:37, $5700
10) Stephanie Hood (CAN), 2:44:44, $4200
Top U.S.
15) Ashley Anklam (USA / MN), 2:48:43, $1500

Complete race results at: BostonMarathon.org

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Colorado Running Hall of Fame Announces 2008 Inductees

DENVER - (April 21, 2008) - The Colorado Running Hall of Fame (CRHF) Selection Committee has announced the 2008 inductees into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held Wednesday evening, May 14, 2008, at the Denver Athletic Club. The ceremony will be free and open to the public.

The 2008 inductees into the Colorado Running Hall of Fame are:

Arturo Barrios
* Former world record holder in the 10,000 meter run, 1989
* Competed in 10,000 meter run at the 1988 Summer Olympics

Steve Bosley
* Founded the Bolder Boulder in 1979. It's now the second largest foot race in the country, attracting more than 50,000 runners.
* Outstanding community service

Melody Fairchild
* As a high school student at Boulder High, she was an eight-time Colorado state champion and two-time Foot Locker National Cross Country champion (1989-90)
* NCAA track champion at the University of Oregon
* Bronze medalist at the 1991 World Junior Cross Country Championships
* World Championships Track and Field team in the 5000m

Ellen Hart Pena
* Competed in the 1980 U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meter run and the 1984 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials
* Won the Bolder Boulder twice

Steve Jones
* Former world record holder in the marathon, 1984
* Winner of the London Marathon and Chicago Marathon in 1985
* Winner of the New York City Marathon in 1988

Mark Plaatjes
* Marathon champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics
* The first American to win a gold medal in a long distance event at World Championships

Tony Sandoval
* Won the 1980 Olympic Marathon Trials and would have been a gold medal favorite if the U.S. hadn't boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games.

ABOUT THE COLORADO RUNNING HALL OF FAME
Colorado has one of the highest concentrations of world and U.S. record holders and Olympic and World Championship medalists. The Colfax Marathon Partnership, Inc. Board of Directors established the CRHF in 2007 to recognize Colorado residents who have achieved national and international recognition on the long-distance running stage.

Contact: John Raveling, (303) 932-6000 or raveling45@aol.com

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Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K Modifies Course, Makes Improvements to Accommodate Growth

CLEVELAND - (April 17, 2008) - The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K has announced official course changes for its 31st annual event on Sunday, May 18. The marathon, half-marathon and 10K courses each will be modified from the 2007 course due to the growing number of race participants.

"With 10,000 expected runners, walkers and wheelers on the course this year, we've decided to make some accommodations to alleviate potential problems with runner congestion as well as traffic flow concerns with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA)," said Executive Race Director Jack Staph. "Race participation has increased 90 percent since 2003. The changes we made will simplify the course for the runners and minimize traffic issues for our host city."

All three events will still start and finish the race on St. Clair near the Galleria building, with the majority of course updates occurring throughout the middle of each race. The race will continue to showcase major landmarks and popular locations throughout the city of Cleveland.

Based on runner feedback, race officials have also made improvements to mile markers and directional course signs, incorporating color coding so participants in each race can easily identify signs pertinent to them. Also, the start of the 10K wheelchair and foot race has been moved back 15 minutes in order to provide the increasing number of runners with more space at the start line between the half-marathon / marathon start and the 10K start of the race.

"Our intent is to make our event as runner-friendly as possible," added Staph. "So, we are quite excited about the improvements we've made for our 31st edition. I think they'll allow runners to enjoy the race, the entertainment and the scenery of Cleveland even more."

Race officials also hope that the new course changes will allow even more spectators to line the course and support the efforts of the participants. The event begins at 7:00am with participants crossing the finish line from 8:00am - 3:00pm.

For details on the event, or to register for the 31st Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon races, call (800) 467-3826 or visit: ClevelandMarathon.com

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Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. Awards Two $5000 Scholarships to High School Runners
Top students selected from talented collection of candidates

MINNEAPOLIS - Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. proudly announces McKenzie Melander (18) of Apple Valley and Pieter Gagnon (18) of Minneapolis, as its 2008 college scholarship program winners. Melander and Gagnon were selected for the $5000 awards from more than 100 applicants, all top track and cross country runners at their high schools in the greater Twin Cities Metro area.

Melander is a senior at Eastview High School in Eagan. She was an All-State Cross Country athlete as a sophomore and finished 3rd in the Minnesota State Cross Country Meet her junior year. In addition, Melander is a two-time All-State Track athlete and has earned 8 All-Conference awards. Melander volunteers in her community and said she plans to attend University of Iowa, where she will run cross country and track.

Gagnon is a senior at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. He is a four-time captain, 5 Eyewitness News Athlete of the Week, Star Tribune Athlete of the Week, three-time Most Valuable Player for Washburn High School and has numerous state and regional running titles including first place in Minnesota State Cross Country Regionals in 2007. In March, Gagnon set a meet record of 9:26.49 to win the 3200m run at the University of Minnesota / ROTC Indoor meet, also a personal best for him. Currently ranked second in his class academically, Gagnon says he plans to study engineering at the University of Minnesota and to continue to pursue his love of running.

"We value the running spirit these two individuals exemplify," said Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. executive director Virginia Brophy Achman. "It was a difficult decision because of the tremendous quality of those who applied. But McKenzie and Pieter's leadership and athletic determination and ability make them the perfect recipients of this year's scholarships. We congratulate them on all of their accomplishments."

The recipients were selected based on academic achievements, community service, running accomplishments (in either cross country or track) as well as a personal essay.

For more information about this year's winners and the scholarship program, visit: MTCMarathon.org

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