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Red Hot Kosgei Joins Field for 30th Freihofer's Run for Women 5K on May 31
Also added British Olympian Butler, Ethiopian duo Erkesso and Gobena and the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project team

ALBANY, N.Y. - (May 14, 2008) - Although Australia's Benita Johnson will certainly be the odds-on favorite to defend her Freihofer's Run for Women 5K title on Saturday, May 31st in Albany, race organizers have announced additions to the professional field that indicate that a three-peat is far from assured.

"I'm delighted with the caliber of the field that we have put together this year," said Event Director George Regan. "It's most fitting that, for our 30th race, this should be one of our best elite rosters ever. And, we may have more top class additions to announce before the race begins."

Rose Kosgei from Kenya may be the woman most likely to apply pressure to Johnson at the front of the field. The 26-year-old has shown evidence of fine racing form and impeccable tactics winning both the Union-Tribune 8K in San Diego on May 4th (29:34) and the Medtronic TC 1 Mile in Minneapolis on May 8th (4:37, course record). On both occasions, Kosgei did all that she needed to do just to deny her competition, indicative of an impressive racing range and the capacity to dig much deeper.

British 2004 Olympian Kathy Butler will also be among those forcing the pace at the front of the field. In addition to placing 12th in the Athens Olympic 10,000 meters, the 34-year-old has accumulated impressive credentials on the U.S. circuit, including a victory in the 3M Half Marathon in Austin, TX last year, 10th place in last fall's steamy LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and a seventh place finish in April's Carlsbad 5000. With a 5000m PR of 15:05.51, Butler is sure to be a Freihofer's contender.

An Ethiopian duo - Teyba Erkesso and Amane Gobena - must also not be overlooked. They placed third and seventh respectively in the 2007 FRW and return for the 2008 fray with the advantage of course knowledge - always key in this race - and the determination to place further up the field than 12 months ago.

The American delegation is powerful, to say the least. Indeed one of the most intimidating groups lining up on the streets of Albany will be women from the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Based in Rochester Hills, MI, this training group has developed some of the hottest distance running names currently emerging on the U.S. road racing scene.

Four of them - Melissa White, Desiree Davila, Dot McMahan and Yolanda Flamino - have confirmed their appearance at Freihofer's. All four contested the highly competitive U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston on April 20th, so recovery will play a role in how they fare in the Freihofer's 5K. Competitive aggression is a fundamental feature of the Hansons team, however, and will certainly be in evidence come race day.

With more names still to be announced in the professional Freihofer's field, the 30th running of this celebrated race will be one to be remembered.

"The winner, whether she's from Australia, Africa, Great Britain or right here in the US of A will take home $10,000," enthused Regan. "That's one big incentive. This will be a fantastic race. That's guaranteed."

A 30-minute Freihofer's Run for Women TV special will air Saturday, May 31 at 10:30pm on FOX23 News. An encore presentation will be shown Sunday, June 1 at 5:30pm (or at the conclusion of NASCAR's race from Dover International Speedway) on VTV - the Variety Channel on digital channel 23.2. VTV is also available to Time Warner Cable digital cable subscribers on channel 423.

To register for the Freihofer's Run for Women, or for more information about the Freihofer's Run for Women festival of events, including the Freihofer's Community Walk, Freihofer's Kids' Run and CapitalCare Health & FitnessExpo, visit: FreihofersRun.com

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ING New York City Marathon 2007 Runner-Up Abderrahim Goumri Added to Healthy Kidney 10K Field
Field also includes Andrew Carlson, former ING New York City Marathon champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos and Patrick Makau

NEW YORK - (May 12, 2008) - The ING New York City Marathon 2007 runner-up, Abderrahim Goumri, has been added to the professional field for the 2008 Healthy Kidney 10K on Saturday, May 17, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. Goumri will face off against a previously announced formidable international field of stars from middle distance to the marathon, including ING New York City Marathon 2006 champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil, rising U.S. Olympic hopeful Andrew Carlson and IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist Patrick Makau of Kenya.

Goumri, 31, is one of the world's finest marathoners, with second place finishes in 2007 at the Flora London and ING New York City marathons and a third place showing at this year's London race. He is currently third in the 2007-08 World Marathon Majors standings, behind Kenya's Martin Lel and Robert K. Cheruiyot, with 40 points.

"Abderrahim returns to New York and the center stage against this formidable field for another step in a career that has been steadily on the rise the past few years," said Wittenberg.

The Healthy Kidney 10K is an open race in Central Park led by a select field of professional male runners. Race sponsor Embassy of the United Arab Emirates has once again established a prize-money purse of $23,500 - including $7500 for the champion - plus a $20,000 bonus for breaking the Central Park 10K record of 28 minutes, 8 seconds, which U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein set at last year's race. Ritzenhein donated his 2007 first-place check of $7500 to the National Kidney Foundation; he was forced to pull out of his title defense last week with a lingering foot injury.

The fourth-annual race is sponsored by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates to benefit the National Kidney Foundation, in appreciation of American medical excellence in the kidney transplant field. The late UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan benefited from American expertise, knowledge, and research when he received a kidney transplant in 2000, and this race aims to spread awareness about kidney diseases and the success of kidney transplants.

For more race information including athlete bios, visit: NYRR.org

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Macias, Loken Win Santa Barbara Wine Country Half
From Matt Dockstader

SOLVANG, Calif. - (May 10, 2008) - One newcomer and a repeat champion took home the big prizes at Saturday's second Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. Mexican national Mario Macias of Alamosa, Colo. took the lead early and never looked back as he cruised to a wire-to-wire victory in 1 hour, 7 minutes, 36 seconds. Just as dominating was Susan Loken, who defended her 2007 title with a time of 1:21:22, besting former NCAA champion Amy Wilson of Prescott, Ariz. by more than a minute and a half. Loken, a 44-year-old running sensation from Phoenix, recently finished 40th at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston.

Santa Barbara was well represented on the awards stand as Mizuno team members Micah Tyhurst (1:09:20) and Aaron Gillen (1:10:07) finished in second and third place respectively. Over 2,200 jubilant runners completed the race, many for the challenge of running this scenic course, and others for the reward of wine at the finish line festival in Solvang Park.

The 13.1 mile course started at Maverick Saloon in downtown Santa Ynez and made its way through Los Olivos, down Ballard Canyon and into historic Solvang for the spectator-friendly finish on Copenhagen Drive. The post-race Wine & Music Festival in Solvang Park featured an awards ceremony, exhibitor booths, live band and wine tasting for the runners and their guests.

Loken, a mother of three, had no problem keeping motivated on the 13.1 mile course. "I plan to make this an annual event. This is such a wonderful place and I can't think of a better way to celebrate Mothers Day with my kids," said Loken at the awards stand. Loken and Macias both took home $750 in cash, a Ball Watch and a double magnum of Syrah from Zaca Mesa Winery.

The event raised over $15,000 for the Breast Cancer Fund and local high school athletic programs, drawing an estimated 5,000 people into the valley over the weekend. The large turnout surprised many locals and event organizers. Event Director Matt Dockstader was especially pleased with the results, commenting that the race sold out two months early and they had to turn away over a thousand additional requests for entry.

Produced by Destination Races, the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is the first in a series of three races for 2008. For more information, visit: DestinationRaces.com

2nd Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon
Santa Ynez to Solvang, CA, Saturday, May 10, 2008

MEN
1) Mario Macias (CO), 1:07:36, $750
2) Micah Tyhurst (CA), 1:09:20, $350
3) Aaron Gillen (CA), 1:10:07, $200

WOMEN
1) Susan Loken, 44, AZ, 1:21:22, $750
2) Amy Wilson (AZ), 1:23:03, $350
3) Kim Walsh (PA), 1:24:01, $200

Complete results at: RunSantaYnez.com

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Cleveland Youth Running Program Reaches New Heights
We Run This City Youth Marathon Program grows 500% since 2005

CLEVELAND - (May 14, 2008) - More than 400 Cleveland Metropolitan School District students will be running with 10,000 dedicated runners in this year's 31st Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K on Sunday, May 18.

We Run This City Youth Marathon Program, coordinated by the Cleveland Public Health Department's Steps to a Healthier Cleveland and the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, is sponsoring 411 6th - 12th grade students from over 20 Cleveland schools in the race. Participation is more than double last year's participation and up 500 percent from the program's first year in 2005.

Students participating in the youth marathon program will run a full 26.2 mile marathon, however, they can run up to the first 25 miles from March through May in their physical education classes or during after school hours. Their final run - 1.2 miles, 10K (6.2 miles) or a half-marathon (13.1 miles) - is run on race day so that the participants can finish with the other racers and be awarded finishers medals.

"We saw the potential of the youth marathon program in other cities before introducing it, and it has really taken off with the collaboration of our community partners," says Cleveland Marathon Executive Race Director Jack Staph. "With running comes an awareness of health and fitness. That's a valuable lesson for our city's youth to learn."

Matt Carroll, Director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health (CDPH) concurs: "Seeing the tremendous growth and interest kids are taking in the program tells us it's doing what it was set up to do - get our children interested in fitness."

The program sparked so much interest among students that they decided to make it their own by changing the program's name to We Run This City.

Of the 411 students participating, 300 will be running their final 1.2 miles on race day. They will be joined by Glenn Haley, CEO of the YMCA of Greater Cleveland, in the final 1.2-mile run. Roughly 100 students will be running the 10K and will be joined by Dr. Eugene T. Sanders, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Two seventh grade students from Buckeye Woodland Elementary School on Cleveland's east side, who ran the 10K last year, will be running the half marathon (13.1 miles). Buckeye is boasting full participation with its entire 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes running.

"These kids are the 'rock stars' of their schools," said Tara Taylor, the YMCA staffer who coordinates We Run This City. "They are admired by their peers, and many wear their finisher's medal around their neck the rest of the year because they are so proud of themselves."

In order for them to train and compete appropriately, the Greater Cleveland YMCA has provided all participating school physical education instructors with a running curriculum to keep the students progressing properly. YMCA mentors also visit the students throughout their conditioning to supplement the training they receive from their physical education teachers.

We Run This City Youth Marathon Program is supported by St. Luke's Foundation, Medical Mutual of Ohio Charitable Foundation of the Cleveland Foundation and others. Any remaining needs of the program are met by Steps to a Healthier Cleveland. The funding pays the students' fees and provides each student with proper running attire including socks, sports bras and running shoes. Second Sole, a local athletic footwear retailer and an official fitness partner of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, is supplying running shoes at cost to the program.

The free footwear and running gear aren't the only reasons the kids are participating in the program. Students were asked to rank the motives behind their participation and while the typical reasons were present - "all my friends are running," "my parents and teachers want me to do it," and "we get free stuff" - the most common answer was "I like to run."

We Run This City Youth Marathon Program is dedicated to bringing health and wellness to the community, and the young participants are experiencing first-hand how a proper diet and regular exercise can increase overall health and physical well-being. Based on pre-program research, nearly 25 percent of those participating in the 10K this year were overweight when they began running, significantly higher than the national average of 18 percent. Program directors expect that number to decline post-race.

The students running the 10K were invited to a conditioning clinic at the Lakewood YMCA this past Friday to meet with YMCA mentors. They attended fitness classes, learned nutrition education, and continued to get ready for the big day. The YMCA also donated two three-month memberships to the students running the half marathon. On Saturday before the race, the 10K and half-marathon runners will spend the night at the downtown YMCA to prepare for the early morning race. Running legend and seven-time winner of the Rite Aid Cleveland 10K, Anne Audain, will speak to the students that evening.

The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon coordinates the youth program's race-day logistics and provides at-cost race entries for the students. For details about We Run This City youth marathon program, contact Summer Paris at (216) 664-3076 or (216) 857-5760.

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

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