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Muge Edges Zewdie at the TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K
Master Masai wins women's race, runs fastest 10K by a woman 40 and older

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine - (August 2, 2008) - At the 11th TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K on Saturday morning, Edward Muge of Kenya and Maregu Zewdie of Ethiopia reprised their Bix 7 battle from last weekend and again Muge, 25, topped Zwedie, but this time the latter didn't misjudge the finish line as his rival just edged him at the tape, both timed in 27 minutes, 53 seconds. Defending race champion Duncan Kibet finished fourth (28:21).

In the women's race, Edith Masai, 41, backed up her Bix 7 win with an impressive 31:56 over Liudmila Biktasheva of Russia who was runner-up in 32:04. Masai's performance is the fastest 10K run by a woman 40 and older and if there was not an aiding tailwind on the point-to-point course, her time will be a pending U.S. All-Comers Masters record. Masai also, like at Bix, became the oldest race champion.

The TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K, a New England summer tradition, had 5,248 finishers over the ocean-hugging scenic course which begins at Crescent Beach along Route 77 in Cape Elizabeth and ends 6.2 miles later in Fort Williams Park at Portland Head, the most photographed lighthouse in the world.

11th TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K
Cape Elizabeth, ME, Saturday, August 2, 2008

MEN
1) Edward Muge (KEN), 27:53, $10,000
2) Maregu Zewdie (ETH), 27:53, $5000
3) Kiplimo Kimutai (KEN), 27:59, $3000
4) Duncan Kibet (KEN), 28:21, $2000
5) Boaz Cheboiywo (KEN), 28:24, $1000
6) Luke Kipkosgei (KEN), 29:17, $900
7) Richard Kiplagat (KEN), 29:23, $800
8) Dejene Birhanu (ETH), 29:28, $700
9) Andrew Leatherby (AUS), 29:52, $600
10) Andrea Sorgato (ITA), 30:49, $500
Top U.S.
11) Ben True (ME), 31:02

MASTERS Men (40+)
1) Dan Franek, 42, ME, 32:56, $1000
2) Mark Goettel, 41, ME, 33:08, $500
3) Jason Cakouros, 43, MA, 33:26, $250

WOMEN
1) Edith Masai, 41, KEN, 31:56*, $11,000
2) Liudmila Biktasheva (RUS), 32:04, $5000
3) Yuri Kano (JPN), 32:17, $3000
4) Marina Ivanova (RUS), 32:46, $2000
5) Jane Gakunyi (KEN), 32:59, $1000
6) Rebecca Donaghue (USA / PA), 33:00, $900
7) Millicent Gathoni (KEN), 33:05, $800
8) Shoko Mori (JPN), 33:19, $700
9) Kiyoko Shimahara (JPN), 33:32, $600
10) Adriana Pirtea (ROU), 33:35, $500
*possible pending U.S. All-Comers Masters record (previous record, 32:25, Priscilla Welch (GBR), Continental Homes, Phoenix, AZ, March 2, 1985)

MASTERS Women (40+)
1) Masai, above
2) Simonetta Piergentili, 43, ITA? / MA, 37:31, $500
3) Mimi Fallon, 43, MA, 38:12, $250

Full results at: Beach2Beacon.org

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Worthen, Gustafson Win San Francisco Marathon
By Mark Winitz

SAN FRANCISCO - (August 3, 2008) - Running in ideal, mid-50 degree temperatures, Chad Worthen of Sacramento, Calif. and Lauren Gustafson of Millbrae, Calif. registered victories at The San Francisco Marathon on Sunday. More than 19,000 runners from all 50 states and 56 countries participated in the event's signature marathon (26.2 miles), two half marathons, and 5K run / walk. Enjoying steady growth over the past few years, the popular city-wide race once again made history as the largest multi-distance marathon "festival" ever to take place in San Francisco.

Worthen, 34, won a clear-cut men's victory in 2 hours, 31 minutes and 52 seconds, while Gustafson, 25, finished the hilly SFM course in 2:52:33. Both runners are first-time victors at this 31-year-old race.

Both winners were clearly the class of their fields, running away from the competition relatively early in the race. Worthen, who owns a 2:22:03 personal best and was a 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, jettisoned off the starting line near the Ferry Building on the San Francisco Bay waterfront, and had a clear lead by the time the front runners hit the scenic out-and-back leg over the Golden Gate Bridge.

"I was surprised that there was nobody with me," Worthen said. "I was hoping to have some company, but I was all alone. After that, I just focused on staying ahead and preserving as much of a lead as I could. I really didn't know how close the runners were behind. I glanced back going around a few turns and I couldn't see anybody."

Indeed, 44-year-old Mustapha Berri of France was the only runner within shouting distance of Worthen. Berri finished second in 2:33:57. Mark Pilja, 28, of San Francisco was third in 2:38:20.

Gustafson said she was determined to run well because her mother had a heart attack several days ago, and is now recovering in a Burlingame hospital. "I dedicated my race to her," said the women's champion. "I was thinking of her every step of the way. I felt great. And the weather was absolutely perfect."

In fact, Gustafson was so inspired that she set a three-minute personal record while running away with the women's crown in her fifth marathon. Jenny Graef (Norman, Okla.) was runner-up female in 3:06:56. Ashley Hansen (Sonoma, Calif.) placed third in 3:09:16.

Tracey McKergow, 41, of Austin, Texas was the female masters winner in 3:19:54.

Leif Kohler, 23 (Redmond, Wash.) won the accompanying "elite" half-marathon, which covers the second half of the full marathon course, in 1:10:02.

"It was a good race for me. I got a lot of help from (second placer Robert Coslick of Broomfield, Colo.) who was with me for about seven miles," Kohler said. "It's a great course, a great experience."

Coslick finished a close 8 seconds behind Kohler.

Ana Morales, 26 (San Mateo, Calif.) recorded an excellent, solo 1:14:38 elite half-marathon women's victory, which was, perhaps, the most impressive winning performance of the day.

"I was planning on going out and (initially) running 8-minutes miles, but then I got with a good group of guys and picked up the pace," commented Morales, who was a prep standout at nearby Burlingame High School and also competed for the University of Notre Dame. "I felt good and had fun with it, definitely a personal record performance for me."

In related action, on Friday, August 1, four U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan finished a "remote" San Francisco Marathon race at Forward Operating Base Fiaz on the Pakistan border. John Rousseau (U.S. Navy) of Grayslake, Ill. led the foursome in a time of 3:58:01. The other finishers were U.S. Army personnel Robert Cortez (Miami, Fla., 4:14:45), Alex Tabayoyon (West Richland, Wash., 4:24:02) and Loren Weeks (Sunnyvale, Calif., 5:13:10).

"I'm extremely proud of these men for their mental discipline in running under very difficult conditions in a war zone," said Lieutenant Colonel Weeks, who organized the Afghanistan cousin race of The San Francisco Marathon.

31st San Francisco Marathon
San Francisco, CA, Sunday, August 3, 2008

MEN
1) Chad Worthen (USA / CA), 2:31:52
2) Mustapha Berri, 44, FRA, 2:33:57
3) Mark Pilja (USA / CA), 2:38:20

WOMEN
1) Lauren Gustafson (USA / CA), 2:52:33
2) Jenny Graef (USA / OK), 3:06:56
3) Ashley Hansen (USA / CA), 3:09:16

Complete race results at: www.runsfm.com

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Olympian Field Lining Up for 36th CIGNA Falmouth Road Race
Keflezighi, Khannouchi headline U.S. contingent; prize purse exceeds $90,000

FALMOUTH, Mass. - (July 31, 2008)- The 36th running of the CIGNA Falmouth Road Race is set for Sunday, August 10, with Americans Meb Keflezighi and Khalid Khannouchi highlighting a field of 10,000. With several international stars competing in the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the spotlight at Falmouth will be on old favorites and a new cast of challengers.

The 2007 race champions - Micah Kogo and Catherine Ndereba - will not be running. Both are representing Kenya in Beijing; Kogo in the 10,000 meters and Ndereba in the marathon.

Nonetheless, a professional field will be at the starting line on Water Street in Woods Hole for the annual rite of summer on Cape Cod, a scenic seven mile race to the beach at Falmouth Heights.

Keflezighi, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., ran a strong race last year, shadowing Kogo for six-and-a-half miles before placing second. It was the best finish by an American in the men's race since Ed Eyestone was second in 1990.

A 1998 graduate of UCLA, Keflezighi moved with his family from Eritrea to San Diego as a young boy. The Team Running USA athlete won the silver medal for the United States in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the first American man to medal in the event since Frank Shorter took the silver in 1976.

Keflezighi, 33, the U.S. record holder for 10,000 meters at 27:13.98, has had a frustrating year. The 16-time national champion was a disappointed eighth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials last fall in New York City and came out of that race injured. He was slow to recover and struggled to a 13th place finish in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. His entry into Falmouth, where he ran so well last year, suggests that he is back in form; victory here would help take the sting out of missing the Beijing Olympics.

"I had a great time in Falmouth last summer. Everyone treated me so well and so I'm excited to come back," said Keflezighi, a two-time Olympian. "Things didn't work out the way I wanted as far as the Olympics, but I'm feeling good now and looking forward to racing."

The Moroccan-born Khannouchi won Falmouth in 1997 and '98. He became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and, along with Keflezighi, could become the first American since Mark Curp in 1988 to win the men's race. The U.S. record holder in the marathon at 2:05:38, Khannouchi just missed making the 2008 U.S. Olympic team when he finished fourth at the marathon trials.

If not Khannouchi or Keflezighi, another U.S. entrant looking to break through at Falmouth is Adam Goucher, a two-time national champion at 5000 meters. He was hoping to join his wife, Kara, who will run the 5000 and 10,000 meters in Beijing. But Adam did not make the team and now turns his attention to the roads of Falmouth. Goucher wants to follow in the footsteps of his coach, Alberto Salazar, who won twice and set two course records in the 1980s.

Nicholas Kamakya of Kenya is returning after finishing a solid fourth last year. Earlier this summer he was second at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile. Also entered is Luke Kipkosgei of Kenya. He was fifth at Falmouth in 2004 and ninth in '05. He was a close second in the recent Steamboat Classic 4 Mile in Peoria, Ill.

Two newcomers to Falmouth who could contend are Edward Muge of Kenya and Girma Tola of Ethiopia. Muge made his debut by winning his first road race last weekend at the Bix 7-miler in Davenport, Iowa. Tola, a 2000 Olympian at 10,000 meters, was third at the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, N.Y., and fifth last week at the New York City Half-Marathon.

Along with Keflezighi, Khannouchi and Goucher, other U.S. men to watch include James Carney, seventh overall last year and the second U.S. finisher. He was sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials at 10,000 meters and 14th in the marathon trials; Ed Moran, fourth in the 10,000 meters trials; Meb's teammate Dan Browne, a 2004 Olympian who was sixth at marathon trials and 14th at the 10,000 and Peter Gilmore, second U.S. finisher at Falmouth in 2006.

The women's field features U.S. Olympians Kate O'Neill, Elva Dryer and Amy Rudolph, and two-time champion and four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck.

O'Neill, who first ran Falmouth as a school girl from Milton, was a strong third last year. The Team Running USA athlete was second in 2004, the same year she represented the U.S. in the 10,000 meters at the Athens Olympics.

Dryer was on the 2000 and 2004 Olympic teams in the 5000 and 10,000 meters respectively. She was third at Falmouth in 2004 and eighth in 2006. She competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, but finished 15th in the 10,000.

Rudolph, a Providence College graduate, was a 5000m Olympian in 1996 and 2000. The former U.S. and NCAA champion in track and cross country was fifth at Falmouth in 2006.

De Reuck, 44, a Falmouth favorite, has won the Open division twice and finished second four times. The mother of two has also won the Falmouth masters division twice. De Reuck became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and has represented both her native South Africa and the U.S. in Olympic Games. Last week, she finished fifth in the Open division at the New York City Half-Marathon.

Two others who should be in the thick of things in the women's race are Kenyans Millicent Gathoni, who won this year's Green Bay Bellin 10K and the Bolder Boulder 10K, and Edith Masai, 41, a 2004 Olympian who won this year's Bix 7. Masai debuted on the roads at Bix and is one of the hottest runners in the U.S. She won the Kenyan 10,000 meter championship last month and is certainly not running like a 41-year-old.

The women's field also includes Olga Romanova of Russia, who was fourth at Falmouth in 2005. She had the 2003 race practically won until she collapsed 200 yards from the finish line. Angelina Mutuku of Kenya, seventh last year, is also back. She was fourth in the Boilermaker 15K this year. Melissa Cook of Denton, Texas, ninth in '07 and 10th at the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters, is also a contender.

In the senior races, 1984 Olympic gold medalist and six-time Falmouth winner Joan Benoit Samuelson will race in the 50-and-over division, which she won last year, while three-time champion and 1976 Olympian Bill Rodgers will run for the first time in the over-60 category.

The wheelchair division will feature two-time defending champion Patrick Doak of Concord, Mass., and four-time winner Tony Nogueira of Glen Ridge, N.J.

The professional field will be competing for prize money totaling $90,300, with $10,000 to the Open division winners and $5000 each to the top U.S. man and woman.

This will be CIGNA's third year as the race sponsor. The Philadelphia-based employee benefits company upgraded its commitment last year to become the title sponsor. Karen Rohan, president of CIGNA Group Insurance and CIGNA Specialty Products, will be running her 11th Falmouth.

"It's a wonderful event and we're proud to be part of it," said Rohan. "It's amazing what the race directors (Kathy and Rich Sherman and Lucia and John Carroll), and all the volunteers do to make it such a wonderful day for everyone."

For more race information, visit: FalmouthRoadRace.com

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Runner's World Features the Season's Best Running Shoes in Annual Fall Shoe Guide Special
4 award winning shoes among 21 distinguished pairs; full feature in Runner's World's September issue

NEW YORK - (July 30, 2008) - Runner's World magazine, the worldwide authority on running information, highlights and reviews 21 of the best new running shoes on the market in its annual Fall Shoe Guide special, on sale Tuesday, August 5, 2008.

Four of the 21 shoes featured - all of which were put through rigorous testing by Runner's World editors, 350 wear-testers and its one-of-a-kind Runner's World Shoe Lab - were cited the best in class in the following categories: Editor's Choice, Best Update, Best Buy and Best Debut. Criteria guidelines for each category, and winners in those categories for the 2008 Fall Shoe Guide are as follows:

* Editor's Choice: ASICS Gel-Evolution 4 represents an outstanding shoe that successfully combines the highest-quality design and technology. The ASICS Gel-Evolution 4 received the highest marks from the RW Shoe Lab, the wear-testers and the editors. Noted for its ability to provide ample support and lock the heel in place, the ASICS Gel-Evolution 4 is an ideal choice for overpronators.

* Best Update: adidas Response Cushion 17 recognizes a significant improvement made to an existing model. In this outstanding update, adidas has improved the fit of this update as well as added two midsole heel plates to isolate impact forces. Recommended for runners with high arches looking for a soft training shoe at a good value.

* Best Buy: Saucony ProGrid Jazz 12 acknowledges a shoe that offers the best fit and function for its price. Testers say they enjoy the fit and cushioning of the Saucony ProGrid Jazz 12. Recommended for lightweight runners who have high arches and are looking for a lightweight trainer at a very reasonable price.

* Best Debut: Reebok Premier Verona KFS points to a new release that received high marks from the RW Shoe Lab, from wear testers and from Runner's World editors. While as-yet unproven over the long haul, both the Men's and Women's Reebok Premier Verona KFS represent a promising new addition to its category.

Every shoe reviewed by Runner's World is first bench-tested at the Runner's World Shoe Lab, under the supervision of Michigan State University's Department of Sports Medicine. All shoes are flexed, pounded and prodded to see how well they perform. Shoes are then matched to one of 350 wear-testers in one of our three wear-test centers across the country based on their individual biomechanical needs and the shoe's performance characteristics.

Testers, who must log a minimum of 25 miles per week, run in the shoes for about a month before submitting their evaluations, noting their total mileage run in each shoe and rating it for qualities including weight, traction, cushioning, support, lacing system and upper material comfort, among other categories.

Runner's World is the only magazine in the world to independently test running shoes in this way, in order to give its editors the most objective means necessary to determine which shoes are most deserving of award status. Because Runner's World only tests and reviews the best products available, shoes that have been tested may use the "Tested by the Runner's World Shoe Lab" label.

The 2008 Fall Shoe Guide also offers a comprehensive SHOE-PEDIA, helping readers to decipher the inner-workings of today's best running shoes. To read the entire 2008 Fall Shoe Guide special and to find your perfect fit, check out the September 2008 issue of Runner's World, or visit RunnersWorld.com where you can read in depth reviews and view videos of the award-winning shoes.

Contact: Josephine Parr, (212) 808-1358; josephine.parr@rodale.com

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