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Quigley, Aliyu Welcome the New Year with Wins at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run
From NYRR

NEW YORK - (December 31, 2008) - Freezing winter weather failed to deter more than 5,000 runners from getting a healthy start to the new year at the 30th Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park. In addition to a four mile run, the event featured a dance party, costume contest, parade and spectacular fireworks.

Though most participants enjoyed the run at a leisurely pace, competition was fierce at the front, with Sean Quigley of Philadelphia hitting the finish line first in 18:45, followed by Brian Olinger eight seconds back (18:53), while in the women's race, local Westchester Track Club member Aziza Aliyu of Ethiopia edged Team USA Minnesota's Emily Brown with a sprint one second victory, 21:21 to 21:22.

30th Emerald Nuts Midnight Run
New York, NY, Wednesday, December 31, 2008

MEN
1) Sean Quigley (USA / PA), 18:45, $600
2) Brian Olinger (USA / OH), 18:53, $400
3) Abiyot Endale (ETH), 18:59, $300
4) David Nightingale (USA / NC), 19:03
5) Mark Kirwan (IRL), 19:19

WOMEN
1) Aziza Aliyu (ETH), 21:21, $600
2) Emily Brown (USA / MN), 21:22, $400
3) Buzunesh Deba (ETH), 22:05, $300
4) Leslie Higgins (USA / NY), 22:15
5) Samia Akbar (USA / VA), 22:37

More race results and photos at: NYRR.org

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Froehlich to Join Bix "Bronze" Legends
Life-size statue of race director added to growing field at Bix Plaza

DAVENPORT, Iowa - Ed Froehlich does not miss much as the long-time race director of the Quad-City Times Bix 7. However, his race committee revealed a huge holiday surprise when it was announced that Froehlich's likeness will join the rest of the "Bronze" legends at the Bix Plaza in front of the Quad-City Times building at East 4th Street and River Drive in Downtown Davenport.

Froehlich's statue will be unveiled as part of the buildup to the 35th Bix 7 mile road race to be held on Saturday, July 25, 2009. The date is significant as it coincides with his 30th year as race director.

The plan was put in motion while Froehlich and his wife Sandy were out of town for a vacation. It was made official at a holiday gathering of the committee on Dec. 3rd.

The bronze will display Froehlich in his familiar race-day finish line pose - right hand in the air, wearing a billed cap and clutching a piece of Bix 7 finish line tape. It joins previous honorees - Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, late jazz musician and Davenport native Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke and longtime Quad-City Times columnist Bill Wundram.

After assuming leadership of a race whose participants numbered in the hundreds, Froehlich and his now 100-plus member race committee have grown the Bix 7 weekend to upwards of 20,000 participants of all ages as the Bix 7 has become a Midwest summer tradition.

The event's committee is well-regarded and the field regularly features some of the preeminent names of international road racing including past champions Rodgers, Samuelson, Meb Keflezighi, Colleen De Reuck, John Korir and Catherine Ndereba.

Among Froehlich's past honors are the Fred Lebow Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Distance Running Hall of Fame, Running USA Hall of Champions - Class of 2005, Road Race Management's National Race Director of the Year, past president of the Professional Road Runners Organization (PRRO) and a vice president of Running USA.

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Marine Corps Marathon Announces 2009 Event Series Schedule
Registration for all races opens Wednesday, January 7 online at www.marinemarathon.com

QUANTICO, Va. - The Marine Corps Marathon Event Series returns in 2009 with old favorites and exciting new races. The MCM Event Series, held aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, welcomes the military community and is open to the general public. The 2009 series features: MCM Run to Register 10K, Run Amuck 4 Miler, RunStock 5K, Crossroads 12K and the Turkey Trot 5K. Online registration for each of the events begins at noon eastern on Wednesday, January 7 on the MCM website, www.marinemarathon.com. The $30 per event registration fee includes event shirt, race materials, hospitality, chip timing using the ChronoTrack Timing System and unique entertainment. Family-friendly registration including a kid's version of the Run Amuck is also available.

Run to Register 10K - Saturday, March 28
Secure a slot in the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon by completing the MCM Run to Register (R2R) 10K. Held on March 28, all eligible R2R finishers will have the opportunity to register for the 34th MCM, days before online registration commences. R2R is open to runners ages 10 and older.

Run Amuck 4-Miler and Kids Run Amuck - Saturday, June 20
Get ready to get dirty at Run Amuck! Participants will want to pack a towel and a change of clothes for the June 20 event. The four-mile course offers a variety of obstacles including hills, a tire dash, mud pit and plenty of opportunity for runners to get dirty. Younger runners can get dirty too at Kids Run Amuck. Run Amuck is open to runners ages 10 and older. Kids Run Amuck is open to runners ages 5-9 and registration is $5.

RunStock 5K - Saturday, August 15
Runners will love the musically magical experience of RunStock, a 5K race with on-course entertainment, featuring pre and post-race concerts. The race will be held on August 15. RunStock is open to runners ages 10 and older, however younger runners (ages nine and under) may register for just $5 as a noncompetitive runner and receive the same great services, including an official event shirt, but will not be chip timed.

Crossroads 12K and Turkey Trot 5K - Saturday, November 21
Kick off the holiday season on November 21 by running either the Crossroads 12K (7.46 miles) or the Turkey Trot 5K (3.1 miles). Both race courses begin and end in the same location. The Crossroads 12K is open to participants ages 10 and older. The Turkey Trot 5K is open to participants ages 10 and older. Younger participants (ages nine and under) may register for the Turkey Trot 5K for just $5 as a noncompetitive runner and receive the same great services, including an official event shirt, but will not be chip timed.

The new MCM Event Series invites runners and fitness enthusiasts to participate in a range of race experiences. The Event Series is sponsored by Brooks, GEICO, Marine Federal Credit Union and MetroSports DC.

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PRRO Circuit Eases Bonus Purse Eligibility Rules
Athletes will become eligible to compete for $35,000 bonus after one victory at a qualifying circuit race

The Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) Circuit has adopted new eligibility rules for runners planning to compete for the 2008-09 PRRO Circuit Bonus Purse ($35,000). Under the new rules, an athlete who wins any one of the qualifying PRRO Circuit races will automatically become eligible to compete for the bonus at the 2009 PRRO Race of Champions hosted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on July 4.

Previously, an athlete had to win two PRRO Circuit events to become eligible to compete for the bonus. The 2008-09 qualifying circuit races include the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY (held on July 13, 2008) and in 2009, the World's Best 10K in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 1, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in Washington, DC on April 5 and the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA on May 3.

Once an athlete is eligible, he or she needs to win the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race to take home the Bonus Purse. If an eligible male and female runner both win at Peachtree, the two will share the Bonus Purse. Two athletes - Terefe Maregu and Ashu Rabo Kasim, both of Ethiopia - are already eligible based on winning their respective divisions at the Boilermaker 15K on July 13. The Boilermaker was the inaugural race of the 2008-09 PRRO Circuit, and the new rule applies retroactively to the 2008 Boilermaker champions. If the bonus is claimed next July in Atlanta, the Bonus Purse will be $15,000 for 2009-10.

"This rule change makes it dramatically more likely that someone will win the Bonus Purse," said PRRO President Don Kardong, who is also Race Director of the Lilac Bloomsday Run. "With this change, we could have as many as eight runners - four male and four female - battling it out for the Bonus Purse next July in Atlanta."

The new policy was adopted at a recent PRRO Circuit meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The PRRO Circuit offers world-class competition for athletes of all nations in events at less than the marathon distance. Along with offering the Bonus Purse, PRRO Circuit events have also agreed to implement drug testing at all Circuit events, and the races also share a policy of not providing travel or lodging assistance to athletes who have begun competing again after serving a drug suspension.

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