Running USA wire 34, April 29, 2009

Reid, Somers Smith Pacific / USATF 5K champions

CARMEL, Calif. - (April 26, 2009) - A first time participant and a former race champion dominated the field Sunday at the 24th presentation of the Big Sur International Marathon. The challenging, hilly course was made even more difficult by 20-30 mph headwinds confronting runners throughout the morning. Nearly 10,000 participants completed the weekend's events that included the marathon, marathon relay, 21, 10.6 and 9 milers and a Pacific / USATF 5K Championship.

Ryan Hafer and Mary Coordt met the challenge of wind, hills, a cold temperature and the competition for uncontested wins. Hafer, a 22-year-old resident of Colorado Springs, CO, making his Big Sur debut, took the lead at the start and was never challenged. At 2 hours, 32 minutes, 17 seconds, he finished more than seven minutes ahead of Eric Bowles, 23, of Los Angeles (2:39:34). Edward Crowley, 27 of Flagstaff, AZ finished third in 2:40:14.

Completing a remarkable double marathon week, local standout Jesus Campos of King City finished fourth in 2:45:00. Only six days after a very strong showing in the 113th Boston Marathon, Campos scored his fifth consecutive top five at Big Sur. Rounding out this group was Alan Rozendaal, 38, of Portland, OR who ran 2:45:17. Scott Sneddon, a 46-year-old from Billings, MT, took the Masters crown with a time of 2:53:53, also good for 10th overall.

The women's race was also dominated by one runner from start to finish. Mary Coordt, 39, of Elk Grove, CA, took the lead at the start and cruised to an easy victory in 2:56:06. Coordt is now a two-time Big Sur champion having won the 21st presentation in 2006. Julia Mallon, a 30-year-old from Miami, FL, finished a strong second in 3:04:18. Mallon, originally from Santa Rosa and a standout runner at Stanford University, loved her first Big Sur experience, calling it her "new favorite marathon." Mallon's time is even more impressive in light of giving birth in January and only recently resuming serious training. Nancy Buselmeier, 25, of Buffalo, MN, finished third in 3:07:00.

Rounding out the top five females were Laura Turner, 36, of Santa Barbara, CA, placing fourth in 3:08:50 and Mary Jones, 38, of Ventura, CA, taking fifth (3:09:35). Susan Nuzum, a 42-year-old from Boulder, CO won the Masters championship in 3:17:14.

Two comments were prevalent among the runners, from the champions to the six hour finishers. First, was that the course is the most beautiful in the country and second, that "it was windy".

While marathoners made their way up Highway One, another 800 runners participated in the Big Sur 5K, with Phillip Reid, 23, of San Luis Obispo winning the Pacific Association / USATF division with a time of 15:15. He was followed by Duncan Weru, 25, of Santa Clara, CA (15:27) and Mike Styczynski, 26, of Folsom, CA (15:28).

The women's Open division saw veteran and 1996 Olympian Linda Somers Smith, 47, of Arroyo Grande, CA, winning in 17:45, followed by Magdalena Visser, 40, of San Francisco (18:04) and Nicole Campbell, 26, of Sunnyvale, CA (18:06).

Team Fluid Santa Cruz dominated the Marathon Relay with the frontrunner leading the full marathon pack through the first checkpoint station. Team Fluid finished at 2:34:40, crossing the finish line just two minutes behind marathon winner Ryan Hafer.

Race director Wally Kastner stated, "For a race of this magnitude and complexity, we executed a nearly perfect race today."

24th Big Sur International Marathon
Carmel, CA, Sunday, April 26, 2009

MEN
1) Ryan Hafer (CO), 2:32:17
2) Eric Bowles (CA), 2:39:34
3) Edward Crowley (AZ), 2:40:14

WOMEN
1) Mary Coordt (CA), 2:56:06
2) Julia Mallon (FL), 3:04:18
3) Nancy Buselmeier (MN), 3:07:00

Full race results can be found at: www.BSIM.org

DeReuck, Moody, Wiszowaty, Meyerhoff, Benoit Samuelson, Troncoso and defending Masters champion Wiltse among top entrants

ALBANY, N.Y. - (April 29, 2009) - With a strong showing by American athletes at the Boston Marathon last week, it appears U.S. runners are poised to reassert themselves in a sport they haven't dominated since the 70s and 80s. The 31st Freihofer's Run for Women 5K road race, set for Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 10:15am in Albany, will be another showcase of top national talent, including those who could very well be the future of American women's running. The only person standing in their way, of course, is three-time defending champion Benita Johnson of Australia.

"I'm very pleased with the way the elite field is coming together this year," said Run for Women Elite Athlete Recruiter John Tope. "The race will have a good mixture of established runners and up-and-comers. It's always exciting to have the defending champion return and then see who will line up to challenge her."

In the Open field, Tera Moody of Boulder, Colo. has posted excellent results over the last year. She placed 5th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials (2:33:54) last year and 2nd at the 2009 Shamrock Shuffle 8K.

Local phenomenon, Toni Wiszowaty, of Plattsburgh, N.Y., is an up-and-comer with equally impressive results. She's a six-time NCAA Division III All-American, the 2008 NCAA Division III Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year and finished 1st at the 2008 Penn Relays 10,000. Meanwhile, Sally Meyerhoff, of Tempe, Ariz., another contender, recently finished 7th at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, where she made history by setting the U.S. record for a women's-only race in a time of 54:38.

The Masters division (40 and older) promises to be just as competitive, if not more so. Four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck, 45, is fresh off her 8th place overall finish at the Boston Marathon. In her last appearance in New York's capital city (2004), De Reuck grabbed the headlines with her 3rd place 15:48 finish - a time that shattered Ruth Wysocki's 16:06 Masters world record set here in 1997.

Challenging De Reuck will be five-time Masters race champion, Carmen Troncoso, who placed first at the Master 2008 National Cross Country Championship 6K, along with crowd favorite (and icon) Joan Benoit Samuelson, defending Masters race champ Paula Wiltse, Anzelika Averkova and Patty Murray.

"The master's field is shaping up to be the best we've ever assembled," said Event Director George Regan. "What we have in essence is the best Canadian Masters runner, Paula Wiltse, who won almost every race she entered last year, including Freihofer's, and the best U.S. Masters runner, Colleen De Reuck, who holds the course and World Masters records here at Freihofer's. The Masters competition will be spectacular."

Still more than a month away, the Freihofer's Run for Women, a Running USA Founding Member, has runners committed from more than 10 countries, all vying for a piece of the $27,000 purse, of which $10,000 is earmarked for the winner. This year's 31st edition will also include the USA 10K Open and Junior Race Walk Championships featuring some of the nation's top race walkers.

A 30-minute Freihofer's Run for Women TV special will air Saturday, May 30 at 10:30pm on Fox 23 News. With complete "unofficial" result of all 5K runners listed in the Sunday edition of the Times Union Newspaper.

To register for the Freihofer's Run for Women, or for more information about the Freihofer's Run for Women, the Freihofer's Community Walk, Freihofer's Kids' Run and CapitalCare Health & Fitness Expo, visit www.FreihofersRun.com. From the home page, check out the event's Facebook and Twitter pages.