Running USA wire 12, February 11, 2010

Brown to defend women's title; World Championship spots also on the line in Spokane; live webcast on Flotrack.org

INDIANAPOLIS - (February 9, 2010) - U.S. record holders Dathan Ritzenhein (Portland, Ore.) and Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.) lead the fields at the 2010 USA Cross Country Championships scheduled for Saturday at Plantes Ferry Recreation Park in Spokane, Wash.

Ritzenhein, a two-time Olympian, will look to take his third U.S. cross country title, while Flanagan, the Olympic bronze medalist at 10,000 meters, will be on a quest for her fourth national cross country crown.

In addition to the national titles up for grabs in Spokane, Open and Junior men and women will qualify to represent Team USA at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships March 28 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

The national championships will consist of six cross country championship races for men's and women's categories with national titles on the line for Junior, Masters and Open divisions. The nation's premier cross country event, the USA Championships will feature $40,000 in prize money.

The weather forecast for Saturday in Spokane is near ideal for cross country: occasional showers and lows in the upper 30s and highs in the upper 40s.

In the women's 8K race, Flanagan, 28, will face defending champion Emily Brown (Minneapolis, Minn.), two-time USA Women's 10K Champion Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) and six-time USA Cross Country team member Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.). The women's race will also see the return of 2006 USA 8K Cross Country champion Blake Russell (Monterey, Calif.), who is returning to competition for the first time since the birth of her first child last year.

Also racing to make the 2010 Team USA Cross Country squad will be 2008 Olympic Marathon team member Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), Renee Metivier-Baillie (Boulder, Colo.), Kathy Newberry (Williamsburg, Va.) and Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.).

While Ritzenhein, 27, seems to be the clear-cut favorite for the men's 12K title, a large contingent of rising stars as well as familiar faces will be in contention to make the Team USA cross country squad.

In the hunt to punch their ticket to Poland will be Scott Bauhs (Chico, Calif.), a three-time NCAA Division II cross country champion; Patrick Smyth (Minneapolis, Minn.), the runner-up at this year's USA Half Marathon Championships; Billy Nelson (Springfield, Ore.), the runner-up in the 2008 Olympic Trials steeplechase; veterans Max King (Bend, Ore.) and Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis, Minn.) will both be seeking to make their fourth Team USA cross country squad.

JUNIOR WOMEN
High school senior Emily Sisson (Chesterfield, Mo.), enters the USA Cross Country Championships as a slight favorite to capture the national crown, based on her third place finish in the 2009 Foot Locker national cross country championship, and a recent clocking of 9:25.70 in the 3000 indoors, beating several collegians.

Others to watch include four freshmen who placed in the top 100 in last fall's NCAA Division I cross country championships - Juliet Bottorff (Newark, Del.) from Duke (59th); Shelby Greany (Suffern, N.Y.) from Providence (89th); Kayla Hale (Indialantic, Fla.) from Duke (90th) and Emily Jones (Harvard, Mass.) from Georgetown (99th). 2009 California state champion and Foot Locker finalist Molly Grabill (Poway, Calif.), University of Washington freshman and 2008 Foot Locker finalist Lindsay Flanagan (Seattle, Wash.) and Kyle Blakeslee (Cannon Falls, Minn.) of NCAA Division II school Augustana College also merit consideration as top contenders.

JUNIOR MEN
On the men's side, Trevor Dunbar (Kodiak, Alaska) of the University of Portland, who finished 76th at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and was a high school All-American, enters the national championships as the leading contender. Dunbar's already run 8:04.96 indoors for 3000m this year in Seattle.

Others to watch include the North Carolina State duo of Bobby Andrews (Wading River, N.Y.) and Andrew Colley (Williamsburg, Va.); Georgetown's Benjamin Furcht (Haverford, Pa.) and Bobby Peavey (Virginia Beach, Va.); Ohio State's Julian Meyer (Peninsula, Ohio); Shane Moskowitz (Bremerton, Wash.), the reigning Washington state cross country champion from Central Kitsap HS who finished ninth at the 2009 Foot Locker nationals, and the current national leader indoors in both the mile and 3000; and, Spokane native Andrew Kimpel (Spokane, Wash.) of Washington State University, the 2009 state 3A champ at 3200 meters.

THE MASTERS
National championships will also be decided for Masters men and women at 8K with titles on the line in five-year age groups beginning at age 40 and up.

The fields will feature Masters aces Tracy Lokken (Marquette, Mich.), Ray Pugsley (Potomac Falls, Va.), Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.), Laura Haefeli (Boulder, Colo.) and Kathryn Martin (Northport, N.Y.).

Live webcast on Flotrack.org
USA Track & Field will partner with Flotrack.org to provide live webcasts of the 2010 USA Cross Country Championships. Live coverage will begin with the Masters Women's 8K at 9:45am PST, followed by the Masters Men's 8K at 10:45am; the Junior Women's 6K will begin at 11:45am; the Junior Men's 8K at 12:30pm; the Open Women's 8K at 1:15pm and the final race of the day, the Open Men's 12K at 2:00pm.

For more information including entry lists and prize money, go to: www.usatf.org/events/2010/USAXCChampionships

Additional past champions return to celebrate 25th anniversary of John Hancock Financial sponsorship

BOSTON - (February 10, 2010) - John Hancock Financial has announced the return of 2009 Boston Marathon champions Deriba Merga of Ethiopia and Salina Kosgei of Kenya for the 114th running of the storied race on Monday, April 19.

John Hancock has also signed past champions Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, Dire Tune of Ethiopia and Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia.

In the 2009 men's race, Deriba Merga of Ethiopia clipped Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot's three-in-a-row streak and ran away from the lead pack in the Newton hills, unchallenged to the finish. Merga is just one of three Ethiopians to interrupt Kenyan dominance of the event over the past two decades.

Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston winner and the 2:07:14 course record holder, is back again, fresh from a runner-up spot at New York City. The formidable Kenyan shares the honor of at least four Boston wins with Gerard Cote and Bill Rodgers (4 wins each) and Clarence DeMar (7 wins).

In the 2009 women's race, Salina Kosgei was challenged every step of the way by a determined Dire Tune who sought to defend her 2008 title. In the closest Boston finish ever recorded, Kosgei edged an exhausted Tune at the tape to win by one second. The year before, Tune was on the winning end of the finish sprint as she dueled to the wire with Russian Alevtina Biktimirova, prevailing by two seconds.

Challenging Kosgei and Tune are former winners Lidiya Grigoryeva and Catherine Ndereba. A year after winning the 2007 "Nor'easter" Boston Marathon, Grigoryeva brilliantly won over a highly competitive field in Chicago. And "Catherine the Great" needs no reintroduction to Boston as she has written the history books here as the only woman to ever win four times. Ndereba is the second fastest woman marathoner of all time (2:18:47) and has earned two Olympic silver medals and two World Marathon Championship titles.

"As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our sponsorship, John Hancock Financial could not be more excited with the outstanding global field of runners we will have in Boston this year. We are thrilled to have Deriba and Salina back to defend their titles and wish them all the best. They are certain to be part of another great race as they will be challenged by Robert, Catherine, Dire and Lidiya, all past champions and among the world's best," said Jim Boyle, President of John Hancock Financial. "In the next few months, we will round out the field, announcing the participation of other elite runners, but this list today gives a sense of why the world's top runners return to Boston every spring on Patriot's Day. They want the challenge of beating the best on one of the world's great courses to win the Boston Marathon, inarguably one of the world's premier road races."

Mr. Boyle added that John Hancock is pleased to again fulfill its promise to the city of Boston and surrounding communities with its continued, steadfast support of the race.

"Not only will the Boston Marathon once again be a great event for spectators, it also continues to be a tremendous economic benefit for Boston and the region, generating a direct and indirect economic impact estimated at $110 million," he said.

"John Hancock Financial's effort to bring back our defending champions whenever possible has been a priority, leading to compelling stories and interesting match-ups," said Guy Morse, Executive Director of the Boston Athletic Association. "By its commitment over the last quarter century, John Hancock has helped maintain Boston's position among the world's most elite marathons."

For more race information, visit: BostonMarathon.org

Abdi Abdirahman, Anthony Famiglietti and Josh Rohatinsky also entered as part of strong U.S. men's line-up

NEW YORK - (February 11, 2010) - Reigning ING New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States will return to the scene of his finest triumph to compete in the first spring running of the NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 21, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. Keflezighi will be running in his first competitive race since his win in New York last November.

Joining Keflezighi (left, PhotoRun) will be a trio of outstanding compatriots including three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, two-time Olympic steeplechaser Anthony Famiglietti and former NCAA cross country champion Josh Rohatinsky. All men will join the previously announced long distance legend, marathon world record-holder, and 2007 NYC Half-Marathon champion Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia.

"Meb's victory in New York last November was one of the shining moments in the storied history of our race and sport," Wittenberg said. "Meb and the American athletes are stronger than ever. Each will be looking to take on Haile and the others in what promises to be a spectacular run through the city streets."

Keflezighi, 34, of San Diego, CA, made history in 2009, becoming the first American male to win the ING New York City Marathon since Alberto Salazar's victory in 1982. His winning time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 15 seconds was a personal best. The win was the pinnacle of his already illustrious career, which includes a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Marathon and a second-place finish at the ING New York City Marathon 2004. A three-time national 10,000-meter champion (2000, 2002, 2004), Keflezighi holds the U.S. record at that distance (27:13.98) and has won 20 USA titles during his career.

"Coming back to race in New York after the victory in the ING New York City Marathon will be very special for me and my supporters," said Keflezighi, who will also be one of the leading contenders at the Boston Marathon in April. "I was a part of the inaugural NYC Half-Marathon in 2006 and I am delighted to be competing in the new spring edition."

The 2007 NYC Half-Marathon runner-up, Abdirahman, 33, of Tucson, AZ, will return to New York after finishing ninth in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon in November. A four-time USA champion at 10,000 meters, Abdirahman will be making his fourth appearance in the NYC Half-Marathon after finishing third in his half-marathon debut in 2006, second in 2007 to Gebrselassie, and fourth in 2009.

New York native Famiglietti, 31, of Knoxville, TN, will be making his half-marathon debut in New York. A two-time Olympic steeplechaser and 2009 USA 15K Championship winner, Famiglietti returns to New York after his 12th-place finish in the Healthy Kidney 10K in 2009.

Rohatinsky, 27, of Portland, OR, will be making his NYC Half-Marathon debut. The 2006 NCAA cross country champion, Rohatinsky was ninth at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and finished seventh overall in the ING New York City Marathon 2008 in a personal best time of 2:14:23.

Previously announced, the NYC Half-Marathon will offer the largest half-marathon prize purse in the United States: $100,000. The men's and women's champions will each earn $20,000, the largest first-prize checks for a non-marathon race in the country.

The NYC Half-Marathon continues to attract leading professional athletes and recreational runners from around the world. In 2009, more than 19,000 people applied to run the race, and more than 10,000 finished.

On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC Half-Marathon will take runners on a loop through Central Park, down Seventh Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and along the expansive West Side Highway to Battery Park in the heart of the city's financial district, finishing with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

For more information, visit: www.NYRR.org

For the first time, runners finish at historic stadium's 50-yard line

PASADENA, Calif. - (February 7, 2010) - Before the Super Bowl on Sunday, 1,300 runners made their way to Los Angeles's own historic football arena to participate in the Rose Bowl Half Marathon, 10K and 5K.

With the trails around the arena nice and muddy from Saturday's rain, half-marathoners traversed a 13.1-mile course (9 miles of which were on the dirt trails) on their way to the finish at the stadium's 50-yard line.

This year's winner was Jacques Sallberg of Pasadena with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes, 43 seconds, while finishing first on the women's side was Mandy Grantz, also of Pasadena, in 1:29:43. Kara Henry won the women's 5K in a swift 16:52.

For the third edition, the weather was perfect for race morning; clear skies and a light breeze, as only Southern California can provide in February.

Jack Caress, president of Pacific Sports, event managers of the race, said "I'm so glad we were able to provide runners with the opportunity to finish inside the stadium for the first time in this race's three years. The weather cooperated and the trails were a great challenge; a fantastic day to have a race."

The Rose Bowl Half Marathon also included a 10K, 5K and Kid's Run, which utilized the streets around neighboring Brookside Golf Course.

Waiting for runners after the finish line was a post-race festival, including a Michelob Ultra Beer Garden, a wine tasting from Barefoot Wines and music from AMP Radio, 97.1.

3rd Rose Bowl Half Marathon
Pasadena, CA, Sunday, February 7, 2010

MEN
1) Jacques Sallberg (CA), 1:14:43
2) Mike Davies (CA), 1:15:35
3) Antony Aguila (CA), 1:24:48

WOMEN
1) Mandy Grantz (CA), 1:29:43
2) Ashley Matsen, 15, CA, 1:37:21
3) Tina Konezny, 41, CA, 1:39:02

For complete results, go to: www.pacificsportsllc.com