Running USA wire 43, May 27, 2010

Ethiopia also the favorite to retain International Team Challenge crowns; guaranteed ITC prize purse exceeds $110,000 for annual Memorial Day road race

At the 32^nd Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K, Tilahun Regassa and Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia will defend their titles on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2010. Last year at the Boulder, Colorado spring tradition, Ethiopia swept the individual and International Team Challenge team titles in convincing fashion by going 1-2 in both races, while the Team USA men placed a solid second ahead of Kenya.

This year, Team USA will be led by 2008 Olympians Jorge Torres (10,000m) and Magdalena Lewy Boulet (marathon). Joining Torres are Jason Hartmann and Andrew Carlson, all altitude trained, while Lewy Boulet’s teammates are Renee Metivier-Baillie and Amy Hastings – the trio were part of the bronze medal winning U.S. team at the recent World Cross Country Championships in Poland. Torres, Hartmann and Metivier-Baillie train in Boulder (altitude).

Ethiopia is the favorite for both team races (11 men's and 9 women's teams are expected). Started in 1998, the BolderBOULDER International Team Challenge is the largest international road racing team competition held annually in the United States. International teams are made up of three runners per gender. The teams compete for one of the largest guaranteed non-marathon prize purses in the world - $110,600 before bonuses. Monies are awarded in the team and individual categories. Teams are scored cross country style with points awarded on the basis of finishing place. The team with the lowest score for all three runners is the winner. Ties are broken by the position of the third place finishers.

Teams will start at 30th & Glenwood and follow the main BolderBOULDER course to the stadium. Women will start at 11:00am and men will start at 11:10am and finish in the University of Colorado's Folsom Field. More than 150,000 spectators watch the festivities from inside the stadium and along the race course.

On race day, the 32^nd BolderBOULDER will be broadcast locally on Denver’s ABC7 from 11:00am - Noon Mountain, while BuffVision will provide a live online stream. In addition, FSN Rocky Mountain, on Sunday, June 6 at 5:30pm, will present a one-hour highlight show of the event.

MEN’S TEAMS (11)

USA
Jason Hartmann (CO), Jorge Torres (CO), Andrew Carlson (AZ)

ETHIOPIA
Tilahun Regassa (defending champion), Tadese Tola, Lelisa Desisa

KENYA
Simon Cheprot, John Korir, Philemon Terer

JAPAN
Shigeki Tsuji, Tomohiro Shiiya, Keishi Hashimoto

MEXICO
Alejandro Suárez Velazquez, Erick Israel Pérez, Jesus Torres Barrón

UNITED KINGDOM
Kevin Skinner, Matt Janes, Nielson Hall

PERU
Jhon Cusi Huaman, Constantino Leon Lopez, Paulino Canchanya

AUSTRALIA
Lee Troop, Andrew Letherby, Greg Bennet

ECUADOR
Franklin Tenorio, Miguel Almachi, Vladimir Guerra

GUATEMALA
José Amado Garcia Gabriel, Alfredo Arévalo Reyes, José Carlos Raxon

TEAM COLORADO
James Carney, Brent Vaughn, Aaron Braun

WOMEN’S TEAMS (9)

USA
Renee Metivier-Baillie (CO), Amy Hastings (CA), Magdalena Lewy Boulet (CA)

ETHIOPIA
Mamitu Daska (defending champion), Amane Gobena, Belianesh Zemedkun

KENYA
Emily Chebet, Jelliah Tenega, Caroline Rotich

MEXICO
Karina Pérez Delgado, Marisol Romero Rosales, Dulce Ma. Rodriguez

JAPAN
Yuri Kano, Kiyoko Shimahara, Yuki Saito

UNITED KINGDOM
Rebbecca Robinson, Elizabeth Hall, Claire Hallissey

PERU
Jemena Helen Misayauri Camargo, Julia Rivera Lopez, Hortencia Arzapalo Ramos

COLUMBIA
Bertha Sanchez, Yolanda Caballero, Yolanda Fernandez

TEAM COLORADO
Alisha Williams, Laura Bennett, Kristen Fryburg-Zaitz

The Dick’s Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K, a Running USA Founding Member, is the 2nd largest timed running race in the USA and the 4th largest in the world. The 6.2 mile road race attracts more than 50,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers and draws top professional racing teams from all over the world to compete for one of the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing. Visit www.BolderBOULDER.com for more information.

Group runs, training events and special appearances across the country highlight second National Running Day on Wednesday, June 2

NEW YORK – (May 26, 2010) — World record holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, the most decorated long distance runner of all-time, will be the special guest at the New York Road Runners Mighty Milers Fun Run at Icahn Stadium, part of running activities and events taking place across the country on Wednesday, June 2, to celebrate the second National Running Day. Gebrselassie will be on hand as more than 1,500 New York City schoolchildren take part in various events, including tug-of-war, relay races and a one-mile run for older kids. The day’s activities at the Randall’s Island venue will begin at 10:00am and are scheduled to end by 12:30pm.

“There is no better person to inspire the kids and runners across the nation on National Running Day than Haile,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “We are excited to have arguably the greatest ambassador of running with us today.”

Gebrselassie (left, PhotoRun) is just one many professional stars who will be taking part in a variety of running activities and events on National Running Day. Eight members of Team USA Minnesota, including Katie McGregor and Matt Gabrielson, will attend events around the Twin Cities. Civic leaders are also joining in by writing proclamations for National Running Day in Little Rock, AR and Indianapolis, IN.

Also on National Running Day, New York Road Runners will proudly unveil the online trailer for A Running Start: The Video Resource for Coaching Youth Runners. This free online coaching resource, available at www.nyrr.org/arunningstart, is composed of more than 80 videos that help coaches teach kids the fundamentals of running.

The NYRR Young Professionals will host a fun-run and happy hour to benefit NYRR’s Youth Programs. Runners will meet inside Central Park near 81st Street and Central Park West. After a run, they’ll head to Gin Mill for food, drinks and raffles.

NYRR will also be supplying refreshments to those out running on National Running Day from 4:00 to 7:00pm in both Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. A water station will be set up inside Central Park at Engineer’s Gate, near East 90th Street and Fifth Avenue. In Prospect Park, runners will be able to hydrate at Grand Army Plaza.

Runners can post their events and search for others at www.runningday.org (click on Participate to create an event and view listings). If there isn’t an event scheduled in a specific area, all runners are invited to create their own. No event is too big or too small to be part of National Running Day. Set up a National Running Day Meetup group at: www.meetup.com/National-Running-Day

San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon charity partnership with Give Your Sole provides shoes to the needy

SAN DIEGO - (May 26, 2010) – As more than 30,000 runners take on the challenge of the 2010 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Sunday, June 6, they will get more than a feeling of accomplishment. They will also get the chance to give back and help those in need.

In partnership with Give Your Sole, a non-profit organization, runners will be able to donate their used running shoes throughout race weekend. Runners can literally take the shoes that carried them through the race right off their feet and receive a free pair of flip flops to wear home.

It is estimated that only 1 out of 100 shoes gets recycled. The rest usually end up in a landfill, making Give Your Sole an environmentally impactful effort as well.

“The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series has always had a focus on giving back, with many of our runners already participating for a charitable cause,” said Kari Logan, Event Director. “This is a partnership that really connects the accomplishment of running a marathon or half-marathon with a great need in our local community for such a basic necessity.”

Donations can be made at the Health & Fitness Expo on Friday June 4 and Saturday June 5 at the San Diego Convention Center and at the finish line on race day. All of the shoes donated to Give Your Sole will be distributed locally through the San Diego Rescue Mission.

Brett Byrd, founder of Give Your Sole, has seen first-hand the difference a simple pair of shoes can make to one of the 3.5 million people who will experience homelessness in the U.S. this year.

“The impact of giving a person a pair of shoes is immediate,” he says. “It gives them a sense of mobility that allows them to get to where they need to be; whether it is looking for work or going to the grocery store to feed their family. Having a pair of shoes to someone on the street means that the miles they walk each day will be less of a burden. Having a pair of shoes for their kids now takes away one less stress of not having the money to buy a pair for their little ones.”

Give Your Sole staff will be looking for shoes in reasonable condition – those without holes in the toes and soles that are not soiled, dirty or wet. However, if shoes are deemed too damaged to be reused, they will still be sent to a recycling plant to make playground surfaces and tracks.

A Competitor Group Inc. event, the 13th Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathon & ½ Marathon to Benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will run through sunny San Diego on Sunday, June 6. The race has drawn a sold-out field, with live bands and cheerleaders interspersed along each mile of the scenic course. A two-day Health and Fitness Expo at the San Diego Convention Center will kick off race weekend, featuring more than one hundred fitness retailers, exhibits and interactive clinics. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will headline the post-race concert.

For more information, go to: http://san-diego.competitor.com or call (800) 311-1255.

The North Face’s “Run for a Cause” supports Karno Kids Foundation

The inaugural Karno Kids Race was flat out a smashing success. Held on Saturday, May 8, 2010 during The North Face Endurance Challenge in Bear Mountain, New York, the kids ran, the kids laughed and they even had their faces painted. Who knew that a foot race could be so much fun?

One of the benefiting charities of The North Face’s new “Run for a Cause” program is the Karno Kids Foundation. As the official charity of the “Ultramarathon Man” Dean Karnazes, Karno Kids raises money to inspire our youth to enjoy a healthier lifestyle through proper nutrition and daily activity. The North Face® recently began to support this same mission by providing kids with a FREE kid’s race entry at each of their Endurance Challenge events. While the adults are out scorching up a trail race from 5K to 50 miles, the kids would be participating in a fun 1K trail loop. All participants in the Karno Kids Race received a massive Endurance Challenge medal, a #1 bib and even the chance to “compete” against Dean Karnazes who served as the race rabbit.

The best part was that the kids were treated like running stars. The starting line resembled an Olympic final with pictures flashing, announcements over the loud speaker and the runners taking their marks. After the start, all the racers were encouraged to do their best and have a good time. Each finisher was welcomed across the line like a champion as medals adorned their necks. Kudos to The North Face for giving so many kids a very positive first running experience and for making the price right for their parents.

There will be four more The North Face Endurance Challenge events including Washington, DC; Madison, WI; Atlanta, GA and San Francisco, CA. The Karno Kids Foundation encourages everyone to bring the whole family to an Endurance Challenge event or to just get the crew outside.

For more information on The North Face Endurance Challenge events, visit: thenorthface.com/endurancechallenge

For more on Karno Kids, go to: www.karnokids.org