Moran USA Men's 10K champion; more than 50,000 finish Atlanta 4th of July tradition
ATLANTA - (July 4, 2010) - The 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race professional field, on Sunday, The Fourth of July, did not disappoint as Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam and Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui took home victories at the 41st running of the 10K event with fast finish times of 27 minutes, 56 seconds and 30:51 respectively. Chepkurui, who also earned top honors at the 2009 Peachtree, was eligible for the Professional Road Racing Organization's (PRRO) Championship and also took home an additional $10,000 bonus bringing her total Peachtree earnings to $25,000.
"Going into this year's event we knew we had a great field of competitors, and the excitement at the finish was the best we've seen in years," commented Tracey Russell, Race Director for the AJC Peachtree Road Race and Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club. "We lucked out with some amazing weather this morning which helped contribute to some stellar performances among our top athletes and plenty of smiles on the faces of the event's 55,000 participants."
In the closest men's finish in recent AJC Peachtree Road Race history, Gebremariam, 25, narrowly edged out runner-up Peter Kirui, 22, of Kenya (also 27:56). Gebremariam and Kirui battled it out in the last stretch of the race after they finally pulled away from the lead pack of eight. The top 6 men ran 28 minutes or faster for 10K or 6.2 miles.
On the women's side, which was also dominated by Kenyans and Ethiopians, Chepkurui, 22, broke away early and maintained that lead throughout the race. "I didn't want to worry about anyone [else]…I just wanted to run my own race," stated Chepkurui after claiming her second straight Peachtree victory and fifth 2010 major U.S. road race title. Countrywomen Alice Timbilili (31:12) and Edna Kiplagat (31:18) finished second and third respectively.
Ed Moran of Williamsburg, Va. was the first American to cross the finish line finishing 10th overall, running a personal best of 28:19 and earning his first national title at the USA Men's 10K Championship. "I was just trying to stay within myself and go with whatever my body was going to give me," commented Moran, the runner-up in the 10,000 meters at last week's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championship. 2010 USA 15K champion Mo Trafeh was the national runner-up (28:29).
In the Masters (40 and over) races, Mbarak Hussein, 45, of Albuquerque, N.M. took the men's title with a time of 29:47, while Atlanta resident and 14th overall finisher in the women's race, Stephanie Herbst-Lucke, 44, claimed top U.S. female, top Masters female and top Georgian female honors with her 33:20.
41st AJC Peachtree Road Race: USA Men's 10K Championship
Atlanta, GA, Sunday, July 4, 2010
MEN
1) Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), 27:56, $15,000
2) Peter Kirui (KEN), 27:56, $7500
3) Lelisa Desisa (ETH), 27:58, $3000
4) Shadrack Kosgei (KEN), 27:59, $2500
5) Terefe Maregu (ETH), 27:59, $2000
6) Wilson Kipsang (KEN), 28:00, $1500
7) Wesley Korir (KEN), 28:07, $1000
8) Sammy Kitwara (KEN), 28:11, $800
9) Abreham Cherkos (ETH), 28:14, $700
10) Ed Moran (USA/VA), 28:19, $10,600
11) Stephen Tum (KEN), 28:21, $500
12) Ridouane Harroufi (MAR), 28:25, $400
13) Julius Kogo (KEN), 28:26, $300
14) Daniel Kipkoech (KEN), 28:27, $250
15) Mo Trafeh (USA/CA), 28:29, $6200
Other U.S.
19) Brent Vaughn (CO), 28:46, $4000
21) Ian Burrell (AZ), 28:51, $3000
22) James Carney (CO), 28:57, $1500
23) Andrew Carlson (AZ), 28:58, $1000
24) Bobby Mack (NC), 29:07, $900
25) Jorge Torres (CO), 29:09, $800
26) Mike Sayenko (WA), 29:09, $600
27) Josh Moen (MN), 29:10, $700
29) Fasil Bizuneh (AZ), 29:14, $500
30) James Strang (AR), 29:15, $400
31) Stephen Furst (NC), 29:20, $300
32) Aaron Braun (CO), 29:22, $200
33) Patrick Smyth (MN), 29:27, $100
MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Mbarak Hussein, 45, USA/NM, 29:47, $1500
2) Dennis Simonaitis, 48, USA/UT, 31:18, $1000
3) Eric Ashton, 42, USA/SC, 31:29, $500
4) Paul Aufdemberge, 45, USA/MI, 32:15, $300
5) Gideon Mutisya, 43, KEN, 32:31, $200
WOMEN
1) Lineth Chepkurui (KEN), 30:51, $25,000*
2) Alice Timbilili (KEN), 31:12, $7500
3) Edna Kiplagat (KEN), 31:18, $3000
4) Kim Smith (NZL), 31:23, $2500
5) Dire Tune (ETH), 31:25, $2000
6) Belainesh Gebre (ETH), 31:33, $1500
7) Shewarge Amare (ETH), 32:04, $1000
8) Mamitu Daska (ETH), 32:05, $800
9) Bezunesh Bekele (ETH), 32:05, $700
10) Buzunesh Deba (ETH), 32:10, $600
11) Genoveva Kigen (KEN), 32:28, $500
12) Tufa Tigist (ETH), 32:57, $400
13) Irene Limika (KEN), 33:18, $300
14) Stephanie Herbst-Lucke, 44, USA/GA, 33:20, $2750
15) Kate O'Neill (USA/CA), 33:25, $700
Other U.S.
19) Alissa McKaig (NC), 34:22, $300
*includes $10,000 PRRO Championship bonus
MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) Herbst-Lucke, see above
2) Anzhelika Averkova, 41, UKR, 34:06, $1000
3) Ramilya Burangulova, 48, RUS, 34:43, $500
4) Elena Orlova, 40, RUS, 35:39, $300
5) Kathleen Jobes, 40, USA/PA, 35:48, $200
Deeper results at: www.atlantatrackclub.org
Video highlights and more of the USA Men's 10K Championship are available in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at: www.USARunningCircuit.com
National champions crowned in front of 4,000 spectators at Hayward Field
EUGENE, Ore. - (July 2, 2010) - On Friday evening, Nike crowned the winners of the first Nike Track Nationals (NTN), a national championship event held to determine the best high school aged track & field clubs in the United States.
In front of 4,000 spectators at famed Hayward Field, Chandler Track Club from Chandler, Ariz. captured the girl's team honors and the Vista Murrieta Track Club from Murrieta, Calif. took home the national title for the boys. Professional athletes Reese Hoffa, Lauren Fleshman, Dwight Phillips, Trey Hardee, Chelsea Johnson, Sheena Tosta and Jessie Williams were on hand to provide race commentary and to motivate competitors.
"This event verifies that even smaller states can compete at the highest level," said Chandler Coach Eric Richardson, while Vista Murrieta Coach Coley Candaele noted, "We didn't put all of our apples in one basket since this event is about coming together as a team. We even had three PRs in the meet so it has been an incredible experience!"
With the goal of crowning a true national track and field champion, Nike Track Nationals is a four-month virtual competition culminating in the national championship event where the top 12 boys and top 12 girls programs will compete for the title the night before the Prefontaine Classic.
"Chandler and Vista Murrieta have out-run more than a thousand high school aged track and field clubs in the country to be named NTN National Champions" said Nike's Vice President of Running, Amy White. "The competitive spirit and infectious enthusiasm of these young athletes are truly an inspiration to all of us."
About NTN
From March 1 - June 13 over one thousand track & field clubs competed in the virtual competition at www.NikeTrackNationals.com by inputting times and records set at USATF meets. Coaches updated marks weekly to see how their squad ranked against state, regional, and national competition. Upon completion of the virtual competition on June 13, the top club in each of eight regions automatically qualified for the Nike Track Nationals competition in Eugene, Oregon on Friday, July 2. The next four highest scoring clubs from any region rounded out the twelve team field.
Clubs competed in ten track and field events including: 100m, 110/100m Hurdles, 400m, 800m, Mile, Long Jump, High Jump, Pole Vault, Shot Put, Discus Throw. Each team was allowed to enter their top mark for each event, with a two-event maximum per individual athlete. Those marks were then scored in decathlon fashion with performance marks awarded a point score. Although competition consists of ten events, the lowest scoring event was dropped, making the total score the sum of their best nine events. The highest score took home the crown.
For complete results and to view the webcast, go to: www.NikeTrackNationals.com
Signature youth-running program is now operating in every state
NEW YORK - (June 30, 2010) - New York Road Runners have announced two youth programs milestones at the close of the 2009-10 school year: Mighty Milers programs are running in every state and the 70,000+ participants collectively ran more than two million miles.
Developed by New York Road Runners, Mighty Milers is a structured fitness program in which children run or walk regularly and learn how to integrate healthy habits into their lives. In welcoming Turtle Mountain Community School in Belcourt, ND, Mighty Milers truly became a national youth running program now serving at least one school in each of the 50 states. To celebrate the first year that Mighty Milers programs spanned the entire country and participants logged in excess of two million miles, Mighty Milers students from P.S. 128 in New York City were joined by Director Peter Orszag of the White House Office of Management and Budget on behalf of Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative.
"In this era of childhood obesity, getting kids moving regularly is critically important," says NYRR Youth and Community Services Executive Director Cliff Sperber. "Mighty Milers served children in more than 350 U.S. schools and community centers and taught them lessons for life. Our goal is to instill the healthy habit of running, and by doing so improve fitness, combat obesity, and build self-esteem and character-vital components of a quality education."
Teachers who implement the program believe in its results. "In my school, the kids in the Mighty Milers program are the role models and leaders. The other students look up to them and the teachers say they are the best behaved. The talk in the hallways is about how many laps they've run, what prizes they've won, and how close they are to their goals. They are really proud of their accomplishments. As a teacher, I can't tell you how refreshing this is," says Rosetta Graham, a teacher at P.S. 59 in Brooklyn.
Mighty Milers continues to make exciting strides beyond its service numbers. "We support our sites with robust resources," says Mighty Milers Senior Manager Sue Morris. "We've helped schools raise thousands of dollars with the Mighty Milers Fitness Fundraiser, and in September our new, free coaching resource, A Running Start, will debut online for anyone who wants to teach kids the fundamentals of running."
School and community centers can learn more about Mighty Milers or apply online to join at: www.nyrrf.org/programs/mighty_milers/apply.asp
To see the most recent school-year highlights from New York Road Runners' youth programs, visit: www.nyrrf.org/about/highlights.asp
"Zero Waste" efforts provide key results for marathon's 25th presentation
CARMEL, Calif. - The Big Sur International Marathon has earned Gold Certification for its greening efforts in the 2010 race, its 25th presentation. Cited as "one of the most progressive events in the world," the certification was awarded by the Council for Responsible Sport, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the level of environment and social responsibility in sporting events.
A rigorous set of standards focuses on six categories: waste, climate, equipment and materials, community and outreach, health promotion and innovation. The Big Sur Marathon received 34 out of 41 credits and achieved a record 91.67 percent diversion rate on its recycling and food waste programs. Of the 5.4 tons of waste generated, 4.95 tons were diverted from the landfill.
A coordinated, cooperative effort between several agencies and organizations focused on reducing materials, sourcing compostable products and recycling. The Big Sur Marathon partnered with Athletes for a Fit Planet, Ecology Action, The Offset Project, Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD) and Waste Management.
"We couldn't have achieved the Gold Certification without the involvement of so many dedicated organizations and individuals," stated Karen Ferlito, Chair of the Big Sur Marathon's Green Team. Ferlito cites a core group of approximately 50 volunteers who worked on the greening of the event. Individuals from the California Conservation Corps provided hands-on race day support along with members of local non-profits and Big Sur Marathon board members to ensure that materials were properly sorted into trash, recyclables and compostable containers. Of all non-trash material sent to the recycling and food waste facility, an impressive 97.88 percent was composted or recycled.
"The Big Sur International Marathon's Green Team has raised the bar in zero waste efforts," stated Kristin Cushman of The Offset Project, who helped guide the waste diversion program.
William Merry, General Manager of the MRWMD noted, "The logistics posed by the course of the Big Sur Marathon make it a particularly challenging coordination issue, and costs for recycling and waste pick up are no doubt higher because of that than at some other marathon course layouts. Yet the marathon's leadership has worked over the last 10 years, one step at a time to persistently move forward with recycling, reduction of litter and reducing waste, thereby leading the way for other marathons and large venue events to reduce their waste."
"This is a remarkable accomplishment for a race of this size," added Bruce Rayner, Chief Green Officer of Athletes of a Fit Planet, the environmental services company that provided consulting and on-the-ground support to the Big Sur International Marathon.
A few of the additional initiatives that played a role in achieving Gold Certification included the reduction of paper through 100% online race registration, the creation of an online Results Book, and the innovation of "virtual" goodie bags for race participants consisting of downloadable coupons in lieu of plastic bags filled with brochures and ads. Solar panels provided energy generation at the race finish, a BYOB - Bring Your Own (Water) Bottle - program helped reduce the number of cups on the course, and shuttles were provided to transport runners to the various distance events on race day. Carbon offsets were also purchased and redirected to NativeEnergy projects in California.
In awarding the Gold Certification, Marisa McGilliard of the Council for Responsible Sport stated, "Your innovation and commitment to sustainability are profound, and will serve as a model for future races across the country."
The Big Sur Marathon organization also achieved Gold Certification for its Half Marathon in Monterey Bay, held annually in the fall on an out-and-back course along the Monterey and Pacific Grove coastlines. Visit www.bsim.org for more information.
