Running USA wire 97, November 30, 2011

Smyth, Hartmann and Lehmkuhle top men and Hastings, McGregor, Willis and Butler lead women for half-marathon; race sold out with 44,000 entrants to become World's Largest Nightime Running Event

LAS VEGAS - (November 30, 2011) - Some of the top U.S. distance runners will lead more than 44,000 registered runners down the Las Vegas strip on Sunday night, December 4th for the Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. Nearly seven and a half miles of the neon-lit Las Vegas Strip will be closed for the race, with the entire 13.1-mile half-marathon course running on Las Vegas Blvd.

"The Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon is our flagship event and it has every ingredient to be one of the biggest and best events in the world," said Matt Turnbull, Elite Athlete Coordinator for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. "With the Olympic Trials around the corner, Las Vegas provides the back drop for some great road racing, the timing is perfect for athletes to fine tune their training and also provides some a final opportunity to get the elusive time to ensure they're on the start line in Houston next January."

Leading the half-marathon field are several U.S. athletes looking to tune-up for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston. Leading the contingent will be Patrick Smyth and Jason Hartmann. A Notre Dame graduate, Smyth has a 1:02:01 personal best for the 13.1 mile distance and the Mammoth Track Club member returns to Las Vegas after finishing second in the half-marathon last year. Hartmann has the fifth-fastest qualifying time heading into the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, running 2:11:06 in Chicago last year. A six time all-American at University of Oregon, he recently finished the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1:03:38 as third American.

Other top American's include 2008 USA Half Marathon and 20K champion James Carney; Stephan Shay, whose half-marathon best is 1:02:26; Jason Lehmkuhle, a multiple-time national team member and two-time top ten finisher at the ING New York City Marathon; Trent Briney, who finished fourth at the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials; Matt Gabrielson, member of U.S. teams at World Cross Country and the World Half Marathon, and Josh Moen, who finished runner-up at the USA 25K championships earlier this year.

The women's pro field is led by Brooks athlete Amy Hastings, who trains with the Mammoth Track Club. Hastings burst onto the long distance running scene clocking a time of 2:27:03 at the Honda LA Marathon in March, the third fastest marathon debut performance by an American in history. A 10-time NCAA All-American in cross country and track while at Arizona State University, she set her half-marathon PR of 1:11:39 in Houston last year and has represented the U.S. at the World Half-Marathon Championships and at three World Cross Country Championships.

Among those aligned against her will be Katie McGregor of Team USA Minnesota, Colorado resident Kathy Butler of Great Britain and Benita Willis of Australia.

McGregor won the Grandma's Half Marathon in June and was second at the 2008 Rock 'n' Roll Virginia Beach Half Marathon. She also finished 11th at last year's NYC Marathon and owns a half-marathon best of 1:12:01 set in 2007 when racing in Udine, Italy at the World Championships. Butler set her PR in Philadelphia in 2006 running 1:11:05. A two-time Olympian in 5000 and 10,000m, Butler finished 4th at World Cross Country Championships in 1999. Willis, with a half-marathon PR of 1:07:55, won the World Cross Country title in 2004.

Other top American's competing include Kathy Newberry, Alvina Begay, Kristen Nicolini and Sopagne Braje, who is hoping to attain the Olympic Trials qualifier, won the 2010 Dodge Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon and owns a PR of 1:16:24 for the half-marathon.

The marathon will start at dusk, beginning at 4:05pm and the half-marathon will start at 5:30pm with sunset in the City of Las Vegas scheduled for 4:26pm. The entire 13.1-mile half marathon course runs on the Strip, beginning at Mandalay Bay and running on the northbound lanes to the Fremont Street Experience where runners turnaround and run back to Mandalay Bay on the Southbound side.

After rocking to the sounds of Cheap Trick and American Idol star Casey Abrams prior to the start of the race at Mandalay Bay, runners will tour the vibrant Las Vegas Strip, shutting down all eight lanes of the iconic roadway, and running past its famous hotels and casinos with live bands every mile before arriving to an LED-lit finish line and the cheers of thousands of spectators.

As the event's official charity, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America will return with the Team Challenge half-marathon training program. Since 2009, Team Challenge has raised nearly $8 million though the Las Vegas race.

For additional information about the World's Largest Nighttime Running Event, go to: Stripatnight.com.

For more information about Zappos.com Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas, visit Competitor.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.

2011 XTERRA National Champs will both race at Kualoa Ranch on December 4; King goes for fourth straight world title

Max King and Morgan Arritola ran to 2011 XTERRA Trail Run National Championships last September, and they will next chase XTERRA Trail Run World Championships in December as they both have committed to compete in the event at Kualoa Ranch, Hawaii on Sunday, December 4.

King (left, XTERRA Photos), who is from Bend, Oregon, is no stranger to the event. He is the three-time defending champion of the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. "There is a lot that keeps me coming back," said King. "There is a good prize purse that is hard to pass up when it's in Hawaii, and I now have a streak going that will be hard to break. I love the challenging course, and it gives me a couple days away from the freezing temperatures of Oregon."

King, 31, is once again considered the favorite on the grueling course at Kualoa Ranch. In the past three years, he has won the race by an average margin of 2 minutes, 49 seconds. He won it last year - when he was feeling sick - by a margin of 1 minute, 20 seconds, which was the closest anyone has come to him during his three-year reign.

"There's always some pressure to keep a winning streak alive, and you never know who will be showing up on the start line," King said.

King is also the four-time defending XTERRA National Trail Run champion, and won the 2011 World Mountain Running Championship at Albania in September. In January 2012, he will attempt to qualify for the U.S. Olympic marathon team at the Olympic qualifier in Houston.

Arritola will be making her first appearance in Hawaii, but she could also be considered the favorite in the women's field based on her 2011 results. She won the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run National Championship at Snowbasin Resort, Utah, in her first try.

"When I decided to race in Utah, I saw that Hawaii was where the World Champs were being held and I kind of said to myself, 'that would be cool.' Then after the summer went on, I thought about it more and decided if I did well in Utah then I would go for it," Arritola said. "It's not every day I get to leave a week of winter and ski racing to go to Hawaii to run."

Arritola, 25, also won the women's division of the USA Half Marathon Trail Championships at Bend, Oregon, in June.

Interestingly enough, trail running is not even considered her top sport. Arritola is better known as a world class competitor in cross country skiing. She is a former member of the U.S. Olympic team, and participated in the 2010 Winter Olympics at Vancouver, Canada. She uses trail running as a form of training during the non-winter months.

"Of course I would love to be able to devote 100 percent of time to running because I really want to see my 'best-self' race, but for now this is what I can do and I like it," she said.

While King has won the XTERRA National and World titles in the same year three times before, no female has ever won both championships in the same year.

More than 1,500 runners of various ages and skill levels will participate in the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship. The 21K course will serve as the XTERRA Trail Run World Championship, but there will also be 10K and 5K races.

For more information on the 2011 XTERRA Trail Run World Championship, go to: www.XTERRAtrailrun.com

Bonus available for male and female marathoner winner at 2012 event

CLEVELAND - (Nov. 29, 2011) - With preparation well underway for the 35th running of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon on Sunday, May 20, 2012, the race directors have announced an increased prize structure for winners of its marathon (26.2 mile) and 10K (6.2 mile) events.

Not only has the standard prize money increased, the stakes are even higher for winners of the full marathon with an offering of an additional $3000 each to the male and female winner if they finish under 2:20 and 2:40 respectively. The course records for the event are 2:10:29 for the men, set in 2000, and 2:30:15 for the women, set in 1998.

"We have a flat, fast course that is well liked by elites, runners and walkers alike," said Executive Director Jack Staph. "The increase in prize money should draw more elite runners in our marathon and 10K events and make for an even more exciting finish line for fans."

The prize money for the 2012 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon and 10K is as follows:

Marathon (Men and Women)
$3000*, $1500 and $1000 per gender = $11,000 total overall
*Men's marathon winner and Women's marathon winner earn an additional $3000 each if they break 2:20 and 2:40, respectively.

Marathon Masters (Men and Women 40 and older)
$750 each; $1500 total

10K (Men and Women)
$2000, $1000, $500, $400 and $250 per gender = $8300 total overall

10K Masters (Men and Women 40 and older)
$500 each; $1000 total

10K Ohioans (Men and Women)
$500 each; $1000 total

Race organizers are anticipating a repeat location of the 2011 finish line area, which received rave reviews from participants. The finish line is located between the Cleveland Browns Stadium and Great Lakes Science Center, just past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in the heart of the North Coast Harbor.

This past May, both the full marathon and half marathon sold out and the 10K and 5K came close to reaching their respective caps as well. 18,300 people competed in the 2011 events over the weekend. Registration is currently up 30% from this time last year, and organizers are expecting at least 20,000 participants for the 35th edition in 2012.

The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon offers the full marathon, half- marathon, 10K, full marathon walking division, half-marathon walking division, 10K walking division, 5K (run or walk) and Kids' Run. The events take place May 19 and 20, 2012. To register for any of the events, or learn more, visit: www.clevelandmarathon.com

Accomplished educator and runner Randy Accetta to update and expand RRCA Coaching Certification program

The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) has announced that Randy Accetta, Ph.D. has been hired as the Director of Coaching Education, tasked with updating and expanding the RRCA Coaching Certification program.

As an accomplished educator and runner, Accetta, 48, brings a wealth of experience to the RRCA coaching program. He is the Communications Mentor for the top-ranked McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Arizona, where he has twice received Teacher of the Year honors. Additionally, he has co-authored two continuing education courses on how to coach runners, and he has written running-based articles that have been published in Running Times, Runner's World and the New York Times. Randy is the current RRCA State Representative for Arizona and is the immediate past president of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners.

A former 2:19 marathoner who competed in the 1996 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, Accetta has a long history of coaching runners, including as the Program Director for Craftsbury Running Camps, the Arizona Coach for Team in Training, and The Workout Group in Tucson, Arizona.

A graduate of Wesleyan University (CT), Randy credits his fellow Wesleyan alumni as inspiring him, "Wesleyan has produced some of the major leaders of running in Bill Rodgers, Jeff Galloway, Amby Burfoot. Those three have had such a positive influence on health and fitness in America. I'm humbled that the RRCA has given me this opportunity to help improve our nation's running and fitness education."

Accetta takes over for Patti Finke who voluntarily chaired the program efforts from 2003 to 2011. The RRCA Coaching Certification was launched in 1998 by Roy Benson and Carl Sniffen, and was then led by Andy Palmer with support from Jim Duguay. Patti chaired the program efforts following the death of Palmer and was instrumental in expanding the program with assistance from instructors Mike Broderick and Janet Hamilton who joined the program in 2008 as instructors. Janet Hamilton will continue to instruct RRCA Coaching Certification Courses along with Dr. Accetta in 2012. The RRCA thanks Patti and her husband Warren Finke for their years of service to the program.

Since 1998, the RRCA has certified 2,285 distance running coaches to work with adults of all ages and running abilities. RRCA Certified Coaches can be found at: www.rrca.org/find-a-coach

Founded in 1958, the Road Runners Club of America is the oldest and largest national association of running clubs, running events, and runners dedicated to promoting running as a competitive sport and as healthy exercise. The mission of the RRCA is to promote the sport of running through the development and growth of running clubs and running events throughout the country. The RRCA supports the common interests of runners of all abilities during all stages of life by providing education and leadership opportunities along with programs and services that benefit all runners. Visit www.RRCA.org for more information.