Wire 70, August 23, 2003

In this edition of the Running USA wire:

1) Adere World 10,000m Champion; Drossin 12th, Dryer 17th
2) Biktasheva, Korir Crim Champions
3) Montana Rookie, Fagan Win USA 50K Trail Titles

Team USA California sponsored by Nike
Supported by a grant from The ING New York City Marathon

Copyright © 2003 Running USA
All Rights Reserved
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
9th IAAF World Track & Field Championships, Paris, France, August 23-31
http://www.iaaf.org/WCH03/index.html
http://www.usatf.org/events/2003/IAAFWorldTFChampionships/
Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, Virginia Beach, VA, August 31
http://www.RnRHalf.com
New Haven 20K, New Haven, CT, September 1
*USA Men and Women's Championship/USA Running Circuit
http://www.newhavenroadrace.org
Park Forest Scenic 10 Mile, Park Forest, IL, September 1
http://www.scenic10.com
Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run, PA, September 14
http://www.philadistancerun.com

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Adere Wins World 10,000 Meter Title and Sets Championship Record
Americans Drossin and Dryer, 12th and 17th
By Charlie Mahler, Running USA wire

PARIS, France - (August 23, 2003) - In perhaps the greatest and deepest
women's distance race ever, American marathon and 10,000 meter record holder
Deena Drossin finished 12th in the 10,000 meter run at the 9th IAAF World
Track and Field Championships held at Stade de France. Drossin clocked
31:17.86, while Team USA California teammate Elva Dryer finished 17th in
31:59.41.

Ethiopia's Berhane Adere won the gold medal in a Championship and National
Record 30:04.18 by using a fierce 200 meter sprint to vanquish teammate
Werknesh Kidane, the World Cross Country Champion, second in 30:07.15 and
early pace-setter Sun Yingie of China who earned bronze with 30:07.20. The
top 8 women ran faster than 30:38 as numerous national and personal records
were set.

Sun lead from the gun and strung the pack through a succession of 3:00
kilometers before giving way just before 5000 meters - reached in 15:06.
Kenyan-native-turned-Dutch-citizen Lornah Kiplagat handled the bulk of the
pace making for the next 3000 meters before Kidane and Sun took turns at the
front. With Sun in the lead on the last lap, Adere, the reigning
Half-Marathon and World Indoor 3000 meter Champion, jumped to the front and
powered away. The last kilometer was clocked at 2:50.

"The pace was fast, but that was okay for me because I also run the 5000
meters," Adere said. "I don't feel tired, I am fine. I am very happy to win.
I know Sun Yingie is very strong, I know the time she runs, but I used my
tactics to beat her."

Drossin, who led runner-up Kidane until the closing stages of this year's
World Cross Country Championships, was forced by the early pace to run in
arrears of the lead group. Drossin's 5K split of 15:16 was faster than her
U.S. Record pace, but ten seconds behind the leaders here. Drossin recently
underwent surgery for melanoma and has admitted to being in less than ideal
form since setting her marathon record this spring in London.

"I'm a little disappointed in my season but really happy with my effort the
last couple races," Drossin said. "I felt like I brought on my
aggressiveness and my drive a little too late in the season."

Of the race itself, Drossin said: "It was strung out. There weren't huge
gaps between me and anybody else. I always felt like I was running onto
people. I was trying to feel comfortable behind other athletes, and let them
do the work for me. It was an effort the whole way, but I was entirely
impressed with the way the race went, obviously a phenomenal finish. I was
glancing up at the Jumbotron in my final lap and pushing with my hardest not
to get lapped. Hopefully next year I'll be able to hang on no matter what
the distance is, 10,000 or marathon."

Drossin, a Mammoth Lakes, Calif. resident, is finished racing this summer.
She plans to return home before the end of the Championships to work on her
September 14 wedding, recover from the season, and point to 2004, an Olympic
year.

Dryer, a Albuquerque, N. M. resident who just this year moved up to the 25
lap event after being an Olympian at 5000 meters in 2000, accepted her race
as a learning experience.

"You know, I think it's going to be a good race for me," she said about the
distance. "It's a learning experience and I'll just try for better next
time. This is my first year running 10,000, this is my third one, so next
year I'll be more experienced."

In the men's 3000 meter steeplechase trials held tonight as well, no USA
runners advanced to the final. U.S. Champion Steve Slattery of Boulder,
Colo. missed qualifying by one place after clocking a personal best 8:22:32.
Slattery was 5th in his heat. Daniel Lincoln of Fayetteville, Ark. placed
10th in his heat in 8:32.47 and Robert Gary of Columbus, Ohio was 12th in
his race in 8:38.20.

Long distance racing continues tomorrow with the men's 10,000 meter run.
American record-holder Meb Keflezighi of Team USA California, 2003 USA
10,000m champion Alan Culpepper of Louisville, Colo., and 2002 USA Marathon
Champion and Pan Am Games 10,000m bronze medalist Dan Browne of Portland,
Ore. will face the best in the world.

9th IAAF World Track and Field Championships
Stade de France, Paris, France

Women's 10,000 Meters: Final
1) Behane Adere (ETH), 30:04.18, Championship and National Record
2) Werknesh Kidane (ETH), 30:07.15
3) Sun Yingie (CHN), 30:07.20
4) Lornah Kiplagat (NED), 30:12.53, National Record
5) Alla Zhilyayeva (RUS), 30:23.07, National Record
6) Galina Bogomolova (RUS), 30:26.20
7) Huina Xing (CHN), 30:31.55, World Junior Record
8) Benita Johnson (AUS), 30:37.68, National Record
9) Ejagayehu Dibaba (ETH), 31:01.07
10) Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT), 31:06.14, National Record
12) Deena Drossin (USA), 31:17.86
17) Elva Dryer (USA), 31:59.81

For more World Championship coverage, go to:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2003/IAAFWorldTFChampionships/

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sherlynn Everly, (810) 235-1730 or (810)-235-3396
Leanne Barkus, (810) 235-3396

KORIR AND BIKTASHEVA WIN CRIM 10 CROWNS

FLINT, Mich. - (August 23, 2003) - John Korir of Kenya and Russian Lyudmila
Biktasheva won the 27th Annual Crim 10 Mile titles. Korir captured his third
Crim ('98 and '99) in 46:22. Running in her first Crim, Biktasheva had the
second best time in Crim history with her 51:52. Korir and Biktasheva each
won a $5000 share of the Crim's $42,750 purse. At the 8:00 a.m. start, the
weather conditions were ideal with a temperature of 64 degrees and low
humidity.

Korir, 27, edged out in front of group of five runners who were shoulder-to-
shoulder coming into the last quarter mile. A group of 25 runners led the
race for the first two miles. By the four-mile mark the lead group was down
to 15 runners. The five lead runners separated themselves from the pack at
the six-mile mark. The crowd cheered as the five turned onto the red bricks
in downtown Flint and sprinted to the line.

"There was a strong push from the lead group. Overall, I am very happy with
my performance. The weather was good, it was not humid," said Korir who has
been virtually unbeatable this year on the U.S. roads with major victories
at Falmouth, Bix 7, Utica Boilermaker 15K, Bloomsday 12K and Cherry Blossom
10 Mile.

Countrymen James Koskei and Wilson Kigen-Kipkemboi finished second and third
respectively in 46:24 and 46:25.

Ethiopian runners Tekeste Kebede and Abraham Assefa were disqualified from
the race for violating USA Track & Field rules. Kebede would have finished
fourth and Assefa would have finished sixth, but both runners entered the
course and began the race without crossing the starting line.

In the women's race, Lyudmila Biktasheva, 29, pulled ahead at the five mile
mark and finished with an impressive 51:52, the second fastest time in Crim
history (course record is 51:47 set in 1989 by Cathy O'Brien; also the U.S.
record).

Commenting on her first Crim race, Biktasheva said, "I liked the rolling
hills on this course, I really enjoyed the run. I was with another runner
for the first five miles and then I pulled away. I expected to win this
race." Kenyan Leah Malot finished second with a time of 52:57, while fellow
Kenyan Jane Kiptoo (53:07) was third.

Among the Masters runners, Jackson Kipngo'k, 42, of Kenya, won with a time
of 47:25 finishing 5th overall. Last year's masters winner Andrew Masai, 43,
was second master in 49:12 and Salvatore Bettoil of Italy, 41, (49:48) third
master.

With a time of 57:27, Ramilia Burangulova, 42, from Russia was the top
female Masters runner finishing 14th overall. Last year's Masters winner and
six-time Crim champion, Tatyana Pozdynyakova, 48, from Ukraine was second
with a time of 57:55. American, Cindy James, 43, placed third master
(1:00:03).

Boaz Cheboiywo, 25, from Ypsilanti, was the top Michigan runner (48:17)
finishing 11th overall. Kevin Doyle, 23, Rochester Hills, (49:19) and Kyle
Baker, 27, Mason, (49:41) finish second and third among Michigan male
runners. The pair placed 18th and 19th overall, respectively.

Top Michigan female runners were Seana Larson, 33, Ann Arbor, with a time of
59:53, 17th overall. Patricia Murray, 32, Livonia, came in second with a
time of 1:00:15, placing 20th overall, and Laura Ankrum, 30, of Grand Blanc
(1:02:02) finished third, 21st overall.

Krige Schabort, 39, of Cedartown, Georgia won his third consecutive Crim
with a time of (36:36) to win the wheelchair event. Scot Hollonbeck of
Atlanta, Georgia came in second (39:20) and Joshua George of Herndon,
Virginia finished third (39:23). John Brewer of Kaysville, Utah, was the top
quad finisher with a time of 1:02:01. Miriam Nibley of Champaign, Illinois
won the female wheeler race with a time of 48:02.

The premier 10 mile race drew over 6600 entrants (second highest amount in
Crim history). The family of races, which also includes a 8K run and walk, a
5K run and walk, a one-mile run and walk, the Lois Craig Invitational for
Special Olympics and the Teddy Bear Trot; drew over 13,700 participants.
This year over 3,500 volunteers came together to make this event a success.
Complete results will be posted on the Crim's web site at www.crim.org after
8:00 p.m., EST, Saturday, August 23, 2003.

27th Crim 10 Mile
Flint, MI, Saturday, August 23, 2003

MEN
1. John Korir (KEN)      46:22
2. James Koskei (KEN)      46:24
3. Wilson Kigen-Kipkemboi (KEN) 46:25
4. Laban Kipkemgoi (KEN) 46:32
5. Jackson Kipngo'k (KEN) 47:25
6. David Njuguna (KEN) 47:32
7. Julius Kimtai (KEN)      47:46
8. Hillary Lelei (KEN)      47:47
9. Benjamin Kimutai (KEN) 47:58
10. Augustus Kavutu (KEN)      48:14

WOMEN
1. Lyudmila Biktasheva (RUS) 51:52
2. Leah Malot (KEN)      52:57
3. Jane Kiptoo (KEN)      53:07
4. Kathy Butler (GBR)      53:16
5. Olga Romanova (RUS) 53:22
6. Ludmila Petrova (RUS) 53:58
7. Emily Samdei (KEN)      54:06
8. Alevtina Ivanova (RUS) 54:13
9. Anastasia Ndereda (KEN) 55:06
10. Nicloe Stevenson (CAN) 55:20

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Montana Rookie Sets Course Record at USA 50K Trail Championships
Fagan Defends Women's U.S. Title
By Bob Cooper, Running USA wire

SAUSALITO, Calif. - (August 23, 2003) - Scott Creel had never run a race
longer than 22 miles, but his ultra-running inexperience didn't show at the
USA Track & Field 50K Trail Championships on Saturday. The Montana State
University ecology professor covered the 31.1-mile Golden Gate Headlands
course over rugged trails in Marin County, California, in a course record 3
hours, 49 minutes, 54 seconds. Local runner Mary Fagan defended her women's
national title in 4:33:10

Shirtless and bloodied below the knee, Creel plopped down on a patch of
grass three steps beyond the finish line and declared, "Whoa, that was hard!
I was seeing God on that last uphill." The course is one of the most
demanding and breathtaking in the growing sport of trail racing, with seven
major climbs that average 1,000 vertical feet apiece as it wanders the
coastal mountains of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Mt.
Tamalpais State Park. Much of the route, including the start and finish,
lies within a mile of the Pacific, including a necklace of Marin beaches -
Rodeo, Tennessee Valley, Muir and Stinson.

While the 41-year-old Creel had run no previous marathons or ultramarathons,
runner-up Dennis Rinde had won many of both types of races. The 44-year-old
resident of Davenport, Calif. (near Santa Cruz) was one of America's top
marathoners two decades ago and has won many races since, including a
different 50K race three weeks before this one. But he was no match for
Creel, who seized the lead near the 10-mile point and was never challenged.

"I was worried about the last hour of the race because I'd never run for
more than three hours," he said. "Sure enough, I really suffered in that
last hour. But it's a gorgeous course. The last time I came to the Bay Area,
I vaguely remember being impressed by the redwoods in Muir Woods, and today
I got to run through them." Creel, originally a track runner for Bowling
Green State University, is now a mountain-running specialist who trains on
the mile-high trails above Bozeman, Montana, where he lives.

Fagan finished two minutes off her 2002 record time, and attributed the
slowdown to the warm, sunny conditions. She still placed 20th overall among
185 starters and beat runner-up Luanne Park of Redding, California, by 15
minutes. Fagan, 28, and Park, 43, are both middle-school teachers.

"After the first four miles with Luanne, I was by myself," Fagan said. "I
didn't run with any men because I was catching and passing them most of the
way." Fagan lives in Larkspur, only a few miles from the course, which she
trained on regularly in preparation for the race. She was cheered along the
way by friends, as her club, the Tamalpa Runners, was the race organizer.
Like Rinde, she ran and won a 50K race in the Oakland hills just three weeks
before this one.

Runners came from throughout the U.S. and one man, 75-year-old Lou Myers,
flew in from London for the race.

Golden Gate Headlands 50K Trail Run: USA Championship - Open and Masters
Sausalito, CA, Saturday, August 23, 2003

MEN
1. Scott Creel*, MT, 3:49:54, course record
2. Dennis Rinde, CA, 3:54:45
3. Bryan Dayton, CO, 3:55:17
4. Alex Tilson, CA, 3:58:12
5. William Emerson, WA, 4:03:28
6. Craig Steinmaus, CA, 4:05:04
7. Cliff Lentz, CA, 4:06:49
8. Joshua Small, CA, 4:10:25
9. Carl Andersen, CA, 4:12:38
10. Dan Shore, CA, 4:16:57

WOMEN
1. Mary Fagan, CA, 4:33:10
2. Luanne Park*, CA, 4:48:04
3. Valerie Pino, TN, 4:48:51
4. Tania Pacev, CO, 5:05:24
5. Jenny Capel, NV, 5:08:32
6. Carrie Tukman, CA, 5:12:22
7. Rena Schumann, CA, 5:24:32
8. Amy Grafius, CA, 5:28:06
9. Celeste Langan, CA, 5:31:01
10. Florencia Gascon-Amyx, 5:32:21
*also USA Masters Champion (40+)

For more information, go to the race website at: http://www.headlands50k.org

For digital photos, contact Dave Waco at davewaco@...

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Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services
USATF Road Running Information Center
385 Oak View Ln
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, efax (419) 818-3931
http://www.runningusa.org
http://www.usatf.org