Running USA wire 15, February 21, 2008

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Wire 15, February 21, 2008 (click)

• U.S. Team Wins AT&T International Marathon Challenge
• Ritzenhein, Webb to Clash at Central Park Challenge
• New Finish Line for Peachtree 2008
• MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series Adds Three New Venues for 2008

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Coming Events

• AT&T USA Indoor Track Championships, Boston, MA, Feb 23-24
  World Championship Team Qualifier - Valencia, Spain
• World's Best 10K, San Juan, PUR, February 24
• Five Points of Life Marathon, Gainesville, FL, February 24
• Mardi Gras Marathon, New Orleans, LA, February 24
• Myomed Ragnar Relay Del Sol, Wickenburg-Scottsdale, AZ, Feb 29
• ABC 7 Sarasota Marathon, Sarasota, FL, March 2
• Little Rock Marathon, Little Rock, AR, March 2
• 30th Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon, Napa, CA, March 2
• Caumsett State Park 50K, Huntington, NY, March 2
  USA Ultra Championship
• NIKE 5K for Kids, Atlanta, GA, March 8
• 30th HEB Bayou City Classic 10K, Houston, TX, March 8
• Canyonlands Half Marathon, Moab UT, March 8
• Gate River Run, Jacksonville, FL, March 8
  USA 15K Championship
• Valley of the Sun Half Marathon & Relay, Mesa, AZ, March 9
  

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U.S. Team Wins AT&T International Marathon Challenge at Austin
Record race field, green efforts, volunteers and spectators set Austin event apart
From McKinzey Crossland

AUSTIN, Texas - (Feb. 17, 2008) - The clear blue skies and near-perfect temperatures at the 2008 AT&T Austin Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday made this year's race an enjoyable one for the race record 11,250 starters and approximately 30,000 spectators.

It was a mild 40 degrees at the start line near Cesar Chavez and Congress Avenue, providing excellent, cool temperatures for runners. Following an enthusiastic welcome from Texas Governor Rick Perry - a participant in the half-marathon - runners took off at 7:00am as the sun began to rise and a 10-minute fireworks display lit up the sky as they crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge.

The ideal weather conditions were all the more surprising after severe weather warnings, thunderstorms and a 47-degree high on Saturday. During a particularly intense downpour on Saturday afternoon, it was hard to foresee such a favorable turnaround.

Meanwhile, things like bib numbers turned out to be a bit more telling. Jacob Frey and Mike Sayenko, runners on the United States team participating in the inaugural International Marathon Challenge, were given bib numbers 1 and 2, respectively. As it happened, Frey and Sayenko finished the marathon in places 1 and 2 after breaking away in the final stretch to edge out Kenya's Joseph Mutinda, the third-place finisher.

Trusting their strategy, Frey and Sayenko paced themselves throughout the race, letting Kenyans Wesley Ochoro and then Mutinda lead the pack. Near Mile 19, the Americans began to make their move. By mile 26, Frey and Sayenko had taken the lead and sprinted to a thrilling finish down Congress Avenue just ahead of the Kenyans.

Hugging at the finish line, it was clear the Americans had won the race together on behalf of their team and their country. As Frey, 26, said in an interview to FOX's Austin affiliate, "There's really no other option than to run your best when you're wearing red, white and blue."

Frey finished in 2 hours, 20 minutes, 38 seconds with Sayenko close behind at 2:20:42, followed by Mutinda at 2:20:44.

One the women's side, Lucy Hassell, 29, from the Great Britain team won with a personal best time of 2:36:28. She was all smiles even before crossing the finish line and seemed to grin as soon as she passed the Capitol on Congress Avenue and 11th Street.

Hassell was followed by American Becki Michael, who in her marathon debut ran 2:43:43 - a time that qualified her for the Olympic Trials in Boston on April 20. Close behind Michael was Canada's top female marathoner, Nicole Stevenson who finished at 2:44:46.

In the accompanying half-marathon, 2008 U.S. Olympic marathon team member Brian Sell won the men's race in 1:04:11 and Austin resident and 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Desiree Ficker was the women's winner in 1:18:17.

Race director John Conley said, "I think this AT&T Austin Marathon will go down as one of the best marathons in the country in terms of size, competition and entertainment. The 42 bands on the course inspired people to make the distance and the incredible International Marathon Challenge finish on Congress Avenue will inspire people to take the marathon challenge themselves."

Adding to the Austin feel of the race were local charities that participated in the event's new philanthropy program, 26 Miles for 26 Charities. The non-profit organizations provided volunteers for the water stops at each mile, while using the locations to raise awareness for their cause. Creative themes, costumes, music, signs and more were used to energize runners and communicate their mission at the same time.

GREEN EFFORTS
Race organizers set up extensive infrastructure throughout the course and finish line to make the 2008 event more environmentally friendly. By all accounts, the efforts were successful.

Cardboard-only dumpsters were full with the thousands of boxes used to hold everything from water and PowerAde to t-shirts and race medals. Recycling bins at the finish line from Keep Austin Beautiful were teeming with the more than 13,000 plastic water bottles given to runners to keep them hydrated. Finishers in the half-marathon even took home an organic cotton t-shirt.

All told, those organic tees saved approximately 2,334 pounds of pesticide.

17th AT&T Austin Marathon
Austin, TX, Sunday, February 17, 2008

MEN
1) Jacob Frey (USA), 2:20:38
2) Mike Sayenko (USA), 2:20:42
3) Joseph Mutinda (KEN), 2:20:44
4) Ruben Garcia Gomez (MEX), 2:23:57
5) Wesley Ochoro (KEN), 2:24:06

WOMEN
1) Lucy Hassell (GBR), 2:36:28
2) Becki Michael (USA), 2:43:43
3) Nicole Stevenson (CAN), 2:44:46
4) Suzanne Evans (CAN), 2:46:16
5) Patti Rogers (USA), 2:47:15

Five teams - the USA, Canada, Kenya, Malawi and Great Britain - participated in the AT&T Austin Marathon's first International Marathon Challenge. Teams of two men and two women competed in national uniforms and scored points according to their marathon finishing position (1st, 2nd, 3rd place, etc). The three best places per team were scored.

Inaugural International Marathon Challenge
1) USA - 8 points, $15,000
2) Kenya - 14, $10,000
3) Great Britain - 17, $5000
4) Canada - 25, $3000
5) Malawi - 44, $2000

The winning team also received the David Doolittle Cup, a Tiffany trophy named after David Doolittle, a founder of the Austin Marathon who passed away in the summer of 2007.

6th Austin Half-Marathon
MEN
1) Brian Sell (MI), 1:04:11
2) Todd Snyder (MI), 1:04:58
3) Mike Morgan (MI), 1:05:10
4) Luke Humphrey (MI), 1:05:22
5) Mike Reneau (MI), 1:05:26

WOMEN -
1) Desiree Ficker (TX), 1:18:17

Complete results at: ATTAustinMarathon.com

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Dathan Ritzenhein to Take on Alan Webb at the Central Park Challenge
Olympian Abdi Abdirahman and former champion Jorge Torres also added to USA Men's 8K Championship field

NEW YORK - (February 20, 2008) - Dathan Ritzenhein will take on fellow Olympian Alan Webb in a renewal of one of America's leading long distance rivalries at the Central Park Challenge on Saturday, March 15. In addition to Ritzenhein, New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg also announced Olympian Abdi Abdirahman and 2005 USA 8K champion Jorge Torres.

The event, which will feature the USA Men's 8K Championship, Women's Invitational, and NYRR 8000 people's race, is expected to draw a host of America's best distance runners from the mile to the marathon. The races will be contested over the 8K (4.97-mile) distance with a total prize-money purse of $70,000 - $20,000 of which will go to the top male and female finishers ($10,000 each).

Ritzenhein holds a 5-2 advantage in races against the previously announced Webb, a 2004 Olympian and the U.S. mile record holder. The rivalry dates back to 1999 when they were two of the premier high school runners at the Foot Locker National High School Cross Country Championships. In that race, Ritzenhein captured the victory in a course-record 14:29.83; Webb was eighth. The pair has taken turns in the top spot in their last two meetings: Webb won the 10,000-meter race at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in 2006, and Ritzenhein won the 2-mile at the Prefontaine Classic last year.

"Stars since high school, Alan and Dathan are among the most exciting and accomplished runners the United States has ever seen," Wittenberg said. "They are both riding high heading into the Olympic year, and we are honored they have chosen the Central Park Challenge to make their 2008 New York City debuts. Fan favorite Abdi and former champ Torres won't allow anyone an easy win."

Ritzenhein, 25, of Eugene, OR, will return to Central Park, the location of two of his greatest career successes to-date. Last November, he earned a berth on the 2008 Olympic team in the marathon after finishing second in an epic U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon race in Central Park. Prior to that in 2007, Ritz won the Healthy Kidney 10K in a Central Park record of 28:08.

"Alan [Webb] and I seem to have been attached at the hip since high school," Ritzenhein said. "Every time we race it seems to be an exciting competition, and hopefully it will be another one at the USA 8K Championship. I was surprised at both how good I felt in the USA Cross Country Championships and at my fitness. I hope to carry that momentum into this race and the rest of the season."

Abdirahman, 31, of Tucson, AZ, had a stellar 2007 following his second-place finish in the 2007 USA 8K Championship - he won three national titles at the 10,000 meter, 10K and 10 mile distances. He was also the runner-up in the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE last August.

In 2005, fresh off his 13th-place finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, Torres, 27, of Boulder, CO, ran away from Abdirahman at the USA 8K Championship to win his first U.S. title as a professional. In 2006, he won the U.S. national title in the 10,000 meters. Torres' twin brother Edwardo is also entered in the race this year.

Track & Field Olympic Trials contenders James Carney, Aaron Aguayo, Ian Dobson, Josh McAdams, Ed Moran and Bolota Asmerom were also announced. Carney, 29, of Boulder, CO, most recently won the 2008 U.S. Half-Marathon title in January in Houston. Aguayo, 24, of Tempe, AZ, made his first World Championships team last summer in the 3000-meter steeplechase after completing his eligibility at Arizona State University in 2007. Dobson, 26, was the 2005 NCAA indoor champion, and currently trains with Team Running USA in Mammoth Lakes, CA. McAdams, 27, of Orem, UT, was the 2007 USA champion in the 3000m steeplechase and a gold medalist in that event at the 2007 Pan American Games. Moran, 27, of Williamsburg, VA, was the 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist in the 5000 meters. Asmerom, 29, of Eugene, OR, was a 2000 Olympian for Eritrea, and became a U.S. citizen in 2002. He has twice finished third twice at the USA 8K Championship, in 2004 and 2007.

Ritzenhein, Jorge Torres and Moran all experienced early-season success this past weekend at the USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego, earning qualifying spots on the IAAF World Cross Country Championships team. The men will compete in the championships on March 29 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ritzenhein powered his way to a convincing victory in the 12K race with a time of 35:03, while Torres was runner-up (35:29) and Moran was fourth (35:42). In total, six athletes scheduled to compete in the 8K finished in the top 10: Carney (sixth place, 35:56), Max King (seventh, 35:57) and Edwardo Torres (ninth, 36:01).

A $10,000 bonus will be awarded to any winner who breaks the existing American 8K record of 22:04 for the men (Alberto Salazar, 1981) or 24:36 for the women (Deena Kastor, 2005).

For more information, visit: NYRR.org

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New Finish Line Announced for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 2008

ATLANTA - (February, 19, 2008) - Athletes participating in the 39th running of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on July 4th will add one additional turn to their route from previous years to a new finish line at the intersection of Juniper and Ponce de Leon in midtown Atlanta. After crossing the finish line runners will walk one block south on Juniper, turn east on North Avenue for one block and then turn south on Piedmont Avenue to receive their water and t-shirts, then arrive at the Civic Center parking area where the awards stage, family meeting area and sponsor village will be located.

This change affects only the final .6 of a mile for the world's largest 10K road race. As in previous years, all 55,000 participants will line-up in the Lenox Square Mall area to begin the race. The remainder of the route remains unchanged. Runners will be able to access MARTA after the event by heading east on Ralph McGill toward the Civic Center Marta Stop located on West Peachtree Street.

The AJC Peachtree Road race has traditionally ended in Piedmont Park. The original finish line, located near old Central City Park, was relocated in 1978. However, in January the City of Atlanta announced the suspension of any Class A event (those that attract 50,000 people or more) from city parks, due to effects from the drought. This policy resulted in the need for a new finish line.

"We hope this change to the finish line is not permanent," said Tracey Russell, Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club. "When the drought situation improves, our goal is to move the finish back to the Park. The City of Atlanta and the Civic Center have been helpful and gracious in making the change for this year as seamless as possible, so that our runners can be assured the same world class race they are accustomed to."

Registration for the 39th running of Peachtree begins on Sunday, March 16, when the application appears in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Out-of-town runners can access the application online at AtlantaTrackClub.org beginning Monday, March 17. The first 45,000 applications received gain / entry in the event that typically fills within the first few days of registration. The remaining 10,000 slots are filled through a lottery system for all remaining applications postmarked by March 31.

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MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series Selects Three New Race Venues for 2008
With the addition of Texas, Florida and Washington D.C. overnight racing just picked up the pace

SALT LAKE CITY - (February 18, 2008) - The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series, the nation's premier series of overnight relay races, has announced three new races added to the wildly popular series will take place this year in Washington D.C. on Sept. 26-27, Austin, Texas on Oct. 24-25 and in Daytona Beach, Florida Nov. 14-15.

With the introduction of the three new races, the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series will grow from 4 to 7 relay races and solidified its position as the nation's largest series of overnight relay races. MyoMed and NordicTrack, national sponsors of the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series, have already committed to sponsor each new relay race.

"When choosing new Ragnar Relay locations we carefully consider the strength of the running community and the beauty of the potential course," said Tanner Bell, Co-Founder of the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series. "As we searched the nation for new locations it became apparent that Washington D.C., Austin, Texas and Tampa and Daytona Beach, Florida would be perfect additions to the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series."

Each Ragnar Relay is a 200-mile adventure-fest in which teams of 12 run relay style through some of the most beautiful scenery in the nation. During the relay, each team member runs three legs ranging between 3-8 miles and varying in difficulty. So, from the elite runner down to the intermittent jogger, it's the ideal relay for anyone in search of an unforgettable adventure. But don't get too caught up in the logistics; with teams decorating their vans, painting their faces and dressing up in costume, Ragnar Relay is about letting it all hang out, both in personality and physical exertion.

The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Washington D.C. will start in Cumberland, Maryland. The course will follow the gorgeous C & O Canal and pass through several historic Civil War era towns. It will end in Washington D.C. after passing within the shadows of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Austin will start in San Antonio and finish in Austin. It will pass through Texas' famous Hill Country as it showcases the delightful towns that made Texas what it is today.

The MyoMed Ragnar Relay Florida will start in Tampa and finish in Daytona Beach. It will offer runners a unique opportunity to run from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean as it passes through the shoreline towns of Palm Harbor, Torpan Springs and New Port Richey. It will end within earshot of the roaring engines of the Daytona 500 and the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

In addition to announcing three new races, the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Series will be featuring the 52 Marathon Man Speaking Tour featuring Dane Rauchenberg. Rauchenberg's notable achievements include running an incredible 52 marathons in 52 consecutive weeks. This motivational speaking tour, aimed at promoting healthy active lifestyles through corporate fitness programs, is free to all corporations and non-profit organizations. The tour will be in the greater Washington D.C. area the weeks of March 17th and May 26th, Austin / San Antonio, Texas the weeks of April 28th and June 16th, and Tampa / Daytona Beach, Florida the weeks of May 12th and July 14th. Organizations can contact Jeff Reber at (801) 833-7270 or jeff@... to schedule a speaking engagement.

Visit RagnarRelay.com for more information.

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Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@... | www.RunningUSA.org