American Mile Record-Holder Alan Webb to Open Olympic Year at the Central Park Challenge
Race will serve as USA Men's 8K Championship; New York Road Runners announces inaugural Women's Invitational; $70,000 prize purse

NEW YORK - (February 4, 2008) - American mile record-holder Alan Webb will make a rare appearance on the roads, opening his Olympic-year campaign at the Central Park Challenge on Saturday, March 15, it was announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg at the New York Track Writers weekly luncheon on Monday. The race will serve as the USA Men's 8K Championship.

Webb, a 2004 Olympian and U.S. World Championships team member in 2005 and 2007, is the first professional athlete named to a men's field that will feature a host of America's best distance runners from the mile to the marathon, and will serve as an early preview of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field this summer.

New for this year, New York Road Runners will add a Women's Invitational race, which will feature an exclusive field of top U.S. and international stars. Both races will be contested over the 8K (4.97-mile) distance on a fan-friendly criterium-style course. The event will have a total prize-money purse of $70,000.

"The heat is turning up as we head toward Beijing, and this race will be an excellent early barometer for all the athletes and fans," Wittenberg said. "What a thrill to have America's stars return to Central Park for what promises to be an intriguing race."

Webb, 25, capped a stellar 2007 track season with a road victory in the Continental Airlines® Fifth Avenue Mile in September, holding off the defending champion, Kevin Sullivan of Canada, in the closing meters to claim his first victory on the streets of New York City. (He was runner-up at the 2005 Fifth Avenue Mile.) Webb has been most successful on the track, particularly in July 2007, when he ran 3:46.91 in Brasschaat, Belgium, to better Steve Scott's 25-year-old U.S. mile record. A 2004 Olympian at 1500 meters, Webb will be a favorite in that event at the Olympic Trials in June.

"I am really excited about running the USA 8K champs," Webb said. "It will be great to start my season off by running in New York City."

The 8K race course will consist of three laps of Central Park's lower loop, starting and finishing on West Drive near Tavern on the Green. Like the men's Olympic Trials marathon in Central Park last November, the multi-loop course will allow fans to see the runners four times from ideal vantage points along the sides of the road. The NYRR 8000 people's race will be held prior to both professional races.

A $10,000 bonus will be awarded to any winner who breaks the existing U.S. 8K record of 22:04 for the men (Alberto Salazar, 1981) or 24:36 for the women (Deena Kastor, 2005). The athletes will be using this event to test their fitness in an Olympic year, and all signs point to a fast race. A mostly flat Central Park course, coupled with some of America's top talent, could put the U.S. records in jeopardy. As an added incentive, $1000 bonuses will be offered to each of the first two athletes to complete the first and second laps, provided they go on to finish the race in the top 10.

Since New York Road Runners first hosted the USA 8K Championships in 2002, the race has consistently drawn some of the top American talent and has become one of the most popular stops on the national circuit. Previous winners include 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi (2003-04) and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Kastor, who ran the then-second-fastest 8K in history to capture the 2005 title. Last year, a major snowstorm in the early-morning hours on Saturday necessitated a postponement until Sunday morning and a last-minute course change, and New York City resident Anthony Famiglietti surged away from runner-up and two-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman for the victory.

For more information, visit: NYRR.org

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Hall, Ritzenhein Headline New Elite Athlete Blog Series at TheFinalSprint.com

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - (February 8, 2008) - TheFinalSprint.com, the premier destination for track & field, marathon and road-running enthusiasts, this week expanded its impressive content lineup with the unveiling of the TFS Elite Athlete Blog Series. This new content series features in-depth, bi-weekly entries by a roster of world-class runners that includes U.S. Olympic-bound marathoners Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenhein.

Throughout the 2008 Olympic year, TheFinalSprint.com will offer one-of-a-kind access to the most frequent, reliable, and intimate elite athlete commentaries and insights of any online and / or print running publication. This unparalleled and direct communication with heroes of the sport will provide fans with a virtual back-stage-pass to the quest for Olympic glory.

"The Elite Athlete Blog Series presents elite runners and fans with the opportunity to interact more often and on a deeper level than ever before," said Adam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief of TheFinalSprint.com and CEO of the TFS Media Network, the publication's parent company. "We are deeply committed to improving our sport and are proud that this new feature will further enable the running community to share in what promises to be one of the most exciting and inspiring times in the history of American running."

In addition to Hall and Ritzenhein, TheFinalSprint.com's dynamic team of elite athlete bloggers includes accomplished marathon veteran Josh Cox, 2007 Footlocker Cross Country champion Michael Fout, 2006 USA 5K road champion Sara Hall, 2008 USA Half-Marathon champion Kate O'Neill, Olympic middle-distance hopeful Jon Rankin and 2007 U.S. Indoor Track & Field champion Nick Symmonds.

Each member of this all-star line-up has committed to providing new entries twice a month, ensuring that fresh content from an elite runner will be available on a near-daily basis throughout the Olympic year. Fans can access the new and exciting TFS Elite Athlete Blog Series, as well as, the most listened-to running podcast in North America and the most compelling coverage in the sport of running by visiting: www.TheFinalSprint.com

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Marine Corps Marathon Launches First Race in New Event Series
Butler Relay registration is open at www.MarineMarathon.com

QUANTICO, Va. - (February 7, 2008) - The first event in the new MCM Event Series, the Butler Relay, is now open to the general public at www.MarineMarathon.com. The Butler Relay, a 10K two-person team race, will be held on Saturday, March 29, beginning at 8:00am, aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia.

"The MCM Event Series is an exciting opportunity for runners to participate in a variety of athletic competitions that are conducive to varying skill levels," says Rick Nealis, Race Director. "Runners and the Quantico community will surely enjoy our new racing events and all of the family entertainment we have to offer."

The Butler Relay is a two-person team event that starts and finishes at Quantico's newly renovated Butler Stadium, featuring a state-of-the-art track. The race takes runners on a scenic tour of Marine Corps Base Quantico, including an off-road section of the USATF-certified course. Open to runners age 10 and up, the race field for the Butler Relay is limited to 1,000 runners. Runners may sign up individually or as teams. A $36 registration fee includes a shirt, chip rental, event coin sponsored by Marine Federal Credit Union, hospitality and entertainment. Pre-registration is required.

Runners who participate in any race in the 2008 MCM Event Series are eligible for Event Series awards. Runners will receive points for their placement within the open male and female categories, and within the master's male and female categories. Age group awards will be presented for each event and will fall into the following increments: ages 10-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 and older.

The new MCM Event Series invites runners and fitness enthusiasts to participate in a range of race experiences. The Event Series sponsored by Geico and Marine Federal Credit Union includes the Butler Relay, a 10K relay race; Run Amuck, a 5K course featuring a variety of obstacles; RunStock, a 5K race followed by a live concert; and the Turkey Trot, a traditional 10K race complete with a turkey for the winner. For more on this, and additional details regarding the Butler Relay, visit www.MarineMarathon.com and click on Event Series.

For more information, contact Tami Faram, community relations coordinator, at (703) 432-1840 or tami.faram@...

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DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER Partners with The End Result Company, Inc. and IPICO Sports
Race will eliminate manual tag pull system for finish line results

BOULDER, Colo. - (February 4, 2008) - DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER has announced the addition of The End Result Company, Inc. to the partnership previously formed with IPICO Sports.

For the first time in 2007, the BolderBOULDER used the IPICO Sports tag timing system to provide accurate finish times and mile splits for its 47,646 finishers. The race drew the largest timed field in the United States and the 5th largest in the world.

Race Director Cliff Bosley said, "We are pleased to announce the addition of The End Result as the official timer in 2008. This partnership combined with the IPICO Sports systems has resulted in our decision to eliminate the manual bib tag pull at the finish line starting at this year's 30th running of the DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER on Memorial Day."

Bosley added, "All participants will once again receive timing splits for each mile along with their finish time."

The End Result Company is a leading provider of timing and communication solutions to over 300 events annually in the United States which have included the Boston and Chicago Marathons. They accurately time over 500,000 total participants annually.

Kevin Jandt of The End Result stated, "We viewed the IPICO Sports system in operation at the 2007 BolderBOULDER and as a result made the decision to change all of our timing equipment over. Now we are very pleased to be able to directly play a role in this strategic partnership with IPICO Sports and DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER."

IPICO Sports CEO Mark Herbst said, "We are honored by DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER's strong confidence in our solutions and the fact that after 29 years of pulling bib tags for total race times, they are willing to now rely solely on our system. We believe this makes a very strong statement about us as a company and solutions provider. The addition of The End Result to the partnership will only further enhance the experience of all participants at this premier event."

About DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER
The DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K, a Running USA Founding Member, is the largest timed running race in the USA and the 5th largest in the world. The race attracts over 50,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, and draws professional racing teams from all over the world to compete for one of the largest non-marathon prize purse in road racing. The race starts at the north end of 30th Street in Boulder, winds through neighborhoods with live music and entertainment at every corner, and finishes in the University of Colorado's Folsom Field. More than 150,000 spectators watch the festivities from inside the stadium and along the course. Every year, the race makes donations to local charities that provide volunteers to help stage the race. Over the years, beneficiaries have included the Boulder Community Food Share, Boulder Humane Society, Attention Homes, Younglife, Boulder Optimists, local schools and church youth groups. The 30th DICK'S Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER will be held on Memorial Day, May 26, 2008. For more information, visit: BolderBOULDER.com

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