COOK AND SHIBUI WINNERS AT THE SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Mark Winitz
Media Coordinator, The San Francisco MarathonTM
Win-It!z Sports Public Relations
(650) 948-0618 - Direct
winitz@earthlink.net

The San Francisco Marathon
press@RunSFM.com

Full results available online at:
www.runraceresults.com and www.runsfm.com



COOK AND SHIBUI WINNERS AT THE SAN FRANCISCO MARATHON


SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - (July 26, 2009) ­ Andrew Cook, 28, of Flower
Mound, Tex. and Japan¹s Yoko Shibui, 30, scored dominant victories at The
San Francisco Marathon(TM) today. Cook topped the men¹s field in a
finishing time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 32 seconds for his third win
in this race. He also won in 2006 and 2007. Shibui won the women¹s race
in 2:46:34 as she successfully tuned up for the marathon at the IAAF
World Championships in Berlin, Germany on August 23.

A record turnout of over 21,000 entrants participated in the marathon
(26.2 miles) and two accompanying half marathon (13.1 miles) races, plus
a 5K run/walk. Ideal, overcast conditions, with temperatures in the low
to mid 50s greeted the throng. Runners from all 50 U.S. states and 26
countries came to the City by the Bay for its world-famous marathon.

Both Cook¹s and Shibui¹s wins were convincing. By the 8-mile point on the
hilly, city-wide loop that includes an out-and-back segment over the
Golden Gate Bridge, Cook shed co-leader Allen Wagner (Huntington Valley,
Penn.) and then proceeded alone to the finish line near the Ferry
Building on the Embarcadero.

"It¹s awesome to be a three-time winner here," said Cook, who is a
history teacher and cross country coach at Flower Mound (Tex.) High
School. "But, mentally it was hard running most of the race alone. You
just want to try and push yourself and stay mentally tough. I kind of
fell apart a little over the last 10 miles. I was very happy to come out
on top today because Allen (Wagner) is very experienced."

Wagner, whose personal best marathon of 2:18:25 is over a minute better
than Cook¹s, faded to fifth place after making several porta-pottie
stops. 45-year-old Guillermo Gonzalez (Mexico/Pasadena, Calif.) captured
second place and the masters (age-40-and-over) men¹s victory in a distant
2:33:55. Fritz Van de Kamp, 28, of Salt Lake City, Utah was third in
2:34:01. San Francisco¹s Daniel Feldman, 26. was fourth in 2:35:15.

Japan¹s Shibui demonstrated why she is the all-time seventh fastest
female marathoner in the world, with a blazing 2:19:41 personal best on
her resume. Despite using the race as a long training run in preparation
for the World Championships Marathon in Berlin, the Japanese star¹s
margin at the finish line was 13 minutes ahead of former Santa Rosa High
School and Stanford University standout Julia Mallon (nee Stamps).
Mallon, who now resides in Miami, Fla. was second woman in 2:59:32.
Mexico¹s Ligicz Ortega, 26, finished third in 3:02:29.

Shibui and her team of coaches and trainers have made Flagstaff, Ariz.
their training base for the past two months in preparation for the IAAF
World Championships marathon race. She wanted to briefly come down from
Flagstaff¹s 7,000-foot altitude to test her fitness at sea level, but,
she found more variances in altitude than she expected in San Francisco.

"This is a very hard course," Shibui commented through an interpreter
about the up-and-down San Francisco Marathon route. "It¹s the toughest
course that I¹ve ever run. It was much more hilly than I expected, but
overall it was a very good tune-up for me. I think if I was in top
condition, like I will be in a month, I would have run with the lead man
today."

Women training at altitude for the World Championships also dominated the
competitive 2nd Half Marathon, which runs over the second half of San
Francisco¹s marathon route. Tera Moody, 28, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
topped the women in 1:13:37 followed by second-placer Fiona Docherty, 33,
of New Zealand, who spends half the year training in Boulder, Colo.
Docherty finished in 1:17:25. Both Moody and Docherty will face each
other again as members of their respective USA and New Zealand national
teams in Berlin. Jessica Minty, 24, of Blowing Rock, N.C. made a
successful debut at the half marathon distance by placing third in
1:17:48. Masters standout Sylvia Mosqueda, 43, of Los Angeles was fourth
in 1:18:20.

Abiyot Endale, 23, an Ethiopian athlete who resides in New York, topped
the 2nd Half Marathon men in 1:07:36 followed by Miguel Nuci, 29, of
Turlock, Calif. in 1:07:58.

# # #

About The San Francisco MarathonTM
The San Francisco Marathon enjoys success as the premier summertime
marathon in the U.S. San Francisco¹s blend of natural beauty, big city
charm, and perfect mid-summer running temperatures, make marathon running
in San Francisco a truly magical experience. Race events include a full
marathon, two half marathons (choose a half), 5K, and Progressive
Marathon. The event¹s unique Cause to Run program has raised over $10
million for local non-profit organizations since 2003. The San Francisco
Marathon¹s Youth Run4Fun running program allows San Francisco¹s
underprivileged youth, ages 7 to 17, to train for, and participate in,
the marathon¹s events without cost.
The 2009 San Francisco Marathon is sponsored by CytoSport, Gu Energy
Gel, and Organs ŒR¹ Us. Our partners include Committed 2 Community, The
San Francisco Marathon Training Program, Youth Run4Fun, The Big Rumble,
and the San Francisco Amateur Radio Club.