Thursday, May 19, 2011

Running USA wire 40, May 18, 2011

In this edition:
Eggleston, Bekele Win Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
Top U.S. Field Expected at Freihofer's Run for Women 5K
White, Camp Capture 34th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Titles
Team USA Marathon Squad Announced for 2011 World Championships

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Running USA and have your organization's event featured here.

Ragnar Relay New England, New Haven-Boston, MA, May 20
Inaugural Acworth Get Fit 5K, Acworth, GA, May 21
Fargo Marathon & Half-Marathon, Fargo, ND, May 21
Cottonwood Classic, Denver, CO, May 21
Run to Home Base 9K, Boston, MA, May 21
AirLife 5K / 10K, Denver, CO, May 22
Great Kilted Run 5K, Seattle, WA, May 22
Greek Festival New Orleans 5K, New Orleans, May 27
Toronto Women's Half Marathon, Toronto, CAN, May 28
KeyBank Vermont City Marathon, Burlington, VT, May 29
Buffalo Marathon, Buffalo, NY, May 29
Vista Strawberry Festival 5K, Vista, CA, May 29
Challenge Hearts & Minds 5K, St. Paul, MN, May 30
Dick's Sporting Goods BolderBOULDER 10K, CO, May 30
3rd National Running Day, nationwide, June 1
Reno-Tahoe Odyssey Relay Run Adventure, NV-CA, June 3



Eggleston, Bekele Win Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon

Event record 18,000 participants at third edition in City of Bridges

By Karen Fredette




PITTSBURGH - (May 15, 2011) - With a temperature in the 60s, and a drizzle that didn't dampen runners' spirits, the 3rd running of the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon and the FedEx Ground Pittsburgh Marathon Relay was underway. The City of Bridges hosted an event record field of 18,000 registered participants as well as cheering crowds all along the marathon route.



Men's champion Jeffrey Eggleston was the elite rabbit, hired to set the pace for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Qualifying "A" standard of 2 hours, 19 minutes. The role kept him in the second pack through most of the race. At mile 18, his role as rabbit was complete, and the Flagstaff, Arizona resident moved ahead to join the leaders, a pack comprised exclusively of Kenyans and Ethiopians, including Isaac Birir, David Rutoh, Teklu Deneke and Tariku Bokain. At mile 25, the 26-year-old American made his decisive move, pulling away to finish 29 seconds in front of Rutoh, with a time of 2 hours, 16 minutes, 40 seconds.



"It was a great race, a great day, and a great U.S. victory for one of the country's top ten American male marathon runners, Jeffrey Eggleston," race director Patrice Matamoros said.



In the women's marathon, Delelecha Yihunlish Bekele of Ethiopia won the day in 2:35:36. She was followed by countrywomen Serkalem Abrha and Dengersa Tezeta and Alemtsehay Misganaw, who turned in a top marathon debut of 2:38:57, but was disqualified because she was registered for the half-marathon. Two American women achieved the Olympic Trials Qualifying "B" Standard: Natasha Labeaud of Flagstaff, AZ (FOLSOM HIGH SCHOOL, FOLSOM, CA 2005; GEORGETOWN 2009)and Lauren Philbrook of State College, PA.



Nicholas Kurgat of Kenya and Malika Mejdoub of Morocco won the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 1:03:38 and 1:14:26, respectively.

3rd Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
Pittsburgh, PA, Sunday, May 15, 2011



MEN
1) Jeffrey Eggleston (USA / AZ), 2:16:40, $6500
2) David Rutoh (KEN), 2:17:09, $4000
3) Tariku Bokain (ETH), 2:17:43, $2000
4) Isaac Birir (KEN), 2:17:54, $1000
5) Teklu Tefera Deneke (ETH), 2:18:33, $500



MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Eric Laughlin, 41, OH, 2:35:25, $1000
2) James Hommes, 40, PA, 2:37:31, $750 (includes state prize money)
3) Michael Murphy, 40, FL, 2:39:18, $250



WOMEN
1) Delelecha Yihunlish Bekele (ETH), 2:35:36, $6500
2) Serkalem Abrha (ETH), 2:39:14, $4000
3) Dengersa Tezeta (ETH), 2:40:07, $2000
4) Alice Ndirangu (KEN), 2:41:31, $1000
5) Natasha Labeaud (USA / AZ), 2:42:53, $500
7) Lauren Philbrook (USA / PA), 2:45:13, $1000 (top state)



MASTERS WOMEN (40+)
1) Cheryl Collins-Gatons, 44, PA, 2:57:07, $1500 (includes state prize money)
2) Tammy Slusser, 46, PA, 3:09:02, $500
3) Sherri Martin, 49, PA, 3:17:44, $250



3rd UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon


MEN
1) Nicholas Kurgat (KEN), 1:03:38, $2500
2) Ketema Nigusse (ETH), 1:03:57, $1000
3) Kipeyegon Kirui (KEN), 1:04:22, $500
4) Tesfaye Assefa Dube (ETH), 1:04:23, $350
5) George Towett (KEN), 1:05:45, $250



WOMEN
1) Malika Mejdoub (MAR), 1:14:26, $2500
2) Aziza Aliyu (ETH), 1:14:27, $1000
3) Megan Wright (CAN), 1:15:07, $500
4) Divina Jepkogei (KEN), 1:15:15, $350
5) Irina Mashkantseva (RUS), 1:15:42, $250



Complete results and more at: www.pittsburghmarathon.com





Top U.S. Field Expected at Freihofer's Run for Women 5K

Donaghue, McKaig and Brown to battle world's best alongside Capital Region favorites Blood, Maloy and Hogan; 14-year-old phenom Alana Hadley also in line-up





ALBANY, N.Y. - (May 11, 2011) - One of the strongest American fields in recent memory will toe the line Saturday, June 4th in downtown Albany for the 33rd edition of the Freihofer's Run for Women 5K.



Leading the U.S. contingent will be 35-year-old Rebecca Donaghue, who finished 9th in 2010 (15:50) and was the event's top American finisher. The UMass-Amherst grad is showing good form of late and recently ran 15:53.42 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational 5000m and was 8th at 2011 Gate River Run 15K.

Donaghue will be joined on the start line by Alissa McKaig, 25, a newcomer to Freihofer's, who was 9th at the 2011 Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational 5000m and 8th at the 2011 Mt. SAC 5000m. McKaig, who finished 28th at the recent 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Punta Umbria, Spain, will be part of the USA 2011 World Marathon Team that will compete in Daegu, South Korea.



Emily Brown, a four-time All American at the University of Minnesota, will certainly be another American threat. The New Balance runner, who Running Times recently said, "may be the best American distance runner you haven't heard of," boasts impressive credentials, including a 2009 USA Cross Country crown, 3rd at the 2008 USA Cross Country Championships and 18th at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships. She recently placed 12th at the 2011 Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K.



"Without a doubt this is the deepest U.S. field we've had since 2004 when we last hosted the USA Women's 5K Championships," said Event Director George Regan. "These women will have the opportunity to compete against the best athletes in the world without having to travel abroad. That's a real bonus for them."



Further bolstering the elite field will be a trio of U.S. runners who will be hoping to become the first local Freihofer's winner since Cheri Goddard-Kenah in 1999. The most heralded of these women is Nicole Blood (ROYAL HIGH SCHOOL, SIMI VALLEY 2006), 23, (Saratoga Springs), who joined OTC Elite in the fall of 2010 after a storied career at the University of Oregon.

At Oregon, Blood was a nine-time All-American and a three-time Academic All-American. She holds the Oregon school record in the indoor 5000 (15:51.59) and won four Pac-10 Championships during her career: two at 5000 meters, one at 10,000 meters and one in cross country. Blood also recorded a pair of career top 10 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and was a 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials competitor, as well as a 2010 USA Track & Field Championships qualifier.



Elizabeth Maloy, 25, a Loudonville, NY native and Holy Names graduate, is hoping to improve upon her 2010 Freihofer's debut in which she finished 10th (15:53). Maloy, who has fast track speed (her personal record in 5000m is 15:39), was a four-time All American at Georgetown University, and has achieved some early successes since turning pro, including 1st British Milers Club Grand Prix 3000m (8:56.89), 2nd Savo Games 1500m (4:11.20) and 2nd Brasschatt Meeting 1500m (4:09.24). She recently placed third at the 2011 Mt. SAC 5000m (new PR of 15:19.87).



In addition, Megan Hogan, 23, a Ballston Spa native who earned All-American cross country honors at George Washington University, and who recently finished 9th at the 2011 Mt. SAC 5000m (15:29.9), 3rd at 2011 Gate River Run, and 8th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, rounds off the local contingent.



"I expect all of these local women to stay right with our international field," added Regan. "Each of these women is extremely gifted and has the potential to do well. Once you put them in a field like Freihofer's you can expect to see them rise to the occasion with their very best performances."



Fourteen year-old phenom, Alana Hadley, who ran 17:09 for 5000m last year as a 13-year-old and was 33rd at the 2010 NYRR New York Mini 10K, will be yet another American to keep a close eye on come race day.



The Charlotte, NC resident was 1st in a new PR of 17:06 at the 2011 Vertklasse Meet and 1st in a new PR of 36:14 at the 2011 RU Highlander Invitational 10,000. She also set a U.S. single age record for the half-marathon (1:21:15) at the 2011 Alston & Bird Corporate Cup. One of long distance running's rising young stars, Hadley is scheduled to take part in the popular Freihofer's Elite Athlete Visitation Program, and will visit Capital Region schools in the lead-up to the race.



For more information about the 33rd Freihofer's Run for Women event including the inaugural Freihofer's Junior 3K Run, visit freihofersrun.com. From the home page, there are links to the event's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.





White, Camp Capture 34th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Titles

Adugna, Lagat 10K winners; an event record 18,269 runners and walkers fill the streets of Cleveland; race participation increases 17 percent since 2010, breaks record two years in a row

By Leigh Greenfelder




CLEVELAND - (May 15, 2011) - The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon saw participation increase more than 250 percent since Rite Aid became the title sponsor - from 5,200 participants in 2003 to 18,269 in this year's 34th running on Sunday morning. Both the half and full marathon sold out for the second time in the marathon's 34-year history.

"The crowd support was outstanding today," said Executive Race Director Jack Staph. "Sometimes when the rain starts coming down, the fans don't stay. But today they were alive, excited and cheering on our runners and walkers all throughout the course and finish line."



A record 18,269 runners participated in the 2011 Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Half Marathon & 10K events, including a 5K on Saturday that drew 1,011 runners, the We Run This City Program that had 705 school-aged participants from Cleveland Municipal School District, and another 553 children who participated in the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Red Nose Children's Run on Saturday on the field at the Cleveland Browns Stadium.



"We are so pleased to show the City of Cleveland in such a great light for so many thousands of people," said Staph. "This is a great city, featuring a flat and fast course, and it seems more and more people are enjoying what we call 'the Cleveland Experience.'"



R.P. White, a 24-year-old runner from Ypsilanti, Mich., was the first to cross the marathon finish line with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, 59 seconds. With a light mist coming down, he came out of seemingly nowhere near mile 24 to claim the lead. For most of the race, White was at least a half mile behind Cory Scheadler.

"The best marathon advice I've received was to not burn your fuel out early in the race," White said. "I saw Scheadler coming back at me and I thought I might be able to pass him, so I picked up the pace a little and was able to take the lead. This is only my second marathon - so I'm thrilled about the win!"



Scheadler, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, came in second in 2:28:29, followed by 29-year-old Jason Pyles of Charleston, WV at 2:31:59.



Twenty-five-year-old Nicole Camp of Sterling, Ohio, won the women's marathon for the second year in a row, finishing in 2:43:47, beating her 2010 time by a little more than 12 minutes. St. Charles, MO resident Jackie Pirtle-Hall, 28, finished second in 2:47:05. She was followed by Jennifer Bigham, 29, of Rochester, NY who finished in 2:53:41.



Thirty-year-old David Keenan from Tonawanda, NY, finished first in the men's half-marathon with a 1:10:27 clocking, while Marian Pyles, a 27-year-old runner from Charleston, WV, led the women's half-marathon in 1:21:11. Her husband, Jeff, placed third in the marathon.



The half-marathon had an event record of approximately 8,319 participants.

Common with the 10K race, elite international runners dominated the top spots for the men's and women's events. Ethiopian runner Kumsa Adugna and Kenyan runner Everlyne Lagat won the men's and women's races, respectively and each took home a $1500 purse.



Adugna, 24, finished in 29:48, while Lagat, 30, clocked a 34:00. Adugna was followed by Kenyans Festus Langat, 26, who finished in 29:53 and Aron Rono, 28, in 29:54.

Risper Gesabwa, 22, of Kenya was runner-up in the women's 10K in 34:04. She was followed by 28-year-old Alison Grace-Morgan of Lexington, KY who ran 34:15.



The 2011 race featured 17 neighborhood parties, and another 14 music stations and bands along the course. The Tremont neighborhood, a new and beloved addition to the 2010 course was packed with parties, cheering sections, choirs and other festivities again this year. The finish line area, which featured live bands, a beer garden, massage tents and a meet and greet with Cleveland Brown's defensive back, Joe Haden - was overflowing with family and friends of runners enjoying the sights of the North Coast Harbor with the finish line situated just between the Great Lakes Science Center and Cleveland Browns Stadium.



Registration has opened for the 2012 race, scheduled for Sunday, May 20.



34th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon
Cleveland, OH, Sunday, May 15, 2011



MEN
1) R.P. White (MI), 2:26:59, $1000
2) Cory Scheadler (OH), 2:28:29, $500
3) Jason Pyles (WV), 2:31:59, $300



WOMEN
1) Nicole Camp (OH), 2:43:47, $1000
2) Jackie Pirtle-Hall (MO), 2:47:05, $500
3) Jennifer Bigham (NY), 2:53:41, $300
4) Tatiana Mironova, 42, RUS, 2:54:12, $700 (includes first Masters prize money)
5) Heather Backer (KY), 2:58:43, $100



34th Rite Aid Cleveland 10K


MEN
1) Kumsa Adugna (ETH), 29:48, $1500
2) Festus Langat (KEN), 29:53, $750
3) Aron Rono (KEN), 29:54, $500
4) Julius Kiptoo (KEN), 30:00, $400
5) Mario Macias (MEX), 30:07, $250



WOMEN
1) Everlyne Lagat (KEN), 34:00, $1500
2) Risper Gesabwa (KEN), 34:04, $750
3) Alison Grace-Morgan (USA / KY), 34:15, $500
4) Kara Storage (USA / OH), 35:31, $900 (includes Ohio prize money)
5) Tara Storage (USA / OH), 36:19, $550 (includes Ohio prize money)
6) Becki Ordway (USA / OH), 36:39, $200 (includes Ohio prize money)
7) Monica Joyce, 52, USA / MI, 37:43, $300 (top Masters)



Full results and more at: www.clevelandmarathon.com



Team USA Marathon Squad Announced for 2011 World Championships

Goucher, Arciniaga lead U.S. contingent in Daegu, Korea this summer





INDIANAPOLIS - (May 17, 2011) - USA Track & Field has announced the Team USA marathon squad for the 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, to be held in Daegu, Korea, August 27 - September 4.



Coming off of a fifth place finish and personal record of 2:24:52 at the 2011 B.A.A. Boston Marathon, Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) will once again lead the Team USA women to the starting line in Daegu when competition gets underway on Sunday, August 27. At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, the 2008 Olympian was top American in 10th (2:27:48).



Joining Goucher on the line in Daegu will be her 2009 IAAF World Championships teammate Tera Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo.) who earned her place on the team with a PR of 2:30:53 at the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.



2004 Olympic marathoner Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.) will also be on the line with Goucher and Moody thanks to her course record run of 2:30:51 at the 2010 Copenhagen Marathon.



Completing the five-woman squad will be Kathy Newberry (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Alissa McKaig (Blowing Rock, N.C.) based on their top five finishes at the 2010 USA Women's Marathon Championships in New York City last fall where they finished third and fifth, running 2:35:23 and 2:37:29, respectively.



Arciniaga leads men's team
The men's marathon team will compete in Daegu on September 4 and will be led by Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.) (FOUNTAIN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL, CA 2001; CAL STATE UNIVERSITY FULLERTON 2005)who locked-up his place on the squad with a runner-up finish, running 2:11:30 at the Chevron Houston Marathon in January.



Team USA will also feature Sergio Reyes (Los Osos, Calif.) (HOME SCHOOLED IN LOS OSOS, CA; CUESTA COLLEGE, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 2000; CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY, CEDARVILLE, OHIO 2002and Jeffrey Eggleston (Flagstaff, Ariz.) the respective national champion and runner-up from the 2010 USA Men's Marathon Championship. Reyes won the title in 2:14:02 at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon last October and Eggleston finished just seven seconds behind, punching his ticket to Korea.



Rounding out the men's squad will be Mike Sayenko (Bellevue, Wash.) and Mike Morgan (Rochester Hills, Mich.) who earned their places on Team USA with their respective performances of 2:14:27 and 2:14:55 at the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.



For more information on the IAAF World Championships, visit: www.usatf.org





Contact Information


Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director, ryan@runningusa.org, (805) 696-6232




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