Running USA wire 42, May 16, 2012

Running USA wire 42, May 16, 2012
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In this edition:
Olympic Silver Medalist, Course Record Holder, Boston Marathon Champ at 101st Bay to Breakers
Olympian Kara Goucher to Run Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon
Reyes, McLarty Win Santa Barbara Wine County Half Marathon
Benoit Samuelson, Audain to Participate in Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Activities

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Medtronic TC 1 Mile, Minneapolis, MN, May 17
USA Men's & Women's Championship
Twilight 5K, Denver, CO, May 17
Brooklyn Half-Marathon: NYRR 5-Borough Series, NY, May 19
5th Geist Half-Marathon by St. Vincent, Indianapolis, IN, May 19
Joplin Memorial Run, Joplin, MO, May 19
Fargo Marathon, Fargo, ND, May 19
TC Kids Marathon XC Fun Runs, Minneapolis, MN, May 19
Colfax 5K, Denver, CO, May 19
Cottonwood Classic 5K, Denver, CO, May 19
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Run, Colorado Springs, CO, May 19
35th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Weekend, OH, May 19-20
Cellcom Green Bay Marathon & Half, Green Bay, WI, May 19-20
5th Marine Corps Historic Half, Fredericksburg, VA, May 20
Divas Half-Marathon, North Myrtle Beach, SC, May 20
AirLife Memorial 5K & 10K, Denver, CO, May 20
Eye-Q California Classic Half-Marathon, Fresno, CA, May 20
Santa Monica Classic 5K & 10K, CA, May 20
101st Zazzle Bay to Breakers 12K, San Francisco, CA, May 20
Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Portland 1/2 Marathon, OR, May 20





Olympic Silver Medalist, Course Record Holder, Boston Marathon Champ at 101st Bay to Breakers

Top trio to face-off as celebrated race enters second century on Sunday, May 20, 2012


SAN FRANCISCO - (May 14, 2012) - As the Zazzle Bay to Breakers kicks off its second century on Sunday, May 20, 2012, the City can bank on seeing the highest caliber of competition to grace this race in decades. Welcoming back an Olympic silver medalist, the course record holder and former Boston Marathon champ, this race is sure to be one to go down in the history books.



This year, the Zazzle Bay to Breakers footrace welcomes back 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi for the second time at the Cross City Race. Known simply as "Meb" to the running world, as his running performance speaks for itself, ZB2B follows his inspiring win at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. His Olympic Trials victory placed Meb on his third Olympic team for the London Games this summer.



Standing in the way of an epic victory for Meb in San Francisco is course record holder Sammy Kitwara. The Kenyan Kitwara is looking to capture his third title on the Great Highway and is one of the fastest men in world history over the half-marathon distance. Not only does Kitwara hold the course record (33 minutes, 31 seconds), he also owns a win in the narrowest margin of victory in ZB2B history.



Looking for a victory of his own is Ethiopian Deriba Merga. Merga was runner-up at the centennial race and hoisted the victor's laurels at the 2009 Boston Marathon. Merga is a well-known front runner who is unafraid to push the pace in a race and has declared the focus of his spring racing to win the 101st Bay to Breakers in San Francisco.



This trio of men, along with athletes from Australia, Kenya, United States and Ethiopia will vie not only for the champion's trophy, but also for a $25,000 bonus if the winner can beat the top female to the finish line as well as $5000 to be the first to crest the fabled Hayes Street Hill.



The race kicks off at 7:00am at Howard and Beale Streets, when no more than 34 minutes later the fates of these men will be decided and the Bay to Breakers crown will be awarded.



Registration for the 101st running of the Bay to Breakers is open online until Wednesday, May 16, 2012 on our website at the www.ZazzleBaytoBreakers.com.



Registration will also be available onsite at Expo located at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium at 99 Grove St. in San Francisco on Friday from 11:00am - 7:00pm and Saturday from 9:00am - 6:00pm. Register and be a part of this iconic San Francisco race with these historic athletes.






Olympian Kara Goucher to Run Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon

Inaugural event kicks off city's annual Rose Festival; sold out race attracts nearly 14,000 entrants; Kevin Rudolf to headline finish line concert at Tom McCall Waterfront Park


PORTLAND, Ore. - (May 16, 2012) - Olympian Kara Goucher will lead a sold out field of nearly 14,000 runners though the streets of East Portland for the first running of the Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon on Sunday, May 20. The inaugural event will kick off Portland's celebrated Rose Festival, with 20 live bands performing on 14 entertainment stages positioned along the route.



"I'm looking forward to running the first edition of the Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half-Marathon in my adopted hometown," said Goucher, who trains locally with the Oregon Track Club and will host a clinic at the Health & Fitness Expo on Friday at 1:00pm. "This will truly be my first step towards the Olympic Games this summer and I'm excited to see where my fitness is at after training in Mammoth Lakes for five weeks. It will also be a treat for me to run alongside my community and through the beautiful neighborhoods of east Portland."



Goucher made history as first American ever to medal in the women's 10,000 meters, taking home the bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships. Throughout her career she has proven that she can perform on the world's biggest stages with podium finishes at major marathons in Boston and New York City, including her third place performance at the 2008 ING New York Marathon that marked the first time in 14 years an American woman finished in the top three at New York.



Goucher, 33, who has a half-marathon best time of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 57 seconds, most recently finished third at January's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials to earn a spot on the team representing the United States in London this summer. The Rock 'n' Roll Portland Half Marathon will be Goucher's second half-marathon since the Trials, finishing third at the NYC Half in March with a time of 69:13. It was the fifth time in Goucher's career that she has run under 70 minutes for the half-marathon. She made her U.S. half-marathon debut at the 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon, placing first overall in 1:08:05, almost twenty seconds ahead of the first male finisher.



"Kara loves the Rock 'n' Roll events and to have one on her doorstep I don't think we could have kept her away," said Matt Turnbull, Elite Athlete Coordinator for the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. "Without a doubt she is one of American's most talented distance runners and this event fits in just right with her Olympic preparations. I believe her home town race is the perfect send off for a successful summer in London."



Leading the men's field on Sunday in Portland will be a pair of Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers from Oregon, Sage Canaday of Sheridan and Ryan Bak of Bend. Canaday, formerly a member of the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project in Rochester Hills, Michigan, sports a 1:04:32 half-marathon personal best, set at Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras in 2011.



The 26-year-old Cornell grad is a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier and has recently turned his attention to ultrarunning. Bak, 30, finished fifth at last weekend's USA 25K Championships, and has set personal bests for 15K and 10 miles so far this year. He finished 23rd at January's U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, running 2:15:12.



"Portland is a beautiful city with a strong local running community and this course was designed with the runner experience in mind. I truly believe it's the best course the area has to offer, given the unique layout of the city," said two-Olympian Alan Culpepper, the event Operations Director, who designed the 13.1-mile course. "The route offers an abundance of scenic water views with crossing both the Hawthorne and Steel bridges, showcasing the amazing East Portland neighborhoods, as well as passing Chapman and Lownsdale Squares highlighting the very best of the City of Roses."



The race will begin at 8:00am on Sunday morning on Naito Parkway, adjacent to Portland's scenic Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Both the start and finish line venues are located at the Waterfront Park, alongside the Willamette River and the city's downtown core. After a short tour of downtown, runners will enjoy the first of two bridge crossings as they head to east Portland. There participants will experience an eclectic mix of Portland neighborhoods, gorgeous Laurelhurst Park and a wonderful downhill finish heading back towards the downtown skyline on Lloyd Blvd. After the final crossing on the iconic Steel Bridge, runners finish back at the Waterfront Park on Naito Parkway at the corner of Salmon Street.



A free two-day Health and Fitness Expo will kickoff event weekend on Friday, May 18 at the Oregon Convention Center. The expo is free and open to the public featuring the latest health and nutrition information with a variety of products for sample and sale, as well as a series of interactive fitness clinics. Race weekend festivities conclude with a finish line concert featuring Kevin Rudolf located in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. For more information, visit: Competitor.com






Reyes, McLarty Win Santa Barbara Wine County Half Marathon

More than 2,600 runners at 6th edition enjoy near ideal running conditions

By Matt Dockstader, Destination Races



SOLVANG, Calif. - (May 12, 2012) - Smiling faces and fast runners ruled the day at the sixth running of the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. On Saturday morning, Sergio Reyes of Palmdale, CA and Andrea McLarty of Santa Barbara both cruised to dominant victories under near perfect running (and wine tasting) conditions in the Santa Ynez Valley.



Reyes, 30, finished in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 32 seconds, nearly two minutes off his course record from 2010, besting Jonathan Pierce of San Diego by about two minutes. Ryan Emery, from Newbury Park, ran the race on his birthday finishing third in 1:09:44.



McLarty, 34, clocked a 1:21:04, beating runner-up Emilie Johnson by almost six minutes. Johnson, a basketball player at UCSB, was running her first half-marathon. Jessica Douglass took third (1:27:49).



The Masters races (40 and older) were won by Mike Wasson, 46, of nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base in 1:16:46, while Mary Jones, 42, from Ventura celebrated her birthday with a winning time of 1:28:17.



Reyes and McLarty received a check each for $600 from Rabobank, plus a Riedel decanter trophy and a 5 liter bottle of wine. Second and third place winners received $300 and $200 in cash plus magnums of wine and top finishers in each age division all received a bottle of wine.



More than 2,600 runners from all over the world completed the scenic course that takes runners from Santa Ynez to Solvang via Los Olivos and Ballard Canyon. Marine layer fog kept runners cool for most of the race until the sun broke through just in time for the post-race Wine & Music Festival in Solvang Park. Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer of Runner's World, presented the awards after completing the race himself.



The Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is the first event in the series produced by Destination Races of Sonoma, California.



6th Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon
Santa Ynez to Solvang, CA, Saturday, May 12, 2012



MEN
1) Sergio Reyes (CA), 1:06:32, $600 plus a Riedel decanter trophy & a 5 liter bottle of wine
2) Jonathan Pierce (CA), 1:08:29, $300 plus magnum of wine
3) Ryan Emery (CA), 1:09:44, $200 plus magnum of wine



WOMEN
1) Andrea McLarty (CA), 1:21:04, $600 plus a Riedel decanter trophy & a 5 liter bottle of wine
2) Emilie Johnson (CA), 1:27:01, $300 plus magnum of wine
3) Jessica Douglass (CA), 1:27:49, $200 plus magnum of wine



For complete results, go to: www.runsantaynez.com






Benoit Samuelson, Audain to Participate in Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Activities

Women's running legends will speak at Expo; appear at Saturday events; 20,000 entrants expected at 35th edition


CLEVELAND - (May 14, 2012) - With the tremendous growth in female participation in running and the 40th anniversary of Title IX, it's only fitting that running legends Joan Benoit Samuelson and Anne Audain will be on hand for the 35th Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon this weekend.



"It's a tremendous honor to have Joan and Anne join us this weekend," said Jack Staph, Executive Director of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. "In 2003, women made up 38 percent of our participants and now less than 10 years later that number is closer to 60 percent. Successful role models like Joan and Anne have paved the way for millions of new female runners."



Widely regarded as the top American women's distance runner of all time, Benoit Samuelson won the first Olympic gold medal in the women's marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. The Maine native was a two-time winner of the Boston Marathon (1979 and 1983) and also earned the 1985 Chicago Marathon title.



Meanwhile, Audain is a seven-time winner of the Rite Aid Cleveland 10K, claiming her first title in 1982. The New Zealand native and Running USA board member finished 11th in the women's 10,000 meters at the 1988 Olympics and has been honored as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Both are members of the Running USA Hall of Champions.



The pair is slated to speak multiple times at the Health & Fitness Expo presented by Prayers From Maria Children's Glioma Cancer Foundation, which is held Friday and Saturday (May 18-19) at the I-X Center located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Benoit Samuelson will speak at 1:00pm both days, while Audain will talk Friday at 2:00pm and Saturday at 3:00pm. They will also give a joint talk Friday at 4:00pm.



Benoit Samuelson and Audain will serve as honorary starters for the Rite Aid Cleveland 5K presented by the Organization for Autism Research (OAR) Saturday morning at 8:00am at Cleveland Browns Stadium, in addition to appearing at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Red Nose Children's Run held at the stadium at 11:00am.



The Expo will be open Friday, May 18 from 11:00am - 7:00pm and from 10:00am - 6:00pm on Saturday, May 19. Free shuttle bus service will be offered to the Expo and back from the Hyatt Regency Cleveland at The Arcade, which is located at 420 East Superior Avenue. Parking will also be offered at the I-X Center at the special event rate of $8 per car. With nearly 200 vendors slated to participate, the Expo has something for everyone, including discounted running shoes, apparel and gear, and the opportunity to meet famous running legends and attend workshops.



All participants must attend the Health and Fitness Expo in order to pick up their bib, timing device, goody bag and t-shirt. Friends, family and the general public are welcome to attend. The Expo is free of charge to everyone.



The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon offers the following opportunities for people to participate in the event: full marathon, half-marathon, 10K, full marathon walking division, half-marathon walking division, 10K walking division, 5K (run or walk) and Kids' Run. The events take place May 19 and 20, 2012. To learn more, visit: www.clevelandmarathon.com



To-date, the half-marathon has sold out, the full marathon has 63 spaces remaining and the 10K and 5K are close to reaching their respective caps as well. 18,300 people competed in the 2011 events over the course of the weekend. Organizers are expecting close to 20,000 participants for the 35th edition this weekend.



There are also opportunities for non-profit organizations to raise funds through their participation in the race through Cleveland Marathon Charities, for which information can also be found on the marathon's website: www.clevelandmarathon.com







Contact Information


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




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