Monday, July 18, 2011

Julia Stamps Mallon, of Santa Rosa, second in Napa-to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon

Running USA wire 57, July 18, 2011
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In this edition:
Caroline Kirui Crushes Course Record at Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half
Largest Field in Event History Expected at 40th Anniversary of Chevron Houston Marathon
Covenant House's "Home Team" to Raise Awareness, Funds at ING New York City Marathon
Eugene Women's Half Preview Run on August 14

UPCOMING EVENTS

Join Running USA today and have your event listed here, as well as on www.RunningUSA.org
Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, Blaine, WA, July 22
La Sportiva Vail Half Marathon, Vail, CO, July 24
Quad-City Times Bix 7, Davenport, IA, July 30
Challenge Cancer 5K, St. Paul, MN, July 30
Burning River 100 Mile, Cleveland, OH, July 30-31
USA 100 Mile Trail Championships
San Francisco Marathon, CA, July 31
TD Banknorth Beach to Beacon 10K, Cape Elizabeth, ME, Aug 6
Atlanta's Finest 5K, GA, August 6
Salinas Valley Half Marathon, Salinas, CA, August 6
Inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Providence Half-Marathon, RI, August 7
Step Up for Cancer, Denver, CO, August 7
La Sportiva 10K @ 10,000 Feet & 5K, Vail, CO, August 7
New Balance Falmouth Mile, Falmouth, MA, August 13
Grand Finale 5K, Atlanta, GA, August 13
Panerathon 5K & 10K, Colorado Springs, CO, August 13
New Balance Falmouth Road Race, Falmouth, MA, August 14
The Hottest Half & 10K, Dallas, TX, August 14


Caroline Kirui Crushes Course Record at Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half

Tesfaye Sendeku defends half-marathon title at 8th edition under ideal running conditions


From Matt Dockstader, Destination Races



SONOMA, Calif. - (July 17, 2011) - Caroline Kirui, a twenty-year-old from Kenya currently training in Auburn, CA, shattered the women's course record by more than 2 minutes at the 8th running of the Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon on Sunday morning. Kirui impressively covered the 13.1 course in 1 hour, 15 minutes, 45 seconds, easily defeating runner-up Julia Stamps Mallon, of Santa Rosa, winner of the 2009 Napa-to-Sonoma race, who came in at 1:18:27. Tiffanie Marley of Lake Hughes, CA finished third (1:19:55).



Tesfaye Sendeku of Ethiopia defended his title in a hard-fought race by defeating Christian Hesch of Hollywood, CA and Sergio Reyes of Palmdale, CA. Tesfaye, 27, ran a 4:56 per mile pace and finished in 1:04:37, off from his course record time of 1:03:58 set last year. Hesch finished in 1:04:53, barely beating out Reyes, the 2010 USA Marathon champion. Hesch stayed with Sendeku for nine miles before dropping back, allowing a determined Reyes to catch him before Hesch made a surge on the final stretch on Broadway, crossing the finish line two seconds ahead of Reyes.



Sendeku and Kirui both won a 6 liter bottle of sparkling wine from Gloria Ferrer, a Ball Watch and $750 in prize money. Kirui also received a bonus of $500 for breaking the course record. Weather conditions and temperatures were ideal for the thousands of runners who traveled from all over the world to compete in this wine country race from Napa to Sonoma.



But Caroline Kirui was the story of the day as she dominated a strong field. Stamps Mallon, winner of two previous wine country half-marathons was impressed. "I felt strong and knew I had a good pace but never really had Caroline in my sights after a few miles into the race", said Mallon. "She disappeared once we started winding through the vineyards on the flat section so I just focused on running a strong race."



Destination Races, producer of the event, announced that runners from all 50 states and 14 foreign countries entered this year's race, which sold out in December 2010, and on Sunday, had 2,404 finishers plus another 245 finishers in the accompanying 5K. The popularity of the race has grown each year, making entry into the race as challenging as the race itself. The Wine Country Half Marathon features a scenic course that starts at a winery in Napa and winds through the Carneros wine appellation.



Runners finished in front of thousands of cheering fans in front of City Hall in Sonoma Plaza, site of the post-race Wine & Music Festival, where fabulous weather, food and wine were served, helping explain the tremendous appeal of this event.



Twenty percent of the participants were part of Crohns and Colitis' Team Challenge program, which raised $1.7 million at the Napa-to-Sonoma event. One of those participants was Mike McCready of the popular rock band Pearl Jam. McCready was running in his first half-marathon and was upbeat about the experience, "I feel pretty good right now. It wasn't too painful," said Mike. "I really enjoyed the race and also training with my team from Seattle." McCready finished the race in 2:10:05.



In addition to Napa-to-Sonoma, Destination Races now produces half-marathon events in Santa Barbara wine country, the Willamette Valley of Oregon, Healdsburg, California and Northern Virginia. Destination Races' restricts its fields to 3,300 or less runners in order to offer more amenities and wine country hospitality, resulting in a more exclusive destination experience.



8th Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon
Sonoma, CA, Sunday, July 17, 2011



MEN
1) Tesfaye Sendeku (ETH), 1:04:37, $750 plus Ball watch and a magnum of wine from Gloria Ferrer
2) Christian Hesch (USA / CA), 1:04:53, $300 plus magnum of wine from Clif Family Winery
3) Sergio Reyes (USA / CA), 1:04:55, $200 plus magnum of wine from Cline Cellars



WOMEN
1) Caroline Kirui (KEN), 1:15:45*, $1250# plus Ball watch and a magnum of wine from Gloria Ferrer
2) Julia Stamps Mallon (USA / CA), 1:18:27, $300 plus magnum of wine from Clif Family Winery
3) Tiffanie Marley (USA / CA), 1:19:55, $200 plus magnum of wine from Cline Cellars
4) Lisbet Sunshine, 47, USA / CA, 1:23:23


*Course record (previous record, 1:18:11, Jane Kibii (KEN), 2008)
#includes $500 course record bonus

Full results and more at: www.napa2sonoma.com





Largest Field in Event History Expected at 40th Anniversary of Chevron Houston Marathon

2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon to be held one day prior to race day



HOUSTON - (July 15, 2011) - The Houston Marathon Committee is excited to celebrate its 40th anniversary running of the Houston Marathon six months from today on Sunday, January 15, 2012. The 2012 event will mark the largest participant base in the event's history with a record 28,000 participants expected to hit the streets of Houston in the Chevron Houston Marathon, Aramco Houston Half Marathon and El Paso Corporation 5K.



This past January, the Chevron Houston Marathon had the largest number of marathon finishers in the event's history, and for the fifth consecutive year, a new course and state marathon record was set by either the men's or women's marathon champion. In addition, the Run for a Reason charity program generated a record $2,086,000 benefiting 52 nonprofit organizations, surpassing $12.4 million in charitable donations in the program's 17-year history.



"Our 40th anniversary event will be a celebration of growth, commitment, loyalty and dedication that our City, participants, sponsors, volunteers and committee members have shown to the race," said Steven Karpas, managing director of business development and marketing. "It is fitting that we built 40 words into our 40th anniversary finisher medal with each word serving to represent a connection to our great race."



A preview of the 40th anniversary logo can be found on the event website ChevronHoustonMarathon.com.



The anniversary weekend will kick off with the Houston Marathon Committee's hosting of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon on Saturday, January 14, 2012, one day prior to race day. This will be the first time in U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials history that a single city will host both the men's and women's Olympic Trials events in the same year.



The races will determine the runners who will represent the United States in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Houston is the fifth city to host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon twice, also hosting the women's Trials in 1992, and only the second city to host the Trials for both genders (also Pittsburgh, 1988 - women and 2000 - men).



Runners can still be a part of the 40th anniversary weekend through the Run for a Reason charity program. Limited marathon and half marathon charity entries are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Details about how to enroll can be found at RunforaReasonHouston.org.



About the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc.
Established in 1972, the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. (HMC), a Running USA Founding Member, annually organizes the nation's premier winter marathon, half-marathon, 5K and kids' fun run. In 2011, more than 30,000 runners participated in four race weekend events organized by 7,500 volunteers, creating Houston's largest single-day sporting event. In addition to hosting numerous world-renowned road races, including the USA Men's and Women's Half Marathon Championships since 2005 and 2007 respectively, and the 1992 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials, HMC will host the 2012 U.S. Men's and Women's Olympic Team Trials - Marathon on January 14, 2012.



For more information, visit houstonmarathon.com or call (713) 957-3453.





Covenant House's "Home Team" to Raise Awareness, Funds at ING New York City Marathon

More than 180 official charities at 42nd edition on November 6, 2011





The ING New York City Marathon will once again feature more than 180 official charities, which in 2010 raised more than $30 million. One of these charities was Covenant House, who will be back to again participate in 2011. Covenant House's Home Team runs to raise awareness and funds for homeless youth across the Americas who are served by Covenant House. With the help of the Home Team, Covenant House is able to give homeless youth the love, support and tools they need to find their way off the streets.



"So many of our Home Team members, including myself, have been inspired to train for and to run the marathon by the lives of the youth we serve," said Covenant House president Kevin Ryan. "We make a point to have all our runners meet and get to know the homeless kids we are privileged to help at Covenant House. It is their courage and spirit to overcome adversity that make a special connection with our Home Team members, a connection that lasts long after they cross the finish line."



Home Team has raised nearly $400,000 since it first started participating in endurance sports with 25 members in the ING New York City Marathon. Its races now also include the Nautica NYC Triathlon, Philadelphia Marathon and Bank of America Chicago Marathon.



Covenant House serves over 70,000 homeless youth each year, through outreach and in residence, helping them to achieve a happy, healthy and independent life.



Throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America, their programs provide a continuum of care to help them from homelessness to independence, including food, shelter, clothing, medical assistance, education and vocational services, counseling, legal services, life skills training, recreation, pastoral care, aftercare and transitional housing.



For more information on Home Team and Covenant House, go to: www.covenanthouse.org/action/home-team





Eugene Women's Half Preview Run on August 14

Event teams up with Enterprise Eugene Call Center for course test drive



EUGENE, Ore. - (July 13, 2011) - The Enterprise Eugene Call Center and Eugene Women's Half Marathon are teaming up again to provide runners and walkers with a chance to see parts of the 13.1 mile course before the Sunday, September 4th event. The Preview Run will take place Sunday, August 14th at 8:00am at the Enterprise Call Center (8th and Charnelton) and is FREE to all participants.



"This event was such a huge success last year with close to 100 people coming out, that we had to do another Preview Run with the great folks at the Enterprise Eugene Call Center," says Nicole Teter, Eugene Women's Half Event Director.



Along with previewing 8 miles of the course, runners also will get water, Gatorade and mimosas at the finish of the run. Eugene Women's Half and Enterprise representatives will be on hand to coordinate and answer any questions. It is non-competitive with no times or awards given. The run will start at 8:00am in the parking lot on the north side of Enterprise's downtown location at 8th and Charnelton.



For more information, go to: www.eugenewomenshalf.com







Contact Information


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




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