FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Scott Keenan
Executive Director
Laura Wright
Public Relations Director
(218) 727-0947
USA WOMEN’S HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP
ATTRACTS TOP AMERICAN ATHLETES
Duluth, MN: Colleen De Reuck, Christine Clifton, Milena Glusac, Jody
Hawkins, Jennifer Rhines, Kim Pawelek, Sara Wells and Jeanne Hennessy are
just a few of the top entries who will compete in the 2003 USA Women’s Half
Marathon Championship in Duluth, Minnesota on Saturday, June 21. The race
starts at 6:15 a.m. and will follow the same 13.1-mile course as the Garry
Bjorklund Half Marathon, which is run on the last half of the Grandma's
Marathon course.
The participants in the championship will compete for a prize purse that
goes ten deep in the open division and three deep in the masters division
totaling $28,000, with $6,000 going to the champion and time incentive
bonuses starting at sub-1:16:00 (see attached prize money breakdown). In
addition, the top three finishers in the competition will automatically
qualify for the World Half Marathon Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal on
October 4, 2003.
The national half marathon championship is being hosted in conjunction with
the 27th annual Grandma’s Marathon weekend. According to race officials a
new record on the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon course is a strong
possibility during the championship race. "The top thirteen women in the
competition have run personal record times that are faster than the current
course record of 1:14:11 in the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon," explains
Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma's Marathon.
"The field is very strong and we are expecting to see some of the best
performances in long distance running yet this year."
Colleen De Reuck of Boulder, Colorado leads the championship field of 73
women, coming into the race with a personal record time of 1:08:38. Her
recent national runner-up performances at the USA Women’s Marathon
Championship (2:37:41) in April and at the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K
(15:41) in May, make De Reuck one of the top ranking female runners in the
nation. In 2002, she won the USA Running Circuit (USARC) Grand Prix and
this year, she currently leads the USARC with 46 points
The USA Women’s Half Marathon Championship is the fifth stop on the 2003
Women’s USARC, a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championship
races ranging in distance from 5K to the marathon. At each national
championship, the top 10 U.S. athletes score Circuit points. The 2003 USARC
offers more than $340,000 in USA Championship prize money plus a $25,000
grand prix purse for the top three scorers per gender.
A list of the top participants in the 2003 USA Women’s Half Marathon
Championship is below. For more information visit www.grandmasmarathon.com
or call (218) 727-0947.
TOP TEN PARTICIPANTS - OPEN DIVISION (according to personal record time)
1. Colleen DeReuck Boulder, CO 1:08:38
2. Christine Clifton Kirkland, WA 1:10:37
3. Milena Glusac Fallbrook, CA 1:11:33
4. Jody Hawkins Bloomington, TX 1:11:47
5. Jennifer Rhines Ardmore, PA 1:11:55
6. Kim Pawelek Jacksonville, FL 1:12:48
7. Sara Wells Edina, MN 1:12:50
8. Tania Fischer Santa Monica, CA 1:13:00
9. Kelly Keane Manchester, NH 1:13:06
10. Rosa Gutierrez Glendale, OR 1:13:17
TOP FIVE PARTICIPANTS – MASTERS DIVISION (according to personal record
time)
1. Kelly Keeler Bloomington, MN 1:13:20
2. Jeanne Lasee-Johnson Chula Vista, CA 1:14:00
3. Julie Peterson Beverly, MA 1:14:21
4. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso Austin, TX 1:14:48
5. Kathleen Aragon Billings, MT 1:16:00
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