John Hancock Announced Return of Defending Champs Cherigat, Ndereba to 2005 Boston Marathon
*American Olympian Alan Culpepper, the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion, to Run
John Hancock Press Release

BOSTON, MA, February 10, 2005 - In its 20th year as the major sponsor of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial Services today announced the return of defending champions to the 2005 Boston Marathon, Catherine Ndereba and Timothy Cherigat of Kenya and the entry of Olympian Alan Culpepper of Lafayette, Colorado, for the 109th running of the race.  The event will be held on Monday, April 18, 2005.

In the women's field, three-time winner and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Catherine Ndereba returns to claim an unprecedented fourth title.  She has run the course five times: winning in 2004, 2001, and 2000; finishing second in 2002, and sixth in her 1999 debut.  The first Kenyan woman to win Boston and a World Championship Marathon, Ndereba is a former world-record holder, the second fastest marathoner in the world of all time, and has won or placed second in 12 of her 13 career marathons including Chicago, New York City, and London.

Timothy Cherigat returns as the defending men's champion. Last year, racing against past winners Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Rodgers Rop, he had something to prove coming off a fourth place finish in 2003.  As his competitors were faltering in the high temperatures, Cherigat surged off the Newton hills and finished uncontested by nearly a minute.  He has placed in the top three spots in four international marathons including New York City and Monaco, and his 2:09:34 win at the San Sebastian Marathon in 2002 remains the fastest time ever run in Spain.

American Olympian Alan Culpepper joins the John Hancock elite athlete team with a win at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials and a 12th place at the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon. A five-time U.S. National Champion in track and cross-country, the University of Colorado graduate has also competed on five World Championship and two Olympic teams.  He debuted at the 2002 Chicago Marathon and tied Alberto Salazar for the fastest American debut ever. Culpepper is married to two-time Olympian track standout Shayne Culpepper.

Find the latest news and information about the Boston Marathon at www.marathon.jhancock.com/marathon.

About John Hancock and Manulife Financial

John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 19 countries and territories worldwide.  Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and most of Asia, and primarily through John Hancock in the United States, the Company offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners.  Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$346 billion (US$274 billion) as at September 30, 2004. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '0945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States.  John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including whole life, term life, variable life, and universal life insurance, as well as college savings products, fixed and variable annuities, long-term care insurance, mutual funds and various forms of business insurance.

#     #     # =================== TIMOTHY CHERIGAT Chepkorio, Kenya BIB # 1

AGE: 28 (12/29/76)

PERSONAL BEST: 2:09:34 (San Sebastian, 2002)

BOSTON MARATHON HISTORY: 1st in 2004 (2:10:37); 4th in 2003 (2:11:28); 10th in 2001 (2:14:21)

The third time was a charm for defending champion Timothy Cherigat as he turned in the tactical race of a lifetime on the Boston course.  Going into the race Cherigat did not appear to be a contender having only the eleventh best time in the field.  He proved otherwise, battling high temperatures and a seasoned lead pack, which included past champions Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Rodgers Rop. Starting the race conservatively, Cherigat eased into a top-ten position by the 10K mark and then shifted gears.  After retrieving a dropped water bottle at mile 16 and losing some precious time, he boldly headed into the hills chasing down the leaders.  He soon followed a similar tactic that burned him in 2003 and put in a surge coming off the hills.  This time he would prevail and the pack became the pursuers as Cherigat pulled to an uncontested finish almost a minute ahead of runner-up Robert Cheboror.  Cherigat made his marathon debut at Boston in 2001 and returned to run with the leaders in the 2003 race where he finished fourth behind winner Cheruiyot.

CAREER NOTES: Also edging up in the standings in New York City, Cherigat moved from 11th in 2003 to 3rd last year, 36 seconds out of first.  Prior to New York City, he acted as pacer at the Chicago Marathon taking the leaders through the half in a sizzling 62:24.  Cherigat specializes in the marathon distance and does not enter many road races.  He instead prefers, as many of the Kenyans do, to spend time training.  The exception in 2003 was the B.A.A Half Marathon where Cherigat placed third in 64:03. His personal best time remains his San Sebastian win in 2002, still the fastest time ever recorded in Spain.  Before jumping to the marathon, Cherigat ran a 46:28, ten mile best with a win at the 2000 Mizuno Erewash Classic and a half-marathon best (61:22) with a fourth at the 2000 Humarathon 21K in France.

PERSONAL NOTES: Cherigat is employed by the Kenyan Navy in Mombassa and was promoted to corporal after his Boston victory.  Cherigat is married with a daughter Isabella and son Tim and lives in Chepkorio, which is located just outside of Eldoret.  He is coached by Dieter Hogan and trains with teammates Stephen Kiogora, Paul Koech and James Koskei in Kenya and Boulder, Colorado. American Bob Kennedy has also trained with Cherigat.  His traditional diet of ugali, chicken stew, rice and kale helps fuel his high mileage routine.

=================== CATHERINE NDEREBA Nairobi, Kenya BIB # F1

AGE:  32 (7/21/72)

PERSONAL BEST:  2:18:47 (Chicago, 2001) National Record

BOSTON MARATHON HISTORY: 1ST in 2004 (2:24:27); 2nd in 2002 (2:21:12); 1st in 2001 (2:23:53); 1st in 2000 (2:26:11); 6th in 1999 (2:28:27)

The defending champion and first Kenyan woman to win Boston, Catherine Ndereba joins Fatuma Roba, Uta Pippig and Rosa Mota as a three-time winner. Crossing the tape first this year would put her in a league of her own.  In her opening Boston appearance and marathon debut, Ndereba finished sixth, but gained valuable insight into the course typography.  The following year she denied Roba a fourth consecutive win by matching the Ethiopian stride for stride from Heartbreak Hill and pulling away in the final mile.  Ndereba defended her crown in 2001 and as a testament to her potential trimmed more than two minutes off her previous Boston mark.  In 2002, countrywoman Margaret Okayo beat Ndereba in the closing mile, but both women broke Pippig's long-standing 1994 course record. Last year, tying the closest 1-2 women's finish of 16 seconds, Ndereba triumphed in a close duel which began at mile 10 with Elfenesh Alemu and burst open at mile 25 with Ndereba prevailing across the finish line.

CAREER NOTES: This year Track & Field News ranked Ndereba the number two marathoner in the world based on her silver medal Olympic feat and Boston win. She is currently the Kenyan national record holder, the second fastest marathoner in the world behind Paula Radcliffe, and has won or placed second in all of her career marathons except her debut.  Her win at the 2003 World Championships was the first gold medal ever achieved by a Kenyan, male or female. Continuing her long tenure in shorter road races, Ndereba has consistently been named one of the top runners in the world since breaking through in 1996.  From a 15:07 5K best to a 48:06 national record 15K to her 67:54 half-marathon best, Ndereba is more than versatile.  This past year she won the Kobe 21K, and placed second at the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and the San Silvestre 10K.  On the track she finished third at the Kenyan National 10,000m Championships in 32:52.8.  In 2003 she won the Kenyan Prisons Cross Country and 5,000m Championships; the Sapporo 21K in a 68:23 course record; the Bix 7 Mile; and for the fifth time, the Beach to Beacon 10K.

PERSONAL NOTES: Born in Nyeri, Kenya, Ndereba is married to Anthony Maina and has a daughter, Jane, born in 1997.  She is affectionately known as "Catherine the Great" and is acknowledged as one of the most gracious athletes in the sport.  Her younger sister Anastasia is also an elite road racer. While in Nairobi she works for the prison system as a telephone operator. In 2004, the government named a street after Ndereba.  Ndereba's hobbies include knitting and crocheting.  She trains in Kenya and also, for more than a decade, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a group of Kenyan athletes.

=================== ALAN CULPEPPER Lafayette, Colorado, U.S.

AGE: 32 (9/15/72)

PERSONAL BEST: 2:09:41 (Chicago, 2002)

BOSTON MARATHON HISTORY: Debut

CAREER NOTES: U.S. Olympic Trials Champion in only his second marathon, Culpepper made a bold statement that he was ready to improve upon his track success by testing his potential over the 26.2-mile distance.  At the Olympics he gained confidence competing against the world's fastest marathoners and beating most of them with a 12th place finish. In his 2002 marathon debut in Chicago, Culpepper was second American behind Khalid Khannouchi and tied Alberto Salazar for the fastest American debut ever. 

Culpepper began competing at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas and won state titles in the 1,600m, 3,200m and cross-country.  He was influenced by the Kenyans recruited to the University of Texas at El Paso and would often see them running through town.  As a high school senior he competed with his club team under the guidance of coach Sam Walker. His breakthrough came in 1996 as a senior at the University of Colorado when he won the 5,000m NCAA Outdoor Championships and placed tenth at the Olympic Trials in the same distance.  He has since become one of the top Americans in the sport recording a 10,000m best of 27:33.93 and a 13:27.52 in the 5,000m. He has won three U.S. National Track Championships, two U.S. National Cross Country 12K Championships, competed on five World Championship teams, and competed on two Olympic teams: in the 10,000m in 2000 and in the marathon last year. Track & Field News ranked him the number one 10,000m runner in the U.S. in 2003.

PERSONAL NOTES: Married to track standout and two-time Olympian Shayne Culpepper, they have a three-year-old son named Cruz, who according to his parents understands the phrase "Mommy and Daddy are going for a run."  Culpepper says this Olympic experience was a highlight as both he and his wife won their U.S. Trials to qualify. (Shayne won the 5,000m Trials.) Culpepper started playing piano when he was a youth and still plays, although he added the guitar and bass during a college injury to keep busy.  He double majored in geography and sociology at the University of Colorado and after college decided to make the state his home.  He lives just outside Boulder and trains in the area.  He is self coached and says the Olympics gave him a lot more confidence in his abilities.  "I felt like it opened my eyes to the fact that I can run on a tough course like Boston, despite being a track athlete, and be successful."

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