Shay, Rhines Win USA 15K Titles at Gate River Run
De Reuck Sets U.S. Masters Record
Running USA Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - (March 12, 2005) - For the fourth time in five years, Team Running USA athletes swept the top two places at the USA 15K Championship hosted by the Gate River Run as Ryan Shay and Jen Rhines won national titles in 43:52 and 49:21 respectively. Rhines, from Ardmore, Pa., also won the USA 15K crown here in 1998. From 2001-2003, fellow teammates Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor, 2004 Olympic Marathon medalists, won national titles at Gate River with Keflezighi capturing four consecutive crowns (2001-04).

Under clear skies, temperatures in the 50s and windy conditions, the elite women started 5 minutes ahead of the men's elite field and the mass race. Like last year, the race offered an Equalizer Bonus worth $5000 to the first male or female to cross the finish line. The 5 minute "head start" is based on the time differential of the U.S. 15K records - 42:22, Todd Williams (1995) and 47:15, Deena Drossin (2003) - both set on the Gate River Run course.

Just before 9 miles of the 9.3 mile race, Shay, 25, of East Jordan, Mich., passed Rhines on the descent over the Hart Bridge and the Notre Dame grad carried his momentum to the finish line to beat race favorite and 2004 Olympic marathoner Alan Culpepper by six seconds, 43:52 to 43:58. For Shay, who - like Culpepper - is preparing for the upcoming Boston Marathon, it was a personal record and his fifth U.S. road title.

Rhines, 30, a two-time U.S. Olympian, took control of the women's race at 10K (6.2 miles) and pulled away from Elva Dryer, Blake Russell and defending champion Colleen De Reuck. The 2002 USA 10,000 meter champion won the women's national title in a personal record 49:21 with Dryer national runner-up in 49:42. De Reuck, 40, from Boulder, Colo. finished fourth in 49:51 to set a pending U.S. masters record - crushing the old mark by over two and half minutes.

Shay and Rhines earned $10,000 as national champions, and as the first runner across the finish line, Shay won the $5000 Equalizer Bonus.

As a national road championship, Gate River is also part of the 2005 USA Running Circuit, a USATF grand prix series (the second stop for the men and the first for the women), and Shay, the two-time defending USARC champion, moved into a second place USARC tie with Dan Browne, each with 15 points. Matt Lane who placed third here tops the men's standings with 16 points, while Rhines also picked up 15 points with the victory to lead the USARC women's standings.

28th Gate River Run 15K: USA Men's & Women's Championship
Jacksonville, FL, Saturday, March 12, 2005

MEN
1) Ryan Shay, MI, 43:52, $15,000 includes Equalizer Bonus
2) Alan Culpepper, CO, 43:58, $4000
3) Matt Lane, CA, 44:08, $3000
4) James Carney, CA, 44:17, $2000
5) Abdi Abdirahman, AZ, 44:23, $1000
6) Anthony Famiglietti, NY, 44:23, $900
7) Brian Sell, MI, 44:30, $800
8) Mike Donnelly, OR, 44:46, $700
9) Chris Graff, VA, 44:48, $600
10) Matt Downin, NJ, 44:53, $500

WOMEN
1) Jen Rhines, PA, 49:21, $10,000
2) Elva Dryer, NM, 49:42, $4000
3) Blake Russell, CA, 49:46, $3000
4) Colleen De Reuck, 40, CO, 49:51*, $3000 includes masters money
5) Kim Fitchen-Young, CA, 50:46, $1000
6) Jenny Crain, WI, 51:26, $900
7) Laura O'Neill, CT, 51:32, $800
8) Turena Johnson Lane, IN, 52:08, $700
9) Nicole Aish, CO, 52:19, $600
10) Ann Alyanak, OH, 52:54, $500
*pending U.S. 40-44/masters record (previous record, 52:22 by Laurie Binder at Gasparilla on February 11, 1989)

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