2006 BolderBoulder
International Team Challenge Teams Announced
Race
Press Release
Boulder,
CO – May 24, 2006: The
2006 BolderBOULDER International Team Challenge is gearing up. 23 teams
representing 13 countries have signed up for the 9th International Team
Challenge at the 28th BolderBOULDER on Memorial Day, May 29th.
On
the men’s side, eleven teams include: USA, Team Colorado, Australia (AUS),
Canada (CAN), Ecuador (ECU), Ethiopia (ETH), Great Britain (GBR), Kenya (KEN),
Mexico (MEX), Morocco (MOR) and Russia (RUS).
On
the women’s side, twelve teams include: USA, Team Colorado, Australia (AUS),
Ethiopia (ETH), Great Britain (GBR), Japan (JPN), Kenya (KEN), Mexico (MEX),
Morocco (MOR), Poland (POL), Romania (ROM) and Russia
(RUS).
The
International Team Challenge runs in the afternoon, after the citizen’s race
finishes and after the Memorial Day Tribute. Team introductions in Folsom Field on
the University of Colorado campus precede the professional races. The women’s race starts at 11:30am and
the men’s race starts at 12:20pm.
This year the professional awards ceremonies will take place at 3pm at
the Bash Bash at the Millennium Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. Teams compete on a 10k 5-lap criterium
course along Folsom Street with one lap through Folsom Field. Spectators can
watch both races along Folsom Street or from inside the stadium on the
BuffVision big screen TV.
The BolderBOULDER is also telecast live on the Denver CBS affiliate,
KCNC-TV channel 4 from 9am – 1:00pm on race day. The post-race press conference
will be at 1:30pm at Folsom Field, Club Level.
The
International Team Challenge, started in 1998, is the largest international road
racing team competition held annually in the United States. International teams
are made up of three runners per gender. The teams compete for one of the
largest non-marathon prize purses in the world. Monies are awarded in both team
and individual categories. Teams are scored cross-country style with points
awarded on the basis of finishing place. The team with the lowest score for all
three runners is the winner. Ties are broken by the position of the third-place
finishers.
2006
International Team Challenge (ITC) Athlete Bibs & Bio’s:
Men
Team
Colorado
36. Matt Levassiur: An 11-time Division II All-American, this
Colorado native holds a BA in Secondary
Education.
35. Christopher England: England’s most recent accomplishment
is he teamed with Clint Wells to win the USATF Club Marathon Relay championship
on Sunday; he posted a 15:12 5k split.
Earlier this year, England took 21st place in the U.S. 15k
National Championships in Jacksonville, FL with a time of 47:20 and
1:08:27 in the 3m Half Marathon in Austin, TX, his first race back after a two
year lay off from racing while he was serving in the U.S. Army.
34. Clint Wells: The top American finisher in last year’s
race, this former CU All-American has a lifetime best of 27.56 at 10,000 meters.
A resident of near-by Superior, Colorado, Wells ran for Team Colorado in 2005
and Team USA in 2003. Recently, Wells anchored the winning Boulder Express (BX)
team at the USATF National Club Marathon Relay
Championships.
Australia
33. Kim Gillard: With a lifetime best of 28.23 at 10,000
meters on the track, he was 14th in the 2003 ITC. A 2:15 marathoner,
Gillard has been running well this spring and looks poised to finally put
together a great race here in 2006.
32. Andrew Letherby: A seasoned competitor and representative for
Australia on numerous occasions, he is a perennial top 15 finisher from Fukuoka
to Boston. Inspired by the success of his mother who competed during the early
1980’s in the marathon and World Cross Country Championships, Letherby has a
marathon personal best of 2:12.45. With a talent that clearly runs in the
family, it may come as no surprise that Letherby’s sister was a top Australian
race walker with 5 national medals to her credit.
31.
Shane Nankervis:
A former basketball standout, Nankervis is a self-described, “pavement basher”.
Only 7 seven years into his running career, Nankervis managed a bakery in his
hometown of Ballarat until age 25.
Canada
30. Taylor
Milne: Holder of 8 High Point U school records, she
was a member of the Canadian National Team, World Cross-country Champs and she
is the NACAC Champs Big South
Conference Record Holder at 1500m. Looking extremely fit, Milne runs for Speed
River Track Club when not representing the national squad.
29. Calvin Staples: A certified clinical audiologist, Staples
is a native of Kitchener, Ontario. Despite being only his first 10k of the year,
Staples ran 29:58 last month in Hillsdale, MI.
28. Nigel Wray: Along with Staples and Murphy, Wray has
experience on the Canadian national team and is a solid, veteran performer. In
addition, Wray was a 5-time MAAC champion at Iona College and 2-time OFSAA
medalist.
Ecuador
27. Byron Piedra: A relative unknown on the international
scene, the 2006 ITC will be his first true taste of world-class
competition.
26. Silvio Guerra: Always a solid performer in the ITC, Guerra
holds the distinction of most BolderBOULDER’s by a professional athlete. A
2-time runner-up in the prestigious Boston Marathon, Guerra owns the Ecuadorian
national record for 5k (13:30), 10km (27:47) and marathon (2:09:49).
25. Vladimir Guerra: Younger brother of Silvio Guerra, Vladimir
has an altitude personal best of 30:11 for
10km.
Ethiopia
24. Berhanu Adane: The 1999 BolderBOULDER champion, it was in
that year he ran in a borrowed singlet from Darren De Reuck (Husband of past ITC
entrant Colleen De Reuck) in order to match his teammates. Put on backwards at the last minute, one
can see a very high neckline in the 1999 archival photos. Adane was also the
2002 Ethiopian XC Champion at 4km.
23. Asnake Fekadu: Adding depth to an
already fleet-footed Ethiopian team, Fekadu ran only 20 seconds out of
1st place at the Country Music Marathon with a time of 2:15:26.
22. Dejene Guta: With good cause, Guta lists the marathon as
his premier event. In 2005, at the Dubai Marathon, he ran to victory in a time
of 2:10:49.
Great Britain
21. Andi
Jones: With a personal best of 29:24 for 10km, already this month he has run
to a 14:40 road, 5km finish. Further to his credit, Jones ran under 2:20 in this
year’s London Marathon.
20. Ewen
North: Although a first-time ITC entrant and representative for Great
Britain, North is no stranger to the sport. Pounding the pavement for over 20
years, this Boulder resident holds a Master’s in Health & Exercise
Physiology and a degree in Business. In addition, he is Director of the
BolderBOULDER Training Club and a former training partner (Adam’s St.) of Team
USA’s Brandon Leslie.
19. Jason Ward:
One of Great Britain’s best young guns, Ward won the Jr. 5km title and ran
the 2nd fastest leg on the British national relay. Working as an IT
consultant, already this year he has run a lifetime best of 29:14 for 10km.
Kenya
18. Charles Kiama: With a personal best of 1:01:34 in the half
marathon, Kiama recently ran to a runner-up finish at the 2006 Bloomsday 12km.
Finishing in a time of 34:36, success at Bloomsday is a common precursor to
BolderBOULDER stardom.
17. Lewis Nyariki: 6th at the 2006 Bloomsday 12km,
his older brother, Tom Nyariki, was the 2002 BolderBOULDER champion. Only 19
years old and looking fast, Nyariki placed 4th at the 2006 Kenyan
Junior Cross Country Championships.
16. Laban Kipkemboi: Kipkemboi is only a 2:08:39
marathoner.
México
12. Juan Luis
Barrios: Running a 5km personal best of 13.38.15, at only 22, Barrios may be
the missing puzzle piece in México’s still unfulfilled quest for a
team title.
11. David Galindo: 4th in the 2005 ITC, he is a
contender for this year’s crown with a seasonal best of 28:25 for
10km.
10. Alejandro Suarez: An Olympian in Athens (5km) and a sub 4
minute miler, Suarez has displayed good versatility in several solid
performances leading up to this year’s race. With a 10km personal best of 28:17,
Suarez puts México in the hunt for its first-ever team
title.
Morocco
9. Ahmed Baday: Owning an impressive 10km personal best of
27:48, Baday has also run 13:32 over 5 km.
8. Ridouane Harroufi: A solid performer in the endurance events,
Harroufi has a personal best of 1:01:37 in the half
marathon.
7. Aniss Selmouni: Perhaps the fastest ITC entrant of all
time, Selmouni runs with world-class mile speed
(3:52.66).
Russia
6. Andrey Karpin: Dominating the Russian road-racing scene,
he has a 10km personal best of 29:08.
5. Sergei Lukin: Like his countrymen, Lukin is a medal
contender in every race he enters. 2nd at the Russian Cross Country
Championships, he has run a personal best of 28:54 for 10km.
4. Dmitry Safronov: 1st at the Russian Junior
Championships for XC & 10km, Safronov lists a personal best of 29:10 for
10km.
USA
3. Celedonio Rodriguez: A 14-time All-American at Adams State
College, he was the 10k Outdoor National Champion in 2005 and Division II Cross
Country National Champion in 2003. Racking up a number of accolades on the road
racing scene over the past several years, Rodriquez was the top American at the
Bloomsday 12km (13th, 36:29) which he followed up with another solid
performance at the Bay to Breakers 12km (35:57/5th
overall).
2. Brandon Leslie: Another New Mexico native, he is a
full-blooded Navajo who grew up on the Church Rock Reservation near Gallup, NM.
A high school phenom with a star-studded career at Adams State College, Leslie
earned 8 All-America certificates as well as the 2000 Division II NCAA title at
10,000 meters. This father of 3 recently set a huge 10km personal best of
28:10.59 at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, CA.
1. Ryan Shay: This Colorado native was a 9-time
All-American at Notre Dame where he still holds school records for the indoor
and outdoor 5km & 10km. After
college, Shay joined Team USA California, an elite training group that includes
Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor (both are past BolderBOULDER champions). Shay’s
career highlights include: 2001 NCAA 10km champion, 2003 USA Marathon &
Half-Marathon champion, a 10km personal best of 28:26.91 and 2:17:14 at the NYC
Marathon.
2006
International Team Challenge (ITC) Athlete Bibs & Bio’s:
Women
Team Colorado
36. Stephanie Bylander: A resident of Alamosa, CO, she holds a BA
in Exercise Physiology from Adams State College. Graduating in 2005, she left a
10-time Division II All-American with a 10km personal best of 34:00.70.
Recently, Bylander was named to the 2006 class of Roads Scholars®. When reached
for comment she had this to say, “One thing is for certain, support is crucial
to any runner trying to achieve their goals, so I couldn’t be happier about
being chosen as a 2006 RRCA Roads Scholar.”
35. Faith Byrum-Erik: A Boulder native, she has taken the medal
stand for both Boulder High and Fairview in the Colorado State Cross Country
Championships (2nd in ’91 & ’92). Byrum-Erik lists cross-country
as her favorite event and owns a personal best of 34:34 for 10km.
34. Carrie Messner: Currently a resident of Carbondale, CO, she
is a 4-time All-American and 1997 Big 12 Indoor mile champion. Ranked
4th (steeple) nationally, as reported by Track & Field News,
Messner recently ran to victory in the 3000m
steeplechase in a meet record of 9:41.55 (fastest time by an American in 2006).
2nd only to Mary Decker, Messner is still regarded as one of
the fastest milers in CU history.
Australia
33. Miranda Carfrae: A resident of Brisbane, Australia, Carfrae
holds a 10km personal best of 34:29.
32. Jennifer Gillard: Gillard is the proud new mother of baby boy
Hunter. Her husband, Kim, will represent Team Australia on the men’s side. A
resident of Tasmania, Australia, Gillard has a 10km personal best of 35:23.
31. Kate Smyth: Traveling to the 2006 ITC from Melbourne,
Australia, Smyth has a 10km personal best of 34:20. She is also a 2:33:12
marathoner.
Ethiopia
30. Aheza Kiros: Running a 33:25 10km at high altitude, she
recently finished 2nd in the Ethiopian National Track Championships.
29. Yimenashu Taye: Primarily focused on the shorter distance
races, Taye has run 15:08.82 for 5km on the track and 15:26 over the same
distance at Carlsbad back in 2000. From 2001-2004 she was on maternity leave.
28. Adanech Zekiros: Finishing just ahead of Team USA’s Jen
Rhines, Zekiros placed 3rd in the 2006 Rome Marathon. The race was a
personal best (2:27:38) that she set on her birthday (3/26/82).
Great Britain
27. Kathy Butler: A champion at the 2004 British Olympic
Trials, she currently trains in Nederland, CO. 4th at the 2006
Bloomsday 12km (39:29), her lifetime best at 10km is 31:36.90.
26. Jenny Clague: Like the Beatles, Clague travels to the US
from Liverpool, England. A solid performer from the 5km to marathon, she lists a
10k personal best of 32:41.
25. Louise Watson: Born in London, England, Watson has run
33:21 for 10km. She also has a 5km personal best of
15:47.
Japan
24. Yasuko Hashimoto: The 2003 Berlin Marathon Champion
(2:26:32), she has also won a handful of local races during various Boulder
training camps. Hashimoto has run 32:04.27 for 10km.
23. Hiromi Ominami: The 1st woman to break tape at the 2006 ING
Miami Marathon, Ominami has a 10km personal best of 31:35.18.
22. Kaori Yoshida: A solid contribution to Team Japan, her
personal bests include 15:55.85 (5km) and 32:01.23 (10km)
respectively.
Kenya
21. Sally
Barsosio: Veteran road racer and accomplished athlete for over a decade, she
was the 1997 World 10,000m Champion. Barsosio was 5th back in 2001 and holds a
personal best of 31:15.38 for 10,000 meters. She is also the 2005 Kenyan Armed
Forces Cross Country Champion.
20.
Linet Chepkurui:
An up and comer on the international circuit, Chepkurui will simply look to keep
pace with decorated teammates.
19. Jemima
Jepligat: Currently a resident of Tucson, AZ, she has a 10k personal best of
32:44. At 21 years of age, Jepligat has also run 15:37 for 5km and 1:13:17 in
the half-marathon.
México
18. Susana Diaz: A bit of a mystery in the ITC’s 2006
edition, she was recently on maternity
leave.
17. Adriana Fernandez: Winner of the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon
(2:31:54), she was also 6th in the 10,000m at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. With
a 10,000m personal best of 31:10, the 2006 ITC will be Fernandez’s 4th
appearance.
16. Nora L. Rocha: Finishing 8th in the 2001
BolderBOULDER,
Rocha has a 10,000m personal best of 32:08.8.
Morocco
15. Malika Asahssah: Born in Ait El Ghazi, Morocco, she has run
4:21.16 for 1500m and 15:11.84 at 5000m.
14. Fatima Ayachi: Personal bests include 4:24.06 (1500m) and
32:06 (10km).
13. Malika Majdoub: Another unknown, Majdoub will likely key
off her veteran teammates come race day.
Poland
12. Malgorzata Sobanska: Born in Pozan, Poland, she has run 32:33
for 10km. A seasoned marathoner as well, Sobanska posted a time of 2:26:08 at
the Chicago Marathon in 2001.
11. Edyta Lewandowska: Hailing from Oodz, Poland, her 10km
personal best is 33:33.61. She has also run the marathon in 2:34:18 (Berlin,
2004).
10. Dorota Gruca: The Polish 10km track champion; she owns a
lifetime best of 31:52.13 at the distance. 3rd in the 2004 ITC, Gruca lead the
Polish women to a 2nd place team finish that year. Finishing 2nd overall at the
recent Bay to Breakers 12km, Gruca was the first to the top of the Hay Street
hill for a bonus of $5000.
Romania
9. Constantina Tomescu-Dita: Nicknamed Pusa (pronounced poo-sha), the
fleet-footed Romanian is listed by the IAAF as the #2 ranked Road Racer in world
(5/2/05). Also the world’s top ranked marathoner by the IAAF, Tomescu-Dita broke
Lidia Simon’s (countrywoman and teammate) national record by 4 seconds this
spring in London.
8. Lidia Simon: A former champion in both the citizen’s and
professional divisions, she is a highly decorated marathoner with a silver medal
at the 2000 summer games in Sydney. Simon also has 4 individual medals to her
credit at the World Half-Marathon Championships.
7. Luminita Talpos: Though her resume is short, Talpos was
3rd place at this year’s Bay to Breakers 12km. Finishing in 40:09,
her contribution makes Romania a decided contender for the women’s ITC team
title.
Russia
6. Albina Ivanova: Truly an accomplished road racer, in 2004
she won both the Lilac Bloomsday 12km Run and the Bay to Breakers 12km. In
addition, Ivanova won the Nagano Olympic Marathon for the second year in a row
just last month.
5. Victoria Klimina: A familiar face among elite road racers,
Klimina was the 2002 Russian 10K Road champion. Born in Vladivostok, she has run
32:04 for 10km.
4. Olga Romanova: Like Klimina and Ivanova, she has an
impressive resume with many accolades to her credit. Romanova’s career
highlights include 1st place finishes at the European U23
Championships (10,000m) in 2001 and the Russian Cross Country Championships in
2004.
USA
3. Jen Rhines: A 5-time NCAA champion at Villanova, she is
a 2-time Olympian and sub 2:30 marathoner. Making her 3rd ITC
appearance, Rhines was instrumental in Team USA’s 2002 & 2005 ITC victories.
2. Sara Slattery: A shining star during her tenure at the
University of Colorado, the former Buff and Boulder resident was the 2005 Big 12
& NCAA 10,000m Champion. In addition to a 32:21.64 personal best at this
distance, Slattery was the 2003 NCAA Indoor Champion at 5000 meters.
1. Elva Dryer: Ranked 3rd all-time among US performers in
the 10,000m, she is a clear favorite in this year’s race. Last year’s individual
champion, Dryer led Team USA to the 2005 ITC title. Born in Durango, CO, Dryer
ran for Western State where she won 4 NCAA Division II titles at 3,000m. It was
during this time that she also met her current coach and husband Russ Dryer. A
former All-America Cross Country runner for Western State himself, Elva
describes Russ as, “her biggest fan,” and instrumental in her development into a
world-class competitor.
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