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MINNEAPOLIS,
Minn. - Returning open and masters champion Mbarak Hussein
(Albuquerque, N.M.) leads the men and two-time Olympian Marla Runyan
(Eugene, Ore.) leads the women's field at The Medtronic Twin Cities
Marathon, host of the USA Marathon Championships this Sunday, October 1
in Minneapolis. The fields feature open and masters division
championships for U.S. men and women. This year's event is the fourth
time that The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon has hosted the
championships.
Hussein returns to defend the open
and masters titles that he won last year in unseasonably warm, humid
conditions, but he is not likely to dominate the field as easily this
time. Hometown favorite Jason Lehmkuhle of Team USA Minnesota appears
to be in prime position to challenge for the title after a strong
fifth-place finish at the USA 20 km Championships, held in New Haven,
Conn., on Labor Day.
Lehmkuhle's
finish in New Haven placed him ahead of a number of U.S. men who were
using the 20 km as their final tune-up for the marathon championships,
including USA Marathon Champion Ryan Shay (East Jordan, Mich.), who
looks to be returning to similar form that carried him to the title in
2003. After an eighth-place finish at the 20 km Championships, Shay
came back two weeks later to finish third at the USA 5 km Championships
in Providence, R.I.
"I am healthy and my fitness
level is good. I just finished my second to last interval session
before the race," said Shay, who is wrapping-up his sea-level training
at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. "The tapering phase
has gone well, and my legs and body are feeling refreshed and I'm
looking forward to a very competitive field and exciting race."
Also
looking to add a championship trophy to their collections will be Simon
Sawe (Albuquerque, N.M.), a new U.S. citizen who was sixth at the 20 km
championships and fifth at the 5 km championships; Chris Graff
(Arlington, Va.), the 2003 USA Men's 10 Mile Champion who finished
ninth at New Haven; and Fasil Bizuneh (Bristol, Va.), the runner-up at
the 5 km championships and seventh-place finisher at the 20 km
championships who will be making his marathon debut.
Also
challenging for the masters title will be Dennis Simonaitis (Draper,
Utah) and Paul Aufdemberge (Redford, Mich.). Simonaitis won his third
straight USA Masters 10 km Championship last weekend with Aufdemberge
finishing second.
Runyan expecting challenges
Runyan,
the USA 20 km champion at New Haven this year, looks to be an
overwhelming favorite in the women's race but is expecting challenges
from some new faces as well as some familiar ones.
One
of the more familiar faces that Runyan is expecting to see is training
partner Heather Hanscom (Eugene, Ore.). "I train with Heather, she is a
great training partner and incredibly tough," remarked Runyan. "She
will run well."
Other
familiar faces include 2006 USA 25 km champion Turena Johnson Lane
(Muncie, Ind.); 2003 USA Marathon Champion and Team USA Minnesota
athlete Sara Wells; Emily Levan (Wiscasset, Maine), the first U.S.
woman at this year's Boston Marathon, and Jenny Crain (Milwaukee,
Wis.), fourth at the USA 20 km Championships.
Runyan
is also looking for competition from a newer runner on the USARC -
Zoila Gomez (Alamosa, Colo.), who has recorded top-five finishes at the
USA 20 km Championships and the USA Women's Half Marathon Championship
this year.
Returning masters champion Susan Loken
(Phoenix, Ariz.) leads the women's masters race. She will be joined by
"new" master Michelle Simonaitis (Draper, Utah) and Kim Jones (Ft.
Collins, Colo.), former TCM champ. Jones has run the Twin Cities
Marathon four times, winning twice and finishing second twice.
About the USARC
The
USA Marathon Championships is the eighth race for the men on the 2006
USA Running Circuit (USARC) and the seventh for the women. The USARC is
a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from 5
km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The
twelfth edition for the men and eleventh for the women, the 2005
circuit has eight events for both men and women.
Heading
into the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, the final race on the men's
2006 USARC Team USA Minnestota's Andrew Carlson leads with 35 points,
Bizuneh is in second with 28 and Fernando Cabada is in third with 27.
The
women's circuit is currently led by Turena Johnson Lane with24 points,
Zoila Gomez is in second with 20 and Jenny Crain is in third with 19.
The
first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12
for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500
grand prix purse ($6000, $4000, and $2500) for the top three men and
women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon
Championships will be doubled.
The
mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote
U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have
provided over $4 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.
For more information on the USA Marathon Championships and the 2006 USARC visit www.usatf.org.
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