Three Peachtree Runners Vie for $35,000 PRRO Circuit Bonus

Chepkurui, Harroufi, Kitwara in the Running for First PRRO Circuit Payout

Press Release
July 3, 2009

The male and female champions of this weekend’s The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race will each be awarded $15,000,
but if the top male is Ridouane Harroufi or Sammy Kitwara, or if the
female is Lineth Chepkurui, the winner will also claim an additional
$35,000 bonus—or at least half of that amount—paid by the PRRO
Championship Circuit.

Under rules of the 2008-2009 Professional Road Running Organization
Circuit (PRRO Circuit), an athlete who wins one of the first four PRRO
Circuit events, and finishes first at the PRRO Championship at the AJC
Peachtree Road Race, can claim the PRRO Circuit Bonus, which has grown
to $35,000 since its inception in 2003. The bonus will be split if an
eligible male and female both win the Championship at Peachtree. If no
eligible athlete wins, then the bonus will rollover to the 2010
Championship and be worth $40,000.

“It’s really exciting to have three athletes in contention for the
bonus,” says PRRO President Don Kardong. “Peachtree is one of the
signature events on the US racing scene, and this year the winner may
be rewarded for a victory there with a hefty $50,000 paycheck.”

“The addition of the PRRO bonus has made the AJC Peachtree Road Race
one of the most lucrative non-marathon road races of 2009,” stated
Tracey Russell, Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club.  “And
the three athletes eligible for the bonus add further depth and
excitement to the world-class field set to toe the line on the Fourth
of July.”

The 2008-2009 PRRO Circuit included the Utica Boilermaker on July 13,
2008; the World’s Best 10K in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 1, 2009;
the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile in Washington, DC on April 5,
2009; the Lilac Bloomsday 12K in Spokane, WA on May 3, 2009;and the
PRRO Championship at the AJC Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, GA on
July 4, 2009. Sammy Kitwara of Kenya qualified to compete for the
bonus by winning the World’s Best 10K, while Morocco’s Ridouane
Harroufi qualified by winning the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten
Mile. Kenyan Lineth Chepkurui won both the Credit Union Cherry Blossom
and Lilac Bloomsday Run, either of which would have qualified her to
compete for the bonus.

The PRRO Circuit offers world-class competition for athletes of all
nations in events shorter  than the marathon distance. The circuit has
shown its commitment to a drug-free sport by funding mandatory drug
testing for elite athletes at all the PRRO Circuit events. The testing
is carried out by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

A summary of results from the 2008-2009 PRRO Circuit to date appears below.

2008-2009 Events and Results (to date):

Boilermaker 15K, July 13, 2008, Utica, NY. Men’s winner: Terefe
Maregu, Ethiopia, 44:17. Women’s winner: Ashu Rabo Kasim, Ethiopia,
50:39

World’s Best 10K, March 1, 2009, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Men’s winner:
Sammy Kitwara, Kenya, 27:26. Women’s winner: Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenya,
31:12

Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, April 5, 2009, Washington, DC.
Men’s winner: Riduoane Harroufi, Morocco, 45:56. Women’s winner:
Lineth Chepkurui, Kenya, 53:32.

Lilac Bloomsday 12K, May 3, 2009, Spokane, WA. Men’s winner: John
Yuda, Tanzania, 34:36. Women's winner: Lineth Chepkurui, Kenya, 38:37.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race (2008-2009 PRRO
Championship), July 4, 2009, Atlanta, GA.