2010 BOSTON MARATHON CHAMPION TO COMPETE, DEFEND TITLE AT JUNE 5TH FREIHOFER'S RUN FOR WOMEN 5K
By Freihofer's Run For Women
ALBANY, NY (May 3, 2010) — For Teyba Erkesso, the last two years have been nothing short of spectacular.
The 27-year-old Ethiopian has gone from "up-and-comer" to "the one to
watch" and now, after her victory at last week's Boston Marathon, "the
one to beat" at almost any road race she enters.
Erkesso's versatility, in fact, makes her dangerous on almost any
course she sets foot on, at almost any distance. Now, with one of the
marathon's "crown jewels" under her belt, Erkesso is setting her sights
once again on the 5K distance - specifically, defending her title at
the 32nd edition of the Freihofer's Run for Women, scheduled for
Saturday, June 5th at 10 a.m. in Albany, NY.
"It's always important for an event to have its defending champion
back," said Freihofer's Run for Women Event director George Regan.
"Obviously, the 5K distance is different from the marathon, but it
requires the same amount of focus and will to win."
Elite athlete recruiter John Tope echoes these sentiments. "It's great
to see your defending champion return," he maintained. "There are few
people who can run 5K to marathon and be successful, and Erkesso's one
of those people."
It's been a busy year so far for Erkesso. In January, she set a new
course record at the Houston Marathon, successfully defending her title
with a time of 2:23:53. She placed fourth at the RAK half-marathon in
February, before going on to win the race of her life at the Boston
Marathon.
According to Tope, "Erkesso's very unusual in the fact she ran the
Houston Marathon in January and then Boston in April - and won both.
You just don't see elites do that very often. Having athletes the
caliber of Teyba, three-time champion Benita Willis (Johnson) and
others reinforces that Freihofer's is one of the premier women's races
in the United States."
For her part, Erkesso says she's grateful to compete once again in New
York's capital city. And she clearly remembers what it was like to win
her first Freihofer's Run for Women title just 12 months ago.
"I was very tired because I had competed in three races in less than
three weeks," she recalled. "What motivated me to push myself to the
maximum and to win the race was that this unique 5K is for women only.
When I woke up that morning I said I was running for every woman around
the world. This is what made me forget the muscle aches and push myself
to win the race."
"When Erkesso runs, she produces exciting results," stressed Regan. "I
don't see that being any different here in Albany this June."
With only four weeks remaining till race day, organizers are pulling
together yet another stellar elite field for the event, which is the
only 5K road race in the U.S. to hold the "silver" label designation by
the International Association of Athletics Federations, the sport's
worldwide governing body.
The Freihofer's Run for Women offers $27,000 in prize money with the
winner being awarded $10,000. A 30-minute Freihofer's Run for Women TV
special will air Saturday, June 5th at 10:30 p.m. on Fox affiliate,
WXXA-23.
This year's race will once again include the USA 10 km Open and Junior
Race Walk Championships featuring many of the nation's top race walkers.
To register for the Freihofer's Run for Women, or for more information
about the 22nd annual Freihofer's Community Walk, 23rd annual
Freihofer's Kids' Run and 8th annual CapitalCare Health & Fitness
Expo, visit freihofersrun.com. From the home page, you can also link the event's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
Event sponsors include the Charles Freihofer Baking Company, Price
Chopper Supermarkets, The City of Albany, Fox 23 News, the Times Union,
WGNA, host hotel 74 State, CSC, Subway. and Dale Miller Restaurant.
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