2006 Grandma's Marathon Champ Halina Karnatsevich Gets DQ and Doping Suspension
Press Release
December 14, 2006

Duluth, Minn.: Grandma’s Marathon received confirmation from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that Halina Karnatsevich, the 2006 women’s division champion, tested positive for a banned substance at Grandma's Marathon on June 17. The positive test will result in the immediate disqualification of Karnatsevich from the race. The 36-year-old from Belarus will receive a two-year ban from competition.  

Grandma’s Marathon withheld Karnatsevich’s $8,000 first-place prize purse, pending the results of the USA Track and Field-administered drug test. Second-place finisher Svetlana Nekhorosh, 32, of the Ukraine will be declared the women’s champion of the 2006 race and will receive the first-place prize purse. In addition, those athletes finishing in places three through eleven will move up one place in the official results and will be awarded additional prize money.

“It has always been the policy of Grandma’s Marathon to work closely with the governing bodies of our sport. Drug testing has been conducted at our race in 1987, 1990, 1994 and 2006, and we will continue to encourage USA Track and Field to include Grandma's Marathon in its schedule for drug testing in the future,” says Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma's Marathon.

Revised 2006 Grandma’s Marathon Women’s Top Ten Results and Prize Money

Place   Name                                     Home                         Time               Award

1^st           Svetlana Nekhorosh             Ukraine                      2:37:33            $8,000

2^nd          Maria Portilla                       Peru                            2:38:20            $6,500

3^rd        Mary Akor                            Gardena, CA             2:39:42            $5,000

4^th        Elena Orlova                         Russia                         2:40:25            $4,000

5^th        Veena Reddy                         Philadelphia, PA       2:41:29            $3,500

6^th        Kasie Enman                         Huntington, VT        2:44:06            $3,000

7^th        Jenna Darcy                           Philadelphia, PA       2:44:15            $2,500

8^th        Zinaida Semenova                Russia                         2:44:54            $2,000

9^th        Cassandra Henkiel                Austin, TX                 2:44:55            $1,000

10^th      Gwen Greiner                        Seattle, WA               2:45:11              $500