Posted: May 25, 2004

Athletics: Freihofer's Run for Women 5K Promises Intense USA Masters Competition

2004 U.S. Olympian Colleen De Reuck Eyes Masters World Record

ALBANY - (May 24, 2004) - When more than 20,000 spectators roar on finishers at this year's Freihofer's Run for Women 5K on Saturday, June 5 in downtown Albany, New York, not all the wild cheers will be reserved for women taking part in the event's Open division. Competitors in this year's master's (over 40) field will also receive an extremely noisy reception as they sprint down the long, steep Madison Avenue hill towards the finish line.

This year's master's division, which will double as the USA Women's Master's Championships for the 12th consecutive year, promises to be an extremely hard fought contest that will go down to the wire, as a pack of seasoned long distance veterans battle it out for $2,000 in prize money and the bragging rights that come with being crowned the nation's over-40 champion at 3.1 miles.

Without a doubt Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, CO), who turned 40 in April and will wear the yellow master's bib for the first time at Freihofer's, will be the odds-on favorite. The South African native, who became a U.S. citizen in 2000, is in red-hot form having recently earned a berth on the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team bound for Athens.

De Reuck's present form, combined with her back-to-back second place finishes at Freihofer's in 2002 and 2003, make her a strong contender to "double-dip" by picking up the $750 check awarded to the master's division winner, as well as the $10,000 Open field winner's check.

"Given her superb shape and past results in Albany, I fully expect Colleen to shatter the master's world record of 16:07 established here at Freihofer's by Ruth Wysocki," said Event Director George Regan. "Doing so would be quite an accomplishment, since that record has stood since 1997."

DeReuck isn't the only master with a set of speedy wheels coming to Upstate New York. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso, 45, (Austin, TX), a three-time Run for Women masters champion (1999, 2000 and 2003), will take part in her 13th Freihofer's. Her recent races include a 2nd place finish in the Masters Bun Run 5K, 16:57 (45-49 American Record) and 1st place in the Statesman Capital 10K, 36:11.

Other top FRW master's include:
* Janet Robertz, 43, (Shorewood, MN), 2001 National Masters Runner of Year, 
and second master across the line at the 2003 Freihofer's (17:12).
* Joan Nesbit Mabe, 42 (Chapel Hill, NC), member of the 1996 Olympic team at
10,000m, and 2002 FRW master's champion (16:54).
* Debbi Kilpatrick-Morris, 40, (Strongville, OH), the 2004 USA 25K champion
and three-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, who has notched some
impressive results in 2004, including: 1st master's, 13th Overall 2004
Cherry Blossom 10 mile, 58:12; 4th master's, 11th Overall 2004 Gate River
Run 15K, 53:17. She competed in the 1996 FRW finishing 13th (16:10).
* Regina Joyce, 47, (Lynnwood, WA), winner of the 1983 Run for Women (33:25
10K), and 5th master across the line in 1998 (17:16), her last appearance at
Freihofer's.

Also set to answer the starting gun will be women's long distance running icon Joan Benoit Samuelson - winner of the first women's Olympic marathon at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and a two-time Boston Marathon champion.

Samuelson, 47, (Freeport, Maine), who still holds five of the country's top 10 all-time best road performances, was the 5th place overall master at Freihofer's in 2003 and the 1st place finisher in the 45-49 age group in a time of 17:37.

Samuelson will give the keynote presentation and sign autographs at the CapitalCare Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, June 4 from 6:30-7:00 p.m. in meeting room two on the Concourse level of the Empire State Plaza. She will then sign autographs at the CapitalCare Expo Booth from 7-7:30 p.m.

To register for the 2004 Freihofer's Run for Women, a founding member of Running USA, pick up a registration form at any Price Chopper Supermarket, or go to freihofersrun.com.

As a national championship, Freihofer's also is part of the 2004 Women's USA Running Circuit, a USA Track & Field road series. The 2004 USARC offers a record of $818,700 in guaranteed prize money with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. At each national road championship, the top 10 U.S. runners earn USARC points. For more information, visit usatf.org.

Event sponsors include the Charles Freihofer Baking Company (A Division of George Weston Bakeries Inc.), Price Chopper Supermarkets, B95.5 fm, NewsChannel 13 and the Albany Quality Inn.