Posted: September 24, 2004

Athletics: 3-time champ to defend Pennsylvania Avenue Mile title

From David Monti

(c) 2004 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

From: Global Athletics & Marketing:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Sept. 23, 2004) – Course-record holder John Itati of Kenya headlines the list of athletes set to compete in the 10th annual Pennsylvania Avenue Mile on Saturday, Sept. 25. Sponsored by START (SummerTime and Reading Together), the Mile and accompanying races – including a 5K and 10K – benefit the youth literacy program (www.startdc.org).

Calling this his “favorite race,” the 30-year-old Itati will be trying for his fourth-consecutive win here. He also counts the 2001 Falmouth Mile and 2003 Fifth Avenue Mile, as well as the Pittsburgh Great Race 10K (2002) and Azalea Trail Run 10K (Mobile, Ala., 2002 and 2004) among his career victories.

Also in the international field of elite athletes are Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya, the 2003 Penn Relays mile winner; Anthony Whiteman of Great Britain; and hometown favorite Sean O’Brien of the United States, a four-time All-American out of American University. Highlighting the women’s field are Emilie Mondor of Canada, a 2004 Olympian at 5000m; Vicky Gill of Great Britain; and Americans Mary Jayne Harrelson and Jenelle Deatherage, who finished a close fourth at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

The elite Pennsylvania Avenue Mile is part of the “Booking for Literacy” morning of events that begins at 8:30 a.m. near 11th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW with citizen and youth races and an international-team challenge, followed by races of 5K and 10K.