Posted: May 5, 2005

Athletics: Australia's Johnson and Ethiopia's Ejigu Join Speedy Freihofer's Field

ALBANY, N.Y. - (May 4, 2005) - Two more Olympians have joined the elite field for the 27th annual Freihofer's Run for Women, expanding this year's field to six Olympians. Australia's Benita Johnson (Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004) and Ethiopia's Sentayehu Ejigu (Athens 2004) will bring their Olympic expertise to the streets of New York's Capital City June 4 to test the rolling, but fast Freihofer's 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) course.

Johnson and Ejigu will not be the only Olympic alumni on the starting line at Empire State Plaza. Amy Rudolph (USA, 1996/2000), Marie Davenport (Ireland, 1996/2004), Kim Smith (New Zealand, 2004) and Breeda Dennehy-Willis (Ireland, 2000) have all performed on the Olympic stage and will challenge Johnson and Ejigu for the coveted Freihofer's crown and its $10,000 first place reward.

"We always like to get Olympic athletes to our race," says event director George Regan. "It just reinforces our efforts to bring the best in the world to Albany. Our field is as good as that of any major road race in the world."

Johnson, from Melbourne, Australia, is certainly a superstar in Australian athletics. Besides her Olympic accomplishments ('00 - 5000m; '04 - 10,000m), she won the gold medal in the long course (8K) at the 2004 World Cross Country Championships. In 2005, she finished 6th in defense of her title, leading the Australian women to an 8th place team finish. Johnson, also known simply as "B," has competed in just about every prestigious international competition, including the Commonwealth Games, the World Track & Field Championships and the World Half-Marathon Championships. At just 26-years-old, she is the Australian record holder for 3000m (8:38.06), 5000m (14:47.6), and 10,000m (30:37.68). An accomplished field hockey player, Johnson represented Australia on its Under 18 team in 1995-96.

Despite being just 19, Ejigu already has many accomplishments in her young career. At the tender age of 16, when most girls her age were learning how to drive a car, she was logging frequent flyer miles traveling the prestigious European track circuit. In 2004, she touched down in Athens for the Olympic Games, placing 10th in the 5000 meters. Her personal best is 14:35.18, set last year at the Bislett Golden League 5000m. Ejigu's hometown is Debre Markos, Ethiopia.

"You just don't get much better than Johnson or Ejigu," explains Regan. "Both have been to the Olympics, both have run well under 15 minutes and, even though both are very young, they are seasoned, international competitors. The residents of Albany are in for a real treat this year."

Participants for the Freihofer's Run for Women, Freihofer's Kids' Run and Freihofer's Community Walk can pick up a registration form at any Capital Region Price Chopper store, or by visiting FreihofersRun.com. Additional information on all three events is also available by calling (518) 273-5552, or via e-mail atinfo@freihofersrun.com.

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 Clarion Hotel of Albany.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.