Posted: August 23, 2005

Athletics: Olympic Gold Medalist Challenges Women's Returning Champion at Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon presented by SunTrust

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (Aug. 23, 2005) - In 2004, 34-year-old Romanian Nuta Olaru laid out a blistering pace through the 13.1-mile course that went virtually unanswered from the rest of the women in the elite field at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon presented by SunTrust. Motivated by revenge from a disappointing marathon performance at the Athens Olympics, Olaru's on-course dominance laid waste to a Japanese contingent favored to produce a champion. This year Olaru will need to match strides with 33-year-old Japanese running icon, Naoko Takahashi, the gold medalist in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games (2:23:14).

Fueling the competition will be an elevated prize purse for winners, with increased emphasis on time bonuses. The race, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary, already boasts the largest half marathon prize purse outside of the IAAF World Championships. Both the male and female winners each earn $12,000 for their victories and prize money is awarded to the top 10 finishers. Along with a $10,000 world record bonus (m: 59:17, w: 66:44), there is $5,000 on the line for an American record (m: 60:55, w: 68:34) and $5,000 for an American soil record (m: 60:27, w: 68:30).

The course record bonus has been increased, awarding $3,000 to the male who can lower Martin Lel's mark of 61:27 set in 2003 and Margaret Okayo's 69:17 also set in '03. Additional bonuses will be awarded to the first male who runs sub 60:30 ($2,000) and first under 61:00 ($1,000), and the first female who runs sub 68:35 ($2,000) and sub 69:00 ($1,000).

Following Takahashi's Olympic gold performance, she earned instant celebrity in her homeland. She then magnified her elite status when she broke the world record in 2001 at the Berlin Marathon, simultaneously becoming the first woman to break the 2:20:00 time barrier.

Kenyan Margaret Atodonyang, 32, returns to Virginia Beach to better her second place finish in 2003. And, the 23-year- old Russian newcomer Tatyana Chulakh is sure to make a splash along the beach. Recently, Chulakh made her half marathon debut at the America's Finest City Half Marathon (8/14; San Diego, Calif.) winning in 1:13:36 and beating Kenyan Anastasia Ndereba by almost three minutes.

On the men's side, Kenyans rule the field in Virginia Beach. Haron Toroitich returns in 2005 after inching out fellow countryman Joshua Chelanga at the finish in 2004. Both were timed in 1:01:55. With last year's win, the 26 year-old Toroitich earned the $12,000 first place check along with a $25,000 musical marathon bonus awarded to the athlete who won both the 2004 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon (1/11/04) and any of the other three musical races staged by Elite Racing that year.

Joining the Kenyan arsenal are tough-as-nails Christoper Cheboiboch, 27, who won the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon (2:09:17) in San Diego in June while battling flu-like symptoms, and youngster James Kwambai who holds the fastest half marathon time in the men's field at 60:22.

Among the 11 Kenyans in the men's field stands Ethiopian Tekeste Kebede, and the American Celedonio Rodriquez. Kebede, who has all the running skills to win in Virginia Beach, will be seeking to improve on his 11th place finish from 2003. For Rodriquez, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will be an opportunity to compete against the toughest field this young runner has experienced thus far in his career.

This year the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon welcomes more than 20,000 runners and walkers on Sept. 4. To learn more about the half marathon and the prize purse, visit www.rnrhalf.com or call 800/311-1255.

-- Elite Roster Follows --
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005
2005 Men’s Elite Open Field as of August 23, 2005
NAME AGE COUNTRY BEST FACT/COMMENT
Haron Toroitich 27 KEN 60:53 1st '04 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon,
1st '04 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll AZ Marathon
Paul Kirui 25 KEN 60:52 2004 World Half Marathon Champion
Christopher Cheboiboch 27 KEN 60:33 1st '05 Coca-Cola Zero Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
James Mwangi 22 KEN 61:28 1st '04 Sapporo Half Marathon
James Kwambai 22 KEN 60:22 1st '05 San Blas Half, 1st '05 Bogota Half(CR)
Tekeste Kebede 26 ETH 62:59 3rd '05 RNR Marathon, 4th '05 San BlasHalf
Araya Haregot 24 ETH 63:02 1st '05 Salt Lake City Marathon
Yusuf Songoka 25 KEN 60:53 1st '04 South Africa Half, 6th '03 World Half
John Korir 29 KEN 61:00 2005 World's Best 10K & Lilac Bloomsday
Nephat Kinyanjui 28 KEN 63:33 1st 2005 Country Music Marathon
Ronald Mogaka 27 KEN 51:25 3rd '05 Litchfield 7 Mile, 2nd '04 Indy Half Marathon
Celedonio Rodriguez 24 USA 65:59 6th '05 Mount Sac 10,000m (hometown Colorado)
Julius Kibet 23 KEN 61:18 1st '04 Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run
James Koskei 36 KEN 62:07 5th '05 Beach to Beacon, 7th '05 Falmouth's Cape Cod Marathon
Hironori Arai 25 JPN 61:58
Yoichiro Akiyama 25 JPN 61:58
Shinichi Watanabe 28 JPN 62:38
Michinori Takano 23 JPN 62:50
William Chebor 22 KEN 64:02 6th '05 Falmouth, 6th '05 Beach to Beacon
2005 Women's Elite Open Field as of August 23, 2005
NAME AGE COUNTRY BEST FACT/COMMENT
Nuta Olaru 35 ROM 69:00 1st '04 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
Naoko Takahashi 33 JPN 68:55 2000 Sydney Olympic Marathon Gold Medalist
Alevtina Ivanova 30 RUS 71:54 2nd 2005 Beach to Beacon & Falmouth's Cape Cod Marathon
Salina Kosgei 27 KEN 71:26 1st '04 Paris Marathon
Luminita Talpos 32 ROM 70:08 N/A
Askale Tafa 25 ETH Debut 3rd '05 Maratona della Citta de Roma
Zivile Balciunate 26 LTU 71:57 2nd '05 Los Angeles Marathon
Galina Bogomolova 27 RUS 72:12 Russian NR Holder 10,000m 30:26
6th '03 World Championships 10,000m
Margaret Atodonyang 32 KEN 68:34 2nd '04 & 03 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
Grace Momanyi 23 KEN 70:16 1st '05 Coban Half Marathon
Mihaela Botezan 29 ROM 69:24 11th '04 Olympic 10,000m (Athens)
Tatyana Chulakh 23 RUS 73:35 1st 2005 America's Finest City Half Marathon
Elena Orlova 35 RUS 72:40 7th '04 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
Masdoka Ougi 19 JPN 70:31
Ikuko Nagao 23 JPN 72:09
Fujiko Takahashi 22 JPN 70:17
Nami Kosugi 21 JPN 72:08

Country Key: ROM - Romania, JPN - Japan, RUS - Russia, KEN - Kenya, LTU - Lithuania, ETH - Ethiopia