Posted: August 28, 2005

Athletics: Olympian Dan Browne to Run 2005 Twin Cities Marathon

Athlete Roster Strong for USA Men's, Women's and Masters Championships

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - (August 25, 2005) - 2004 Olympian Dan Browne has committed to run the 2005 Twin Cities Marathon (TCM), Sunday, October 2, site of the USA Marathon Championships. Browne returns to TCM, the site of his first marathon victory (and debut), where he won the 2002 national title by covering the 26.2-mile distance in a personal record of 2:11:35.

Browne, 30, a Portland, Ore. resident, has already chalked up one national title this year, winning the 2005 USA Half-Marathon Championship last January at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in Houston. Other members of the 2005 TCM elite field include Kyle Baker, Joseph Driscoll, David Ernsberger and Chris Banks.

The 2005 TCM is also host of the USA Women's and Masters Marathon Championships. Team USA Minnesota standout Sara Wells will be part of the women's field. Wells, 26, won the 2003 USA Women's Marathon Championship in St. Louis and has a personal best of 2:33:15, which she ran at the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials. She will be joined by Team USA Minnesota teammate Dana Coons, who will be running her debut marathon. Coons has a PR of 1:15 in the half-marathon. Other members of the women's elite field include Kim Pawelek, who won the 1999 TCM (and national title) in 2:37:56 and Emily LeVan, who ran a personal record 2:38:32 at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland on August 14.

In the Masters competition, both 2004 national champions, Dennis Simonaitis and Janet Roberts are returning.

"We are excited about the elite fields taking shape for this year's Twin Cities Marathon," said Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director. "It's an honor to host all three national championships this year, and it should be a great race for spectators and runners alike."

The 2005 Twin Cities Marathon weekend will take place Sept 30 - Oct 2. The three-day weekend celebration of fitness includes a 5K run/walk, children's fun runs, pasta dinner, health and fitness expo and TC 10 Mile in addition to the marathon. TCM, a Running USA Founding Member, continues its 15th consecutive year as the designated USA Masters Championship for both men and women and will also host the USA Men's and Women's Open Marathon Championships. Major corporate sponsors include Cub Foods, Capella University and ING. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. is a non-profit organization that directs the TCM weekend as a community service for the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Visit TwinCitiesMarathon.org for more information.

Source: Ginny Cassidy, TCM Interim Marketing & PR Manager