Posted: September 13, 2005

Athletics: News & Notes, Volume 6, Number 72

Nunn, Vaill win Race Walk titles

Olympians John Nunn and Teresa Vaill easily won the men's and women's national titles at the 67th annual USA 40 km Race Walk Championships Sunday at Joe Palaia Park in Ocean Township, N.J.

A 28-year-old Evansville, Indiana native, Nunn, who is now based at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California with the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, easily took the men's title, covering the 24.8 miles (20 laps of a two-kilometer loop) in three hours, 18 minutes, 43 seconds. Paul Schwartzberg was the runner-up in 3:43.15 and Dave McGovern was third in 3:48:03.

Vaill, 42, a Pine Plains, N.Y., product now living and training in Gainesville, Florida, led the women's field in 3:37:51. Loretta Schuellein was the runner-up in 4:05:20 and Heidi Hauch was third in 4:15:43.

Both are specialists at the Olympic 20 km distance who had no trouble going twice that far.

"This is longer than I've walked in training or a race, so I've got to be pleased with this performance," said Nunn. "If I can get in the training, I know I can walk a pretty good 50K (the other men's Olympic distance.)"

In lieu of t-shirts, race officials donated this budget expense of $350 to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Kastor joins elite field at LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon

A strong women's elite field led by Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor, defending champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita, 2003 world championships bronze medalist Masako Chiba and four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck will battle it out October 9 at The 2005 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Kastor, 32, the 2004 Athens Olympic marathon bronze medalist, hopes to shatter her American women's record of 2:21:16 at this year's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In addition to breaking her own American record, she aspires to join the elite five-member sub-2:20 club of women marathon runners.

At The 2005 LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K, Kastor shattered the previous American record of 25:02 when she came in at 24:36, the second-fastest 8 km ever run by a woman, exceeded only by Morocco's Asmae Leghzaoui, who holds the world record of 24:28, set in 2002. Kastor hopes for a second American record in 2005, as she trains for Chicago.

"I'm training for a sub-2:20 goal," Kastor said. "That's my specific goal this year and I couldn't think of a more fitting race to accomplish this because The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is one of the top races in the world - the fast course, the millions of people that line the streets and the competitive field give you that extra motivation and adrenaline to perform at your best."

For more information on The LaSalle Chicago Marathon visit chicagomarathon.com.