Posted: October 6, 2005

Athletics: Rhines, Yegorova Headline B.A.A. Half Marathon®

Sold-out race offers $30,000 prize purse

BOSTON - (October 4, 2005) - The fifth B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund, on Sunday, October 9, has once again drawn a deep international field that includes many of this year's top racers on the U.S. roads, as well as some of New England's best runners.

Headlining the women's elite field are American Jen Rhines, a two-time Olympian and the reigning national champion at 15K on the roads, and Valentina Yegorova of Russia, who won gold in the marathon at the Barcelona Games in 1992 and silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996. Among the top males are Samuel Ndereba and Linus Maiyo, both of Kenya.

Among the other top-seeded men in this year's race are Abderrahim Haji and Abdelhadi Habassa of Morocco; Isaac Arusei of Kenya; Vinny Mulvey of Ireland; new American citizen and potential U.S. distance star Celedonio Rodriguez of Alamosa, Colo. and inaugural B.A.A. Half Marathon champion Wayne Levy of Newton, Mass.

Among the field's other top women are Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova of Russia, the Boston Marathon master's record-holder and four-time World Championships competitor; Leah Malot of Kenya and American Julia Stamps, who continues her comeback after a career-threatening injury. Also entered is Sarah Nixon, of Medfield, Mass., winner of the B.A.A. Half Marathon in 2001-02.

The Top 10 overall male and female finishers will be awarded prize money from the $30,000 purse, with $5000 going to the men's and women's champions. Once again, the field size was capped with 4,500 runners, and general entry is closed. Several hundred Dana-Farber Runners will be fundraising for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund, and a limited number of entries still remain for those interested in joining the race against cancer.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund are the presenting sponsors of the B.A.A. Half Marathon. Other half-marathon sponsors are adidas, Belmont Springs water, Gatorade Endurance Formula, Long's Jewelers, PowerBar/PowerGel, Veryfine Juices and Fruit2o.

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.

For more race information, go to: BAA.org.

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.