Posted: November 17, 2005

Athletics: Inaugural Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot Runs On Thanksgiving

SAN JOSE, Calif. - (November 16, 2005) - San Jose introduced fast racing cars to the city last July with its first annual San Jose Grand Prix auto race. Now, on November 24, 2005 (Thanksgiving day), some of the world's fastest humans will grace parts of the same downtown course when the first-ever Applied Materials Silicon Valley 5K/10K and companion Seagate Elite 5K race kick off. A total prize purse of nearly $20,000 and a spectator-friendly, multiple-loop course practically ensure swift times in the Seagate Elite 5K. Half of the prize purse is reserved as bonuses for any male or female athlete who sets a new U.S. 5-kilometer road record.

All runners and walkers intent upon creating a calorie deficit prior to their turkey day feasts will find a niche in the companion Applied Materials Silicon Valley 5K (3.1 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles) events. The courses include portions of the tree-lined Guadalupe River Park Trail. The park officially opened in September. Incorporated into the 5K run are "CEO/Celebrity," "Quickest Cop/Fastest Firefighter," and "Fittest Firm" divisions. A Tot Trot Fun Run, sponsored by Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, for five to nine year-old children, encourages the whole family to participate.

The Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot - Run or Walk for Health, Hope, and a Home - benefits several local charities: Santa Clara Family Health Foundation, Second Harvest Food Bank, and the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County.

All events start and finish in downtown San Jose on Park Avenue (between Market Street and Almaden Boulevard) near the Plaza de Cesar Chavez. The events begin at 9:00 a.m. and run through the morning. More information, including registration forms and online registration, is available at www.svlg.net, or call (408) 501-7864.

"The Turkey Trot isn't just another way for people of all ages to become aware of the benefits of exercise, to help them reach their fitness goals, or to inspire them through the performances of top athletes," said Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG). "Most importantly, it gives folks these benefits while providing them an opportunity during the holiday season to support worthwhile charities that help less fortunate people in our community."

The SVLG, South Bay Labor Council/Working Partnerships, City of San Jose, and Santa Clara County are partnering to co-organize the event.

For the area's residents, the Turkey Trot will provide a holiday "parade" anchored by doing and viewing. All fun run/walk participants, plus the general community, are invited to cheer on world- and national-class runners in the separate Seagate Elite 5K - actually two distinct elite races, run consecutively, one for elite men, the other for elite women. Elite runners will negotiate a flat, one-half mile loop course six times in route to the finish, providing spectators with multiple opportunities to cheer on the swift pack.

The top three men and women will earn $2,500, $1,500, and $500 respectively. $5,000 bonuses are up for grabs for the male and/or female who betters the current U.S. 5K road records. The current U.S. records are held by two Californians: Marc Davis (13 minutes and 24 seconds set in 1996), and Deena Kastor (Drossin) (14:54, 2002).

The elite fields are headed by Jonathon Riley of Palo Alto, Calif. and Courtney Babcock, a lightening-fast Canadian who trains in Missoula, Mo.

Riley, 26, an NCAA 5,000-meter champion while at Stanford University, is a 2004 U.S. Olympian and Olympic Trials runner-up (5,000 meters). He is a three-time U.S. indoor 3,000-meter champion, and a 1997 U.S. Junior 5,000-meter champion. Riley's personal 5K best of 13:21.11, set on the track last April, earned him a number three ranking among Americans this year.

Babcock, 33, holds current Canadian records at 5,000 meters (14:54.94) and 10,000 meters (31:44.74) on the track. Her 14:54 mark on the oval is identical to Kastor's current U.S. road record. Babcock represented Canada at last year's Olympic Games in Athens.

Blake Russell, 30, of Marina, Calif. will compete in San Jose following a superb performance at last month's Chicago Marathon. She placed sixth in 2:29:09, a personal record and the 11th fastest all-time performance by an American woman. A 5K personal best of 15:21.37 (track) makes her a potential Turkey Trot titlist. Russell is a member of the Big Sur Distance Project, a Team USA long distance running training center located near Monterey.

Kenya's Jackline Okemwa, 27, placed third at the Baltimore Half Marathon last month, and set a 5K personal best of 16:00 last April. Grace Misati, 30, another Kenyan, will also line up at the Turkey Trot starting line, after placing fourth to Okemwa's third at the NTELOS 8K in Richmond, Va. on November 13.

Ukrainian Iryna Vashchuk, 23, joins the women's field following completion of an excellent collegiate career at USC where she starred in cross country and track. Vashchuk placed seventh at 1,500 meters at this year's NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and has a personal best of 4:12 in that event.

Additional female top contenders include Utah's Emily Jameson, 28, a former All-American at BYU who boasts 16:09 (5K) and 32:04 (10K) personal bests. 24-year-old Katie Hotchkiss and Trish Nervo, 27, are teammates on the Stanford-based Nike Farm Team. Hotchkiss is an academic honors graduate of Mission San Jose High School where, as a prep senior, she was ranked number two in the nation at 800 meters and number three at 1,600 meters. Hotchkiss competed in the middle distances and cross country for Stanford University. Nervo garnered All-American honors as a 2001 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In the men's race, Riley has more than a few challengers.

The Big Sur Distance Project's Lyle Weese (26, Marina) was a four-time NCAA Division I All-American at Montana State University. He competed in the steeplechase at last year's U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, and owns a 5,000-meter personal best of 13:38.

Paul Kezes (26, Eugene, Ore.) was a member of the 2005 U.S. world cross country team that competed in France. His lifetime best at 5,000 meters is 13:50.

The Nike Farm Team is sending a contingent of young men, and one veteran, to the Turkey Trot. The team's Steve Sundell, 23, was a six-time Ivy League Conference Champion at Columbia University. Several weeks ago, Sundell won the Big Sur Half Marathon in his first attempt at the distance. On the other end of the spectrum, the Farm Team's Jim Sorensen, 38, is a veteran middle distance standout who was a 1,500-meter runner-up at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. He still has a mean finishing kick.

Utah's Teren Jameson, 28, and Iowa's Blake Bolden, 26, will be looking to improve upon their respective 13:57 and 14:24 5K bests, and, perhaps, grab a coveted top three spot.

As for the U.S records? To be sure, spectators won't be seeing any Grand Prix-style pit stops on the streets of San Jose during their pursuit.

The race-day schedule is:

9:00 a.m.	Applied Materials Open/Age-Group 5K Run/Walk and 10K Run
10:00 a.m.	Seagate Elite Women's 5K
10:20 a.m.	Seagate Elite Men's 5K
10:40 a.m.	Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Tot Trot Fun Run
10:55 a.m.	Awards Ceremony

The 2005 Silicon Valley Turkey Trot is presented by Applied Materials. Additional generous sponsors include Seagate, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, SAP, KB Home, EMC, ETM-Electromatic, Good Samaritan Hospital, Hyperion, PG&E, and NetLogic. Our media sponsors are the San Jose Mercury News, Nuevo Mundo, Viet Mercury, NBC 11, KRTY, and KLIV. Our hotel sponsors are Hilton San Jose, The Fairmont San Jose, and The Sainte Claire.