Posted: November 30, 2005

Athletics: Top Clark County Athletes Compete for $20,000 at the New Las Vegas Marathon

LAS VEGAS - (November 26, 2005) - Among the athletes who will be competing for a share of the $302,000 guaranteed prize purse at the New Las Vegas Marathon on Sunday, December 4 will be over 20 runners vying for the title of fastest man and woman marathoner in Clark County, Nevada. The Clark County Championship, a division of the New Las Vegas Marathon, will reward the first Clark County man and woman across the finish line $10,000 each.

The leading male favorite in the Clark County Championship is Ethiopian Abebe Yimer, who is predicted to run the race in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Yimer finished 13th at the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon last January in 2:34:20. Americans Angela Bestwick and Erica Schramm are the leading contenders for the women, both of whom are predicted to finish close to 3:15. Bestwick recently finished third at the 2005 Long Beach International City Bank Half Marathon in 1:26:19 and in 1998, she became the first UNLV runner to qualify for and compete at the NCAA Championships. Schramm ran the 2004 St. George Marathon in 3:15:23 and is in good shape to break that time on Sunday morning.

"We are very proud of the athletic tradition and dedicated running community here in Clark County," said Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid. "We are also grateful to Devine Racing and the New Las Vegas Marathon for rewarding the local running community with this generous cash prize."

The Clark County Championship is a competition within the New Las Vegas Marathon and only those officially entered in the Championship are eligible for prize money. Anyone wishing to participate in the Clark County Championship and the $20,000 prize purse must contact Tim Kelly, President of the Las Vegas Track Club at timothyhkelly@aol.com by Wednesday, November 30 in order to establish eligibility. Athletes must have lived in Clark County for the past 6 months and must have run a previous marathon in 3:15 (men) and 3:30 (women). By applying to enter the Clark County Championship, runners agree to accept the New Las Vegas Marathon rules for the race and eligibility for the Clark County Championship.

In total, the New Las Vegas Marathon will be offering $302,000 in guaranteed prize money, including a $50,000 first place prize for the race champions and a $50,000 bonus to the winner of "The Challenge," an innovation created by the City of Los Angeles Marathon which allows the Elite Women to start the race ahead of the Elite Men in a unique time handicap format.

About the New Las Vegas Marathon
The New Las Vegas Marathon, a Devine Racing event, will debut on Sunday, December 4, 2005 as the first marathon in history to run the world famous Las Vegas Strip. The race will begin at 6:00am in front of Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino with a spectacular display of fireworks set to a rendition of Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas." The race will take place on a fast, flat course with an average temperature of 50 degrees at the start. The race will be broadcast live on CBS affiliate KLAS - First in Las Vegas.

About Devine Racing
Committed to the celebration of individual accomplishment, Devine Racing was created to bring a new level of quality and professionalism to amateur road racing events - delivering the highest level of professional service in the industry for participants, sponsors and the communities where races are held. In the process of building its national footprint, Devine Racing currently owns the City of Los Angeles Marathon, the New Las Vegas Marathon, the Salt Lake City Marathon, the Chicago Half Marathon

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.