Posted: January 9, 2006

Athletics: Defending Champions Return for 2006 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon

Women's 2004-05 Champion Poised for Running Hat Trick

PHOENIX - (Jan. 9, 2006) - She stands just five feet tall and weighs in at only 96 pounds, but at the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon, Ethiopian Shitaye Gemechu towers over her competitors. Gemechu, 25, enters the 2006 race on Jan. 15 as two-time defending champion in the marathon, having won the inaugural race in 2004 and she defended her title in 2005. Fellow Ethiopian and men's returning champion Terefae Yae joins her.

Last year, Gemechu defended her title winning in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 51 seconds over the 26.2-mile road course. In 2004, she won in 2:31:33. Her 2005 accomplishments include a seventh place finish at the Boston Marathon and a 10th place finish at the Philadelphia Distance Run in the same race where American Deena Kastor shattered the U.S. half-marathon record.

The strongest competition for Gemechu should, most likely, come from Japan's Hiromi Ominami, 30, who has the fastest marathon time in the women's field (2:23:26). A significant challenge could also come from the 26-year-old Kenyan Pamela Chepchumba. In 2005, Chepchumba posted a first place finish at the Maratonina Citta di Udine half-marathon in Italy in September, and then, a month later, she raced to third position at the high-altitude Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon (2:41:12). The women's 2005 third place finisher, and hometown product, Karla Sokolovich of Phoenix, also returns to the field.

On the men's side, Yae, 24, was the victor of a tactical race at the 2005 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon. Kenyan teammates Haron Toroitich, the 2004 champion, and Philip Tarus, ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Yae through 25 miles before the young Ethiopian broke away to capture his first major marathon title in a time of 2:14:24.

Yae had a quiet 2005 season and is well rested and ready to defend his title against a men's field that includes two dangerous competitors. Ethiopian Dejene Guta, 24, and Kenyan Willy Cheriyot, 38, finished first and second respectively at the highly competitive 2005 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, and pose the biggest threat to Yae's repeat chances.

Adding to the race day excitement is Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie universally regarded as one of history's greatest distance runners. He has chosen P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona as the venue for his attempt at breaking the world record in the half-marathon. Gebrselassie, 32, is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a four-time world champion and over the course of his career has broken an astounding 18 world records on the track and roads. He will challenge the world record of 59:16 set by Kenyan youngster Samuel Wanjiru, 18, at the Fortis Rotterdam Half Marathon on Sept. 11, 2005.

Gebrselassie's January world record attempt is unique in that he will run the latter half of the full marathon course in Arizona, providing him with an IAAF-certified and record standard course.

For more information on the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & ˝ Marathon, visit RnRAZ.com or contact Elite Racing, Inc. at (800) 311-1255.

P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Elite Field As of January 6, 2006

MEN
NAME / AGE / COUNTRY / BEST / FACTOID
Terefae Yae, 24, ETH 2:11:45 1st 2005 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ, 10th '05 real Berlin Marathon
Shimelis Mola, 23, ETH 2:10:11 6th 2005 Real Berlin Marathon, 2nd 2005 real Berlin Marathon
Belay Welasha, 36, ETH 2:10:57 3rd 2005 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ, 1st 2000 Rock 'n' Roll Marthon
Willy Cheruiyot, 38, KEN 2:08:48 2nd 2005 Dubai Marathon, 3rd 2005 Madrid Mara
Solomon Tadesse, 24, ETH Debut 63:18 Half PR
Yuriy Hychun, 28, UKR 2:14:23 3rd 2005 Country Music Marathon, 3rd 2004 Lisbon Mara
Andrei Gordeev, 31, BLR 2:11:44 6th 2005 Country Music Marathon
Benson Mbithi, 27, KEN 2:11:12 6th 2005 Los Angeles Marathon
Dejene Guta, 24, ETH 2:10:49 1st 2005 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon
Asnake Fekadu, 23, ETH 2:20:27 3rd 2004 Abebe Bikela Marathon
Chris Seaton, 27, USA/NC Debut 65:55 Half PR, 10th Gate River Run

WOMEN
Shitaye Gemechu, 25, ETH 2:26:15 1st '04-05 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ Marathon
Pamela Chepchumba, 26, KEN 2:41:12 3rd 2005 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon
Hiromi Ominami, 30, JPN 2:23:26 2nd '03 Rotterdam Marathon, 2nd '05 Japan Championships 5000m
Abeba Tola, 28, ETH 2:29:54 4th 2005 Rome Marathon
Salomie Getnet, 20, ETH 2:44:44 4th 2005 Maratona di Sant' Antonio
Katie Blackett, 28, USA/CO 2:40:25 7th 2003 USA Women's Marathon Championships
Danuta Teschner, 33, POL 2:41:14 16th 2000 Boston Marathon
Erin Baker, 31, USA/MN 2:53:24 10th 2005 Grandma's Marathon
Marlene Persson, 35, SWE 2:52:01 6th 2004 Miami Tropical Marathon
Malgorzata Jamroz, 32, POL 2:38:28 3rd 2005 Warsaw Marathon
Rebeckah Castillo, 34, USA/AZ 2:56:12 7th 2005 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
Karla Sokolovich, 33, USA/AZ 2:55:33 3rd 2005 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
Susan Loken, 42, USA/AZ 2:43:07 3rd 2005 Twin Cities / USA Championships Marathon

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
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