Posted: February 23, 2006

Athletics: Napa Valley Marathon Expects "Ultra" Turnout

NAPA, Calif. - February 22, 2006 - Since its first running in 1979, the Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon has largely built its popularity and award-winning reputation on one unwavering tenet, and on a single, pure, and simple fact. 2,300 entrants will line up for the 28th Annual Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon on Sunday, March 5, 2006 fully expecting the event to once again deliver on its reputation as the "best little road race in the west," a distinction that the marathon's organizers don't take for granted, but insist upon.

Plus, the sellout crowd of marathoners, many of them first timers in the race, will savor a certain, defining trait of the event that requires no orchestration: The 26.2-mile race course traverses one of the world's most spectacularly majestic wine growing regions in the world.

These two acclaims -- organizational detail and unparalleled scenery -- have prompted Runner's World magazine to select the Napa Valley Marathon as one of the top 20 marathons in America and Competitor magazine to name the race the best rural marathon in the nation.

"I'm excited about Napa," says Alex Tilson, an elite entrant and a first timer at Napa. "I heard that it's a beautiful course that's fast and blessed with historically good weather."

Tilson, 35, of Burlingame, Calif., owns a marathon best of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 18 seconds -- making him a top contender in the men's race. His claim to fame, however, comes as an ultramarathon competitor. In 2002, Tilson set a U.S. record for 50 kilometers (31 miles) on the roads. His 50km time of 2:51:48 eclipsed the previous official road record, which had stood for over 20 years, by more than eight minutes.

Ultra standout Brian Purcell, 49, of Sebastopol, Calif. will compete in the Napa Valley Marathon for the third time. Purcell is an eight-time veteran and 1988 champion of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Entrants Rae Clark (54, Auburn, Calif.), Sean Crom (50, Reno, Nev.), and Helen Klein (83, Rancho Cordova, Calif.) all have received annual Ultrarunner of the Year awards from USA Track & Field.

Rich Benyo, who co-directs the Napa Valley Marathon and edits Marathon & Beyond magazine, believes that some ultrarunners are drawn to the Napa race because it shares similarities with ultras. Not in distance, but in its "mellow, sort of retro-like way marathons used to be," Benyo says.

Notable ultramarathon athletes who have won at Napa include multiple Western States 100 champion Ann Trason (1988 and 1999) and Kathy D'Onofrio Wood (1985). Gard Leighton, who co-directs the KPNVM with Benyo and David Hill, has run in over 200 ultramarathons and holds national age-group records.

Duncan Larkin, 33, of Exton, Penn. is also expected to contend for the men's overall win. Larkin finished sixth in last year's race, but since then has improved his personal best to 2:32:32.

In the women's race, 36-year-old Mary Coordt of Elk Grove, Calif. will defend her 2005 title. Coordt easily topped last year's women's field in 2:51:50. Coordt also won the Napa Valley Marathon in 1997. If Coordt is successful, she will join two other athletes who have won the race three times: David Chairez (1984, '86, '89) and Christine Iwahashi (1986, '87, '90).

Among veteran participants, 65-year-old Herb Phillips will reach for another superb performance at the Napa Valley Marathon. Phillips, who resides in Burnaby (British Columbia), Canada, is a frequent competitor at the race, and has run more than 50 sub-three-hour marathons since turning 50. In 2004, Phillips ran a 2:47:28 marathon, an unofficial world's best for 63-year-old men. After turning 65 last year, he celebrated by scoring a 2:52:43 at last October's Royal Victoria Marathon.

Many interesting and inspiring stories come from all ranks of this year's marathon field. For example, Scott Beasley, 35, of Travis Air Force Base, trained for last year's KPNVM while stationed in Thailand providing tsunami relief. Working 12 hour days, he did his running in a five-story parking garage.

Kevin Corbett, 36, of Danville, Calif. will run his first-ever marathon at Napa to celebrate his one-year anniversary of successfully beating cancer.

Kathryn Bozzini, 46, of Lafayette, Calif., a mother of eight children, ages 9 to 20, will make Napa her 19th marathon.

Darryl Beardall, 69, of Santa Rosa, Calif. enters the KPNVM having completed over 200 marathons with a personal best of 2:28. Beardall, who began running in the 1950s, counts two victories in the rugged Dipsea trail race over Mt. Tamalpais among his 300 race wins and 300,000 training miles.

Ann Thrupp, 48, of El Cerrito, Calif. helped pioneer women's distance running at Stanford University, where she was a three-time All-American from 1975-1980. Now, she is aiming for a 3 hour, 40 minute finish at this year's Napa Valley Marathon.

Dr. Kirk Pappas, 44, of Santa Rosa, Calif., specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center. He has completed 26 marathons.

"I'm very honored to be in my sixth Napa Valley Marathon this year," says Pappas, who treats people with muscular skeletal problems. "I'm equally proud that it's the first sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Being able to improve what you have is why I run."

Karen Queally, 53, of Millbrae, Calif., who works as an assistant administrator at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, was diagnosed with breast cancer early last year. She had to cancel her plans to run in the 2005 KPNVM. A year later, after successful treatment, and running strong again, she is looking forward to lining up for this year's race.

The 2006 edition of the KPNVM has again been selected by the Road Runners Club of America as its National Marathon Championship -- a designation it has received since 1998. Runners may also choose the companion Kiwanis 5K Run, which starts and finishes at Vintage High School on marathon morning.

Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon weekend includes a Sports and Fitness Expo, Saturday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa. Also on slate is the marathon's popular Marathon College, an innovative speaker/seminar program that includes a "faculty" composed of respected running authorities and celebrity runners.

The faculty for the 2006 Marathon College includes Joe Henderson (author of 25 books on running and columnist for Marathon & Beyond), Dick Beardsley (Napa Valley Marathon course record-holder, 4th fastest American marathoner of all time, and author of Staying The Course), Helen Klein (world and American age-group record-holder at distances from the 5K to 100 miles), John Keston (world and American age-group record-holder at distances from the mile to the marathon), Roger Robinson (former world's best masters runner and author), Kathrine Switzer (women's running pioneer), Amby Burfoot (executive editor of Runner's World), Bee McLeod (president of the Road Runners Club of America), and Mary Coordt (defending Napa Valley Marathon champion and sports nutrition expert).

The marathon starts on Sunday, March 5 at 7:00 a.m. sharp in Calistoga on the Silverado Trail near the intersection of Rosedale Road. The race finishes at Vintage High School in Napa. Top runners are expected to reach the finish between 9:15 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Runners will receive official times up until 12:30 p.m. when the course closes.

EVENT ENTRY: Entry is limited to the first 2,300 registrants. Runners can register for the marathon online or download an entry form at www.napavalleymarathon.org. Alternatively, contact the race via e-mail at nvm@napanet.net, or telephone: (707) 255-2609. The registration fee for the race is $100. There is no race-day registration.

The Napa Valley Marathon appreciates generous sponsor support from Kaiser Permanente/Thrive, Calistoga Mineral Water Company, Gatorade, ASICS America Corporation, Silverado Trail Wineries Association, Marathon & Beyond, Road Runners Club of America, USA Track & Field, MarathonFoto, Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, GU, CBS 5 and UPN Bay Area, KVYN/99.3 The Vine, KVON 1440 AM, the Napa Running Company, and KCBS 740 AM.

The Kaiser Permanente Thrive campaign demonstrates Kaiser Permanente's founding philosophy of members getting and staying healthy throughout their lives, by taking an active role in caring for themselves in partnership with their health care provider. Exercise, healthy eating habits, and good health choices are important components of the Thrive message.

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