Posted: May 5, 2006

Athletics: USATF News and Notes, Volume 7, Number 31

World-class athletes going to the Modesto Relays

World class athletes from more than 20 countries will converge on Modesto, California this weekend to compete in the 65th annual running of the Modesto Relays.

The men's 400m race guarantees excitement as reigning Olympic and World champion Jeremy Wariner takes on his training partner and 2005 NCAA champion Darold Williamson. Also battling for the win will be 2003 World Outdoor silver medalist Tyree Washington and 2005 World Outdoor 200m silver medalist Wallace Spearmon. Wariner, Williamson, and Spearmon were part of the 4x400m relay team that set the world indoor record at this year's Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.

2006 World indoor 60m champion Leonard Scott will race in the men's 100m against two-time World Outdoor and 2004 Olympic long jump champion Dwight Phillips. Scott will also be in the men's 200m.

2005 USA Outdoor champion and 2006 USA Indoor champion Khadevis Robinson will be competing in the men's 800m race. Robinson is the current world leader with a time of 1 minute 44.88 seconds.

The field is crowded in the women's 100m, with 2003 World Outdoor champion Torri Edwards facing competition from 2005 World Outdoor 4x100m relay gold medalist Angela Daigle, four-time NCAA 100m champion Angela Williams, 2004 Olympic 4x400m gold medalist Crystal Cox and 2004 NCAA 100mH champion Nichole Denby. Cox and Daigle are also running in the women's 200m.

2004 400 meter hurdles Olympic Trials champion Sheena Johnson is entered in both the 100mH and the 400mH.

The men's pole vault promises to provide some thrills with many of the top vaulters in the world vying for the win. The reigning world indoor and outdoor champion Brad Walker take on Olympic gold medalist Tim Mack and Olympic silver medalist Toby Stevenson, who holds the Modesto Relays record at 6.0 meters/ 19 feet 8.25 inches. Also in the fray are American record-holder Jeff Hartwig, 2004 Olympian and local crowd favorite Derek Miles, along with German national champion Tim Lobinger who is ranked #2 in the world and Swedish national champion Patrik Kristiansson.

Two-time Olympian and world champion Stacy Dragila will be making her outdoor debut at the Modesto Relays, where she will face stiff competition in the women's pole vault from 2005 USA Indoor champion Jenn Stuczynski. Also competing are 2005 NCAA champion Chelsea Johnson and Canadian record-holder Dana Ellis-Buller.

In the men's long jump, 2005 USA indoor and outdoor triple jump runner-up Kenta Bell will challenge Miguel Pate, the 2005 USA outdoor champion who is ranked #2 in the world. Bell also will compete in the triple jump.

2004 Olympic trials champion Jarred Rome will clash with 2005 USA outdoor champion Ian Waltz in the men's discus throw. Rome will also participate in the men's shot put.

Current world leader and 2004 world indoor champion Christian Cantwell will compete in the men's shot put.

In the women's hammer throw, 2005 USA outdoor runner-up Amber Campbell will be challenged by 2005 NCAA champion Loree Smith.

For more information on the 2006 Modesto Relays, go to modestorelays.org.

Team Lugar wins Capital Challenge Race

The 25th Annual ACLI CAPITAL CHALLENGE was held on Wednesday, May 3 in Washington, D.C. The Capital Challenge is an invitational race for teams representing the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of the Federal Government and the Media. It is a three mile road race that had a record field this year with 27 members of Congress and 14% of the Senate leading teams.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Richard Lugar of Indiana competed for the 25th straight year, never having missed a race. Team Lugar won the Senate Team division. He was joined by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) and Senate Finance Chair Charles Grassley (R-IA), as well as 38 other Senators and Representatives from 29 states.

On hand to help celebrate the 25th anniversary and get the runners on their way as official "whistle blower" was 2006 celebrity runner, Kenny Moore. Moore was a long-time senior writer for Sports Illustrated, who starred with Mariel Hemingway in Robert Towne's "Personal Best" and other films. He is a former U.S. men's marathon record holder, who finished fourth in the1972 Olympic Marathon and won the first Marine Corps Marathon.

All entry fees go to DC Special Olympics, as does an additional donation from the title sponsor ACLI (American Council of Life Insurers) and other sponsors ING, Northwestern Mutual, The Principal Financial Group, Swiss Re, Qwest Communications, Roll Call and Running Times.

For more information and complete results, visit www.capitalchallenge.com.

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