|
$5000 in prize money plus time bonuses
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - (October 13, 2006) - The Saint John's Santa Monica 5000 will kickoff on Sunday, October 22, 2006 with a top-notch field expected to participate in the Los Angeles Sports & Fitness (LAS&F) Invitational, the elite wave featuring athletes from around the region. The competitors will compete for a share of the $5000 prize purse plus time bonuses on a flat, fast course along the ocean in Santa Monica.
The LAS&F Invitational, which was first run in 2004 in Agoura Hills, brings together the best athletes in Southern California to compete in the Championship of L.A. Road Racing. "The LAS&F Invitational is the stage for California's best to compete. It makes for outstanding competition, a great race and also a wonderful event to watch," said LAS&F Publisher Danny Greenberg.
On the men's side, the leading American contenders are Bolota Asmerom, Fernando Cabada and Team Running USA athlete Jacques Sallberg. Asmerom, a resident of Oakland, recently won the 5000 meter race at the 2006 Stanford Invitational in 13:39 and participated in the same event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Emerging star Cabada set the U.S. 25K record after winning the Fifth Third River Bank Run in 1:14:21 last May. Pasadena resident Sallberg, who has been helping Meb Keflezighi prepare for the upcoming ING New York City Marathon, also looks to be a top contender, having placed 4th at the 2006 USA 3000 Meter Steeplechase Championship in 8:28.18, a personal record.
The trio will also be challenged by Kenyans Haron Lagat and Richard Kimeli, who placed second and third at the Inaugural National City Invitational Mile on October 1st with times of 4:11 and 4:12, respectively. Edward Muge, a teammate of Lagat and Kimeli, who ran 5000 meters in 13:18.24 earlier in the year, is one of the top contenders in the 10K race.
Another runner in the LAS&F Invitational who could shake things up is Josh Spiker from Ventura. Spiker, an All-American at the University of Wisconsin, finished 11th in 3:41 in the 1500 meter race at the 2005 NCAA Championships. 2004 LAS&F Invitational winner Christian Hesch from Morro Bay, who placed 9th at the recent Inaugural National City Invitational Mile after coming off an injury, is also expected to compete.
The leading contender in the women's field is Kenyan Emily Chebet, an up-and-coming member of the AmeriKenyan Running Club in Santa Fe, New Mexico who will be running her first race in the United States. Chebet placed second in the Kenyan 10,000 meter Championships in 32:27.0 back in July, beating four-time B.A.A. Boston Marathon Champion Catherine Ndereba. She also won the bronze medal in the 10,000 meter race at the Africa Athletics Championships last August in 31:33.39.
The top U.S. woman is Jennifer DeRego who qualified for the 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials and recently placed second in the Glide Floss Bridge to Bridge 12K in San Francisco in 43:09.
As part of the LAS&F Invitational, the 5K race will feature $5000 in prize money, including $1000 for the men's and women's winner in addition to time bonuses and incentives for the top Santa Monica finishers. For the complete prize money structure, visit SantaMonica5000.com.
In addition to the athletes competing in the LAS&F Invitational is a growing list of celebrities. The newest addition to the star-studded list is JAG Actor David James Elliott, who currently stars as District Attorney James Conlon on the CBS show "Close to Home." Elliott joins Isaiah Washington from "Grey's Anatomy," Univision KMEX 34 Entertainment Reporter Cecilia Bogran, Actress Lisa Arturo from "American Pie 2" and "Jackass 2," Alex Bell and Kim Powers from "Survivor" and 2005 Miss Massachusetts Cristina Nardozzi.
Race proceeds will help build the new Saint John's Emergency Department.
| 
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
