Olympic Trials Preview at Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, San Jose

Olympic silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi, and San Jose native, J.T. Service, tune up before
Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City

Date: 8/7/07 10:22 AM
Received: 8/10/07 2:54 PM
From: Elite Racing, [email protected]
To: Mark Winitz, [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elite Racing, Inc.
Ian Monahan - 800/311-1255


To download related hi-resolution images, please see web links at end of
story

SAN JOSE, Calif., (August 7, 2007) - San Jose's Rock 'n' Roll Half
Marathon will feature two American Olympic hopefuls on Sun., Oct. 14,
2007 as Olympic silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi, and San Jose native,
J.T. Service, tune up before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials to be
held in New York City on Sat., Nov. 3, 2007.

Keflezighi, 32, winner of the silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in
the marathon, had to pull out of the 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon
with a leg cramp near mile 11 of the 13.1-mile race. He was staging a
comeback, picking off runners one by one, as he gained ground on the
blistering pace set by Duncan Kibet of Kenya, who won in a time of 1
hour, 22 seconds. Despite an early exit from the race, Keflezighi
realized the potential the San Jose course offers to runners looking to
gauge their race speed.

"Last year, I wanted to test my fitness prior to the ING New York City
Marathon," said Keflezighi. "The weather was perfect, the course is fast,
and depending on how I perform over the next couple months, I feel I can
put together a strong race in San Jose before the Olympic trials."

Keflezighi, who will celebrate his 20th anniversary as a U.S. citizen
this October, hopes to make his third U.S. Olympic team. A win for
Keflezighi at the Olympic trials would represent his first ever victory
in 10 marathon starts and solidify his spot on the Olympic team provided
he earns the Olympic "A" standard of 2:15:00 at the trials or prior to
April 21, 2008.

Keflezighi began running at age 12 and competed with two of his brothers
at San Diego High School where he won three state titles his senior year.
At UCLA, running for his current coach Bob Larsen, Keflezighi won four
NCAA titles while earning a B.A. in communications. He currently lives in
San Diego and in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. where he trains at altitude with
Team Running USA.

Service, 26, returns to defend his title as the top San Jose and Bay Area
finisher at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, finishing the 2006 inaugural
race in a time of 1:07:46. However, at the start of this year's race, the
butterflies will be fluttering a little harder in his stomach as he
prepares for his first shot at an Olympic team.

"Making it to the Olympic team is any athlete's dream," Service said. "As
I look back over the peaks and valleys of my running career, my
preparation for the trials has seemingly taken a lifetime. When I found
the marathon, things seemed to have fall into place. Now, I just want to
run a fast tune up in San Jose, then give a huge effort at the trials and
let chips fall where they may. It's all really exciting."

His father, Tom Service, has been a running role model throughout his
son's life. As the head coach of both the men's and women's distance
programs at Santa Clara University, Tom Service has helped guide J.T.
through his athletic career.

"Although he has never officially been my running coach, he has always
advised me on a day-to-day basis," Service said of his father. "Somehow
he has walked the tight rope of encouraging me to participate in his
favorite sport while constantly letting me know that he would love me
just as much if I quit tomorrow."

As a member of the Asics Aggies Running Club, an Olympic development
program for USA Track & Field, Service has strengthened his own career in
his bid for the Olympics.

Service has found success at past Elite Racing musical marathon events.
In addition to his top regional performance at the Rock 'n Roll Half
Marathon last year, Service was the top American finisher at the Rock 'n'
Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif. in June, 2006, finishing in a time of
2:24:42. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was the first of his career.

When he isn't logging marathon miles through the streets of the South
Bay, Service is hard at work as a law student at Santa Clara. He also
will lead Team Swift Justice at the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon to raise
money for a local community law center which advises, counsels and
represents low-income clients on legal issues involving workers' rights,
workers' compensation, immigration, and consumer protection. Runners
interested in running the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon with Team Justice
may call 408-406-6490.

Born and raised in San Jose, Service ran cross country for Archbishop
Mitty High School. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree from
the University of California, Santa Barbara where he was a two-time
all-Big West Conference distance runner.

For more information or to register for the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon,
please visit www.RnRsj.com or call 800-311-1255.

Meb Keflezighi
Meb with three-time Super Bowl Champion Roger Craig, Courtesy: Victah
Sailor

Meb on-course at 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, Courtesy: ASIphoto.com


J.T. Service
J.T Service on course at 2006 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon


About the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, San Jose
The Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon will welcome more than 13,000 runners and
walkers to the streets of San Jose on Sun., Oct. 14, 2007. It is the
sixth race in Elite Racing's musically themed, national road racing
series. Last year, three men and four women in the professional field ran
under the old California state record times of 1:02:06 for the men and
1:11:16 for the women. In addition to 16 live bands along the course, the
scenic tour of San Jose features hundreds of local high school
cheerleaders and water stations to provide further entertainment and
motivation to runners and walkers. The event concludes with a finish line
party and an afternoon headliner concert featuring a premier rock 'n'
roll act.

About Elite Racing, Inc.
Celebrating 10 years producing the nation's largest and most entertaining
running events, Elite Racing, Inc. is a sports marketing and management
company that specializes in producing world-class road racing events for
runners and walkers throughout the United States. The company has grown
to manage a total of six marathons and half-marathons including the Rock
'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, Calif., the Country Music Marathon and ∏
Marathon in Nashville, Tenn., the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona
Marathon & ∏ Marathon in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, the Philadelphia
Distance Run and the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathons in Virginia Beach, Va.
and San Jose, Calif. Each event features a live band on entertainment
stages, themed water stations and cheerleaders at every mile along the
course. Events attract between 13,000 and 35,000 participants.

In addition, Elite Racing also produces the Carlsbad 5000. Known as the
"world's fastest 5K," the Carlsbad 5000 is home to 16 world best times at
the 3.1-mile distance and welcomes over 10,000 runners and walkers to the
streets of Carlsbad, Calif. annually.

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