Date:    5/28/08 8:17 AM

Received:  5/28/08 9:23 AM

From:    Sara Hunninghake, [email protected]

To:     Sara Hunninghake, [email protected]

Contacts:

Sara Hunninghake 212.423.2258 | [email protected]

Media Relations Department, New York Road Runners

Lorraine DelliCarpini 212.642.7772 | [email protected]

For Immediate Release

 2008 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Teammates Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, Blake Russell to Race at 2008 NYRR New York Mini 10K

 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE defending champion Hilda Kibet and Mexican Olympian Madaí Pérez to round out women's professional field

 New York, May 28, 2008-The 2008 U.S. Olympic women's marathon team of Deena Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, and Blake Russell will take a victory lap through Central Park when they compete at the NYRR New York Mini 10K on Saturday, June 7, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE reigning champion Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands and Mexican Olympian Madaí Pérez fill out the women's professional field.

 The NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world's original women-only road race that debuted in 1972, will be one of the highlights of the inaugural Running Week Presented by New York Road Runners, a week of events and happenings that commemorate the 50th anniversary of the organization's founding on June 4, 1958. Running Week will extend from June 1 to 8 and will feature special runner services in Central Park, a free five-mile Anniversary Run on June 4, and Run to Work Day on June 6, among other events.

 Kastor, Lewy-Boulet, and Russell all qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon on April 20 in Boston, one day before the 112th Boston Marathon. They will represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 17.

 "This is a formidable and very experienced squad with legitimate Olympic medal hopes that all of America should be very proud of," said Wittenberg. "Having them all here for the Mini reflects our commitment to America's top athletes and demonstrates that the road to Beijing continues to run through Central Park for America's Olympians."

 Kastor, 35, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, produced the second-fastest Olympic Trials performance in U.S. history by winning the race in 2:29:35. A three-time Olympian, Kastor is the defending Olympic bronze medalist and the American record-holder in the marathon. She has twice competed in the NYRR New York Mini 10K; she won the race in 2004.

 Lewy-Boulet, 34, of Oakland, CA, narrowly missed a spot on the 2004 Olympic Team with her fifth-place finish at the Trials. This time around, Lewy-Boulet pushed the pace from the start and led for 23 miles of the 2008 Olympic Trials race before finishing second to Kastor in 2:30:19. Lewy-Boulet is no stranger to the New York racing scene, having previously competed in the Mini three times (2003, '04, '06) and twice in the ING New York City Marathon, first as a pacemaker in 2003 and then in 2006, when she earned her Olympic Trials qualifying time.

 Russell, 32, of Pacific Grove, CA, finished a heartbreaking fourth at the 2004 Olympic Trials when Jen Rhines passed her in the last half-mile to claim the final spot on the Olympic team. In the 2008 Trials, Russell shook off the demons of the past and finished third in 2:32:40. While this will be her Mini debut, Russell's most recent race in New York City was a resounding success; she won the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships at Van Cortlandt Park.

 Kibet, 27, notched a breakthrough performance in winning the 2007 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, edging Catherine Ndereba of Kenya by one second to win in 1:10:32. Kibet, who is Kenyan-born, is the current world leader at the 10K in 2008, having run a 31:01 at the Dutch national championships in February.

 Pérez, 28, had a spectacular month of May, qualifying for the Mexican Olympic team at the national marathon trials and setting a personal best for 10,000 meters (31:30.23) at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. She set the Mexican national marathon record (2:22:59) when she finished fourth at the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Pérez finished third in the 2007 Boston Marathon and was fifth in last year's NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE.

 New York Road Runners has increased the prize money structure for 2008 to include a separate purse for top American finishers. A total prize purse of $34,000 is up for grabs, with $10,000 awarded to the winner. Founded by NYRR in 1972, the Mini got its name when race founder Fred Lebow convinced the first sponsor to run a six-mile "mini" marathon-named for the miniskirt, which was then in fashion-rather than a full marathon. The first race featured 78 participants; the Mini has been on the NYRR calendar ever since.