FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ron Abrahamson
TCM President
(763) 287-3888, ext. 12
Megan Ryan
Marketing & PR Manager
(763) 287-3888, ext. 13
TWIN CITIES MARATHON ANNOUNCES SOLID ELITE FIELD FOR 23rd ANNUAL EVENT
Familiar faces and first-time contenders will race
from Minneapolis to St. Paul
(Minneapolis, MN) - The 2004 Twin Cities Marathon field promises to be one
of the strongest. Three-time TCM women's champion (1998, 2000, 2001) and
course record-holder Zinaida Semenova of Russia and 2001 men's winner
Joshua Kipkemboi of Kenya will be the most recognizable of the familiar
faces.
On the women's side, last year, Semenova, competed for the first time as a
master at TCM, finished 4th overall and won the masters title. Semenova
will face a strong field of challengers including 1999 TCM champion Kim
Pawelek of Arden, NC, 2002 Runner-up Jill Boaz of Los Osos, CA, and Firaya
Sultanova-Zhdanova of Russia, the two-time Grandma's Marathon champion who
narrowly missed the world masters record in the marathon with her 2:27:05
in Duluth in 2003.
A passel of contenders hoping to make their first big splash at TCM include
Russians Alevtina Biktimorova, Victoria Klimina, Irina Permitina, and
Silvia Skvortsova who finished 3rd at TCM in 2001. Elena Fadeeva of the
Ukraine is also expected to challenge.
In addition, Brainerd Minnesota native Turena Johnson-Lane of Statesboro,
GA is an especially intriguing prospect for the race. Johnson-Lane, who
finished 6th at TCM last year, won the US 20K title in early September with
a breakthrough performance that could augur bigger things for her at the
marathon distance.
On the men's side, Kipkemboi, who owns the masters record at TCM with his
2:11:45, second place clocking in 2002 - the fastest masters marathon ever
run in the US -- will face both the challenge of time - he's now 45 years
old - and rivals on the streets connecting the Metrodome and the State
Capitol. Fellow Kenyan master Jackson Kipng'ok, who ran just a few steps
behind Kipkemboi in 2002, returns to challenge for masters and overall
supremacy, as does Fedor Ryzhov of Russia the overall and masters runner-up
last year.
Perhaps the sentimental favorite this year will be 1997 Boston Marathon
Champion Lameck Aguta. Aguta was a victim in 1997 of an automobile
accident in his native Kenya where he was subsequently robbed, beaten, and
left for dead. He continues his valiant comeback at TCM.
Other international standouts include Gabriel Muchiri of Kenya, 4th at TCM
in 2003 after leading the race onto Summit Avenue, Mohamed Nazipov a top
masters runner from Russia, Dmitry Kapitonov of Russia, and Augustus Kavutu
of Kenya.
Looking to challenge the old guard and the international runners is an
intriguing group of US marathoners which include 2001 US Marathon Champion
Scott Larson of Boulder, CO, 2002 USA Half Marathon Champion and 2000 US
Olympic Marathon Trials runner-up Peter De La Cerda of Alamosa, CO, former
US marathon record-holder David Morris of Albuquerque, NM, Patrick Muturi
of Pullman, WA, the 1996 and 1997 Grandma's Marathon champion, Jimmy Hearld
of Louisville, KY, Scott Strand of Birmingham, AL, Teren Jameson of Salt
Lake City, UT, and Minnesota native Marty Rosendahl of Rochester Hills,
Michigan.
At TCM this year, US runners will not only compete for $147,000 open prize
money, but also for the $100,000 purse dedicated by TCM to American
athletes. The total prize purse for TCM in 2004 is $327,000.
TCM will once again host the USA Masters Marathon Championship. Dennis
Simonaitis of Draper, UT, who was the USA Masters Championship runner-up in
2003 and Antoni Niemczak of Albuquerque, NM, who was third head the men's
field. Minnesota's own Janet Robertz returns to defend the USA Masters
title she won at TCM last year. Challenging her will be 2003 runner-up
Lisa Vaill of Gainsville, FL and Susan Loken of Phoenix, AZ, who beat
Robertz this spring at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis.
The 2004 Twin Cities Marathon weekend is October 1-3. The three-day
weekend celebration of fitness includes a 5K run/walk, children's fun runs,
pasta dinner, two-day health and fitness expo and a 10-mile race in
addition to the marathon. Twin Cities Marathon continues its 14th
consecutive year as the designated USATF National Masters Championship for
both men and women. Major corporate sponsors for the marathon are Cub
Foods and Seagate Technology. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. is a non-profit
organization that directs the TCM weekend as a community service for the
Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Visit www.twincitiesmarathon.org for more
information.
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