FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Keenan
Executive Director
Laura Wright
Public Relations Director
(218) 727-0947
Wells Fargo, Target and Country Hearth
Provide Prize Money for Top Finishers in Grandma’s Marathon
Duluth, Minn.: A prize purse totaling $88,000 will be awarded to the top
male and female competitors in the 30th annual Grandma's Marathon on
Saturday, June 17, 2006. Presenting Sponsors, Wells Fargo and Target, fund
the purse for the top male and female runners in the competition, and major
sponsor, Country Hearth, contributes prize money for athletes in the
wheelchair division.
"Grandma's Marathon has become known in elite running communities around
the world as a race that not only offers a fast course, but also a
substantial prize purse. Wells Fargo, Target and Country Hearth play a
crucial role in helping our race attract some of the best runners in the
marathon circuit, and we are so thankful that they understand the
importance of rewarding our top finishers for their accomplishments," said
Scott Keenan, executive director of Grandma's Marathon.
Wells Fargo presents a total of $39,000 to the first ten runners in the
men’s open division and the first three men in the masters division. Target
presents the same amount in cash prizes to the top female runners. Country
Hearth will award a total of $10,000 to the top five men and women in the
wheelchair race.
The 2006 Grandma's Marathon will feature a strong field of elite athletes
including defending women's champion Halina Karnatsevich, 37, of Russia,
who ran the second fastest women’s time in Grandma's Marathon history
finishing the 2005 race in 2:28:43. Two-time champion (2003 and 2004) and
women’s course record holder, Fira Sultanova-Zhdanova, 45, of Russia is
also registered to compete along with 2002 women’s champion Zinaida
Semenova. Semenova heads into the competition with the fastest personal
record time (2:26:52) in the women’s field.
Top American women runners are Magdelena Lewy Boulet, 32, of Oakland,
Calif., Mary Akor, 29, of Gardena, Calif., and Katie Koski, 33, of Two
Harbors, Minn.
In the men’s division, Wesly Ngetich, Simon Sawe, Pavel Andreev and James
Karanja, who placed one through four respectively in the 2005 Grandma's
Marathon, are returning to compete. Defending champion, Ngetich, 28, of
Kenya set a personal record time of 2:13:20 at Grandma's last year and
recently lowered that to 2:12:10 at the Houston Marathon in January. David
Kuri, 29, of Kenya has the fastest open division time in the men's field –
2:08:53.
Jim Jurcevich, 30, of Columbus, Ohio holds the fastest personal record
time in the field for an American. He ran 2:14:28 at the 2006 Austin (Tex.)
Marathon in February. Jurcevich’s training partner, Josh Ordway, 26, and
Teddy Mitchell, 34, of Albuquerque, N.M. round out the top three Americans
in the field.
In the wheelchair division, 2005 champion, Krige Schabort, 42, of South
Africa, will defend his title against a strong field of wheelchair
athletes. Jacob Heilveil, 36, of South Korea and Alan Bergman, 32, of
Canada, who were second and third respectively in 2005 will be back again
to compete for the first place spot. The women’s division includes two of
the nation’s fastest wheelchair athletes: Miriam Ladner, 28, and Amanda
McGrory, 19. Both women are from Champaign, Ill.
To date, there are 72 men and 54 women runners, and a total of 15
wheelchair racers registered to compete in the elite field of the 26.2-mile
race. In all, 9,758 people from 34 different countries and 49 states are
registered to run on June 17.
Complete lists of the male and female elite participants in the 2006
Grandma's Marathon are attached. For more information on Grandma's Marathon
weekend, visit the web site www.grandmasmarathon.com or call (218) 727-0947.
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