FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Danny Elfenbein
305-278-8668
9,100 Runners, 1,800 Children, 174 Soldiers In Iraq Complete
The ING Miami Marathon And Half Marathon®
Race Reaches Higher Level As The World Of Running Unites
At South Florida's Largest Marathon
MIAMI (January 28, 2007) -Hours after 176 soldiers in Tallil, Iraq
completed a "shadow" race of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon®,
more than 9,100 runners from around the world kicked off the start of the
fifth annual race in Miami. Excited runners stood in front of the American
Airlines Arena while rain and wind came down at the start. The rain stopped
20 minutes later and runners celebrated South Florida's premier road race
with temperatures in the high 60s to low 70s.
The morning included 1,800 middle school students who ran along Congressman
Kendrick Meek, participating in the Final Mile of the ING Run for Something
Better, a program that promotes youth running through Miami Dade County
Schools. Children were finishing a 15-week program in which they completed
a marathon by running every day in school, more than a mile and a half a
week. In addition to the kids, more than 50 athletes with disabilities led
out the race, including the Avis Achilles Freedom Team, soldiers from the
Walter Reed Medical Center who were recently injured in Iraq.
Miami has proven itself to be a major destination for runners from around
the world, with nearly 70 percent of runners coming from outside Miami-Dade
County and 10 percent of the field as international entrants.
The elite field of men in the marathon consisted of several African
runners, a contrast to the strong South American runners in past years. At
the 11-mile mark, Teshome Gelana, 23, from Ethiopia began to distance
himself from the pack, running five minute miles through the finish. Gelana
finished in 2 hours 17 minutes and 54 seconds, collecting $5,000 for first
place. Columbian Juan Carlos Cardona followed behind with a time of 2 hours
18 minutes and 29 seconds. Third place runner Charles Kamindo, from Kenya,
took his shoes off at mile 16 and finished the race with only socks in a
time of 2 hours 23 minutes and 7 seconds.
The women's marathon included an open field runner competing to win the
race from start to finish. Caroline McIlroy from Canada, led the elite
field for the first 14 miles, caught by seasoned veteran Ramila Burangulova
of Russia and Rima Dubovic of Ukraine. Burangulova, 45, took the title with
a time of 2 hours 40 minutes and 25 seconds, followed by Dubovic at 2 hours
43 minutes and then McIlroy with a time of 2 hours 51 minutes and 14
seconds.
In the half marathon, an ING Miami Half Marathon record was set by Jared
Nyamboki of Kenya with a time of 1 hour 7 minutes and 11 second. The
previous record was 1 hour 7 minutes and 56 seconds by Johnny Loria-Solano
at the inaugural race in 2003.
The women's half marathon was won by South Florida's world class runner,
Sonja Friend Uhl of West Palm Beach. Friend Uhl, a former Olympics trial
competitor, finished at 1 hour 19 minutes and 29 seconds.
The 2008 ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon® is scheduled for January 27,
2008. Registration opens Tuesday, January 30 with fees as low as $25 for
the half marathon and $37.50 for the full marathon. Close to 15,000 runners
are expected or next year's race. For more information call 305-278-8668 or
logon to www.INGMiamiMarathon.com.
About PR Racing
PR Racing is a Miami based Health and Fitness Event Management Firm
devoted to providing awareness to the community for active and healthier
lifestyles. As the producers of the ING Miami Marathon and Half Marathon
and Escape to Miami Triathlon, PR Racing has established world class
destination events that draw thousands of international participants to
Miami-Dade County on an annual basis. PR Racing prides itself in creating
opportunities for their own city and all of their neighbors to live
healthier and happier through the production of fitness events.
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