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Press Release - P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon - 1/9/06

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                 Contact: Susan Reid
                                          Elite Racing, Inc.
                                          (858)450-6510


                     Defending Champions Return for 
            2006 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
          Women's 2004-05 Champion Poised for Running Hat Trick
 

PHOENIX - (Jan. 9, 2006) - She stands just five feet tall and weighs in at 
only 96 pounds, but at the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon, 
Ethiopian Shitaye Gemechu towers over her competitors. Gemechu, 25, enters 
the 2006 race on Jan. 15 as two-time defending champion in the marathon, 
having won the inaugural race in 2004 and she defended her title in 2005. 
Fellow Ethiopian and men's returning champion Terefae Yae joins her.

Last year, Gemechu defended her title winning in 2 hours, 32 minutes, 51 
seconds over the 26.2-mile road course. In 2004, she won in 2:31:33. Her 
2005 accomplishments include a seventh place finish at the Boston Marathon 
and a 10th place finish at the Philadelphia Distance Run in the same race 
where American Deena Kastor shattered the U.S. half-marathon record.

The strongest competition for Gemechu should, most likely, come from 
Japan's Hiromi Ominami, 30, who has the fastest marathon time in the 
women's field (2:23:26). A significant challenge could also come from the 
26-year-old Kenyan Pamela Chepchumba. In 2005, Chepchumba posted a first 
place finish at the Maratonina Citta di Udine half-marathon in Italy in 
September, and then, a month later, she raced to third position at the 
high-altitude Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon (2:41:12). The women's 
2005 third place finisher, and hometown product, Karla Sokolovich of 
Phoenix, also returns to the field.

On the men's side, Yae, 24, was the victor of a tactical race at the 2005 
P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon. Kenyan teammates Haron 
Toroitich, the 2004 champion, and Philip Tarus, ran shoulder-to-shoulder 
with Yae through 25 miles before the young Ethiopian broke away to capture 
his first major marathon title in a time of 2:14:24.

Yae had a quiet 2005 season and is well rested and ready to defend his 
title against a men's field that includes two dangerous competitors. 
Ethiopian Dejene Guta, 24, and Kenyan Willy Cheriyot, 38, finished first 
and second respectively at the highly competitive 2005 Standard Chartered 
Dubai Marathon, and pose the biggest threat to Yae's repeat chances.

Adding to the race day excitement is Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie 
universally regarded as one of history's greatest distance runners. He has 
chosen P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona as the venue for his attempt at 
breaking the world record in the half-marathon. Gebrselassie, 32, is a 
two-time Olympic gold medalist, a four-time world champion and over the 
course of his career has broken an astounding 18 world records on the track 
and roads. He will challenge the world record of 59:16 set by Kenyan 
youngster Samuel Wanjiru, 18, at the Fortis Rotterdam Half Marathon on 
Sept. 11, 2005. 

Gebrselassie's January world record attempt is unique in that he will run 
the latter half of the full marathon course in Arizona, providing him with 
an IAAF-certified and record standard course. 

For more information on the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ 
Marathon, visit www.RnRAZ.com or contact Elite Racing, Inc. at 
(800) 311-1255.

P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon Elite Field
As of January 6, 2006

MEN
NAME / AGE / COUNTRY / BEST / FACTOID
Terefae Yae, 24, ETH 2:11:45 
1st 2005 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ, 10th '05 real Berlin Marathon

Shimelis Mola, 23, ETH 2:10:11 
6th 2005 Real Berlin Marathon, 2nd 2005 real Berlin Marathon

Belay Welasha, 36, ETH 2:10:57 
3rd 2005 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ, 1st 2000 Rock 'n' Roll Marthon

Willy Cheruiyot, 38, KEN 2:08:48 
2nd 2005 Dubai Marathon, 3rd 2005 Madrid Mara

Solomon Tadesse, 24, ETH 
Debut 63:18 Half PR

Yuriy Hychun, 28, UKR 2:14:23 
3rd 2005 Country Music Marathon, 3rd 2004 Lisbon Mara

Andrei Gordeev, 31, BLR 2:11:44 
6th 2005 Country Music Marathon

Benson Mbithi, 27, KEN 2:11:12 
6th 2005 Los Angeles Marathon

Dejene Guta, 24, ETH 2:10:49 
1st 2005 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon

Asnake Fekadu, 23, ETH 2:20:27 
3rd 2004 Abebe Bikela Marathon

Chris Seaton, 27, USA/NC 
Debut 65:55 Half PR, 10th Gate River Run

WOMEN
Shitaye Gemechu, 25, ETH 2:26:15 
1st '04-05 P.F. Chang's RNR AZ Marathon

Pamela Chepchumba, 26, KEN 2:41:12 
3rd 2005 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon

Hiromi Ominami, 30, JPN 2:23:26 
2nd '03 Rotterdam Marathon, 2nd '05 Japan Championships 5000m

Abeba Tola, 28, ETH 2:29:54 
4th 2005 Rome Marathon

Salomie Getnet, 20, ETH 2:44:44 
4th 2005 Maratona di Sant' Antonio

Katie Blackett, 28, USA/CO 2:40:25 
7th 2003 USA Women's Marathon Championships

Danuta Teschner, 33, POL 2:41:14 
16th 2000 Boston Marathon

Erin Baker, 31, USA/MN 2:53:24 
10th 2005 Grandma's Marathon

Marlene Persson, 35, SWE 2:52:01 
6th 2004 Miami Tropical Marathon

Malgorzata Jamroz, 32, POL 2:38:28 
3rd 2005 Warsaw Marathon

Rebeckah Castillo, 34, USA/AZ 2:56:12 
7th 2005 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon

Karla Sokolovich, 33, USA/AZ 2:55:33 
3rd 2005 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon

Susan Loken, 42, USA/AZ 2:43:07 
3rd 2005 Twin Cities / USA Championships Marathon


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