Press Release - Chicago Marathon - 10/2/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Berhane Adere and Daniel Njenga Return to Bank of America Chicago Marathon

           Complete Start List Announced for Oct. 12 Race 

CHICAGO (October 2, 2008) - Bank of America today announced two-time 
women's champion Berhane Adere (ETH) will attempt a first-ever three-peat 
at the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, while six-time top-three 
Chicago finisher Daniel Njenga (KEN) looks for his first win in the Windy 
City. The additions of Adere and Njenga complete the elite field for the 
Oct. 12 race.

Adere has thrilled Chicago fans the last two years winning back-to-back 
championships in the final stretches, most recently sprinting past an 
unaware Adriana Pirtea (ROU) in the final meters of the 2007 race. In 2006, 
Adere and Galina Bogomolova (RUS) trailed Constantina Tomescu-Dita (ROU) 
who led the field at record pace through the first 16 miles of the 
26.2-mile course. Catching the Romanian in the 22nd mile, Adere and 
Bogomolova battled shoulder to shoulder until the Ethiopian edged into the 
lead and broke the tape only five seconds in front of runner-up Bogomolova.

Adding drama to the mix, Adere will face off against both Pirtea and 
Tomescu-Dita in the 31st running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. 
Tomescu-Dita arrives hot off an Olympic gold medal win in the women's 
marathon in Beijing while her fellow Romanian Pirtea shaved five minutes 
off her marathon debut in Chicago last fall with a 2:28:52 in London in 
April.    

Njenga is Chicago's very own heartbreak kid, finishing second or third in 
each of his previous six consecutive Chicago appearances, including a 
third-place showing behind the photo finish of Patrick Ivuti (KEN) and 
Jaouad Gharib (MAR). Never losing to the same competitor twice, Njenga has 
placed behind Chicago champoins Ivuti, Robert K. Cheruyiot, Felix Limo, 
Evans Rutto and Khalid Khannouchi, virtually a who's who of the world's 
best marathon runners. Njenga is one of six men in the field who have 
posted personal bests below 2:07:00.

Today's announcement completes the field for the 2008 Bank of America 
Chicago Marathon. A complete start list follows.

2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon Elite Field

Name                                 Citizenship         Personal Record
Women
Berhane Adere                         ETH                 2:20:42
Bezunesh Bekele                       ETH                 2:23:09
Alevtina Biktimirova                  RUS                 2:25:12
Desiree Davila                        USA                 2:37:50
Colleen De Reuck                      USA                 2:26:35
Zoila Gomez                           USA                 2:33:53
Lidiya Grigoryeva                     RUS                 2:25:10
Kate O'Neill                          USA                 2:36:15
Adriana Pirtea                        ROU                 2:28:52
Kiyoko Shimahara                      JPN                 2:26:14
Worknesh Tola                         ETH                 2:25:37
Constantina Tomescu-Dita              ROU                 2:21:30

Men
Moses Arusei                          KEN                 2:06:50
Christopher Cheboiboch                KEN                 2:08:17
Timothy Cherigat                      KEN                 2:09:34
Evans Cheruiyot                       KEN                 2:09:16
Joseph Chirlee                        KEN                 2:12:10
Arata Fujiwara                        JPN                 2:08:40
James Getanda                         KEN                 2:11:50
Salim Kipsang                         KEN                 2:07:29
William Kipsang                       KEN                 2:05:49
Richard Limo                          KEN                 2:06:45
David Mandago                         KEN                 2:07:23
Emmanuel Mutai                        KEN                 2:06:15
Daniel Njenga                         KEN                 2:06:16
Michael Reneau                        USA                 2:17:46
Todd Snyder                           USA                 2:21:00


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