FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Russian Olympian and Japanese Elite Marathoner Join Field
for 2011 Honda LA Marathon
Two runners coming due to cancellation of the
Nagoya Women's Marathon in Japan
LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2011 - Two elite female marathoners who were
scheduled to run in the cancelled Nagoya Women's Marathon are headed to Los
Angeles to run in the Honda LA Marathon on Sunday, March 20.
Japanese marathoner Eri Okubo and Russian Olympian Albina Mayorova will
compete on the Stadium to the Sea course this Sunday, allowing them to race
just a week later than they had planned in Japan.
"When we recognized the impact of the earthquake and tsunami on the running
community in Japan, for which the Nagoya Women's Marathon is an important
race, we immediately extended an invitation to the elite field to come to
Los Angeles," said Nick Curl, LA MARATHON LLC chief operating officer.
"Along with our ongoing fundraising efforts for Japan relief, we're
delighted to welcome these two marvelous athletes."
Okubo, 27, has a best of 2:35:24 in the marathon, set in the 2010 Nagoya
Women's Marathon and is well familiar with the U.S., having trained in
Boulder, Colorado in 2003-04. Her last marathon was a sixth-place finish in
Honolulu last December.
Mayorova, 33, took part in the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece,
finishing 40th and has been a top international marathoner for almost a
decade, with a best of 2:25:35 set in Chicago in 2003. She could be a
strong challenger to race favorite Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia.
"These athletes will get a warm welcome here," noted Curl. "We applaud
their determination and are thrilled that they will join us for Sunday's
race."
The Marathon has set up a special set of donation links for runners, family
and friends to offer support for relief efforts in Japan:
World Assn. of Natural Disasters Relief for Japan: Click here.
Save The Children Relief for Japan: Click here.
American Red Cross Relief for Japan: Click here.
About LA MARATHON LLC:
We inspire athletes and connect communities. With thousands of volunteers,
tens of thousands of participants and hundreds of thousands of spectators,
the Honda Los Angeles Marathon presented by K-Swiss is one of the largest
organized road races in the country. For more information, visit
www.lamarathon.com.
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