FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trio of Leading Masters Women
- Keeler Ramacier, Loken and Hawkins -
Compete in More Magazine Marathon + Half-Marathon
in Central Park on Sunday, April 6
NEW YORK - (March 27, 2008) - A trio of leading women over the age of 40
will headline a field of more than 7,000 runners expected to compete in the
More Magazine Marathon + Half-Marathon on Sunday, April 6, in New York's
Central Park, it was announced by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New
York Road Runners. The fifth edition is the world's first marathon
exclusively for women over 40.
Two-time Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Kelly Keeler Ramacier of St.
Paul, MN, will take on the hills of Central Park for the first time in the
marathon. Three-time defending More Marathon champion Susan Loken of
Phoenix, AZ, will put in her final miles before competing in the U.S.
Olympic Team Trials - Women's Marathon on Sunday, April 20. Loken will team
with reigning USA masters cross country champion Jody Hawkins of Frisco,
TX, in the half-marathon. Runners will be vying for a $12,000 total prize
purse, with the marathon winner and the top half-marathon team each earning
$2000.
"Look at what the growth of the More Magazine Marathon and Half-Marathon
shows us - women today want to live long and strong and celebrate every
moment along the way," Wittenberg said.
Ramacier, 46, did not begin running until she was 32-years-old, and she was
a smoker until just months before her first 26.2 mile race in Omaha in
1995. She improved rapidly and went on to compete in two U.S. Olympic
Trials marathons, including a 17th place finish in 2000 at age 38.
Ramacier, who is the former director of event and program development for
the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, MN, has a marathon personal best time of
2 hours, 42 minutes, 25 seconds, which she ran in 1997 at Grandma's.
The half-marathon race (13.1 miles) is unique in that teams of two women,
one of whom must be over 40, compete together. The duo of Loken, 44, and
Hawkins, 41, will attempt to be the first team with two over-40 athletes to
win the More Magazine Half-Marathon. Loken is a three-time USA masters
marathon champion and three-time More Magazine Marathon champion. A mother
of three, she set the event record of 2:45:35 in her first appearance in
2005; the time remains the fastest ever for a marathon run by a woman
entirely in Central Park. Hawkins was one of America's best distance
runners in the mid-1990s until a bout of osteoporosis stalled her running
career. She has gradually returned to form, and this year she captured the
USA masters cross country title in San Diego in February. Hawkins is
currently a physical education teacher and the head track and cross country
coach at Centennial High School in Frisco, TX.
"I've run more than 20 marathons, not to mention countless half-marathons,
and this is my favorite race," Loken said. "Nothing compares to the energy,
excitement and celebration of these moms, daughters, grandmas, sisters,
nieces, and friends supporting each other as they run or walk the More
Magazine Marathon and Half-Marathon in Central Park. I am so passionate
about this event that I want to bring as many women with me as possible so
they can have this same experience."
Supermodel Kim Alexis, an eight-time marathon finisher who completed the
ING New York City Marathon in 2006, will serve as the host for the 2008
More Magazine Marathon + Half-Marathon, which will be presented by Aquaphor
Healing Ointment. Corporate contributing sponsors are South Beach Living™
foods from Kraft; MBT, the anti-shoe and Dodge Journey. This year, marathon
participants are also invited to raise money for CARE, an organization that
empowers women around the world to help end global poverty.
Prior to the race, a two-day Health + Wellness Expo will feature vendors
and exhibitors, guest speakers, giveaways and more. Race registration will
remain open at the Expo until 5:00pm on Saturday, April 5, and the race
will begin at 8:00am on Sunday on Central Park's East Drive at 70th Street.
For more information, visit: NYRR.org
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