Press Release - Minnesota Elite Athlete Development Program - 10/15/07

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

               Minnesota Olympic Hopefuls Receive Grants
            State's Top Marathoners to Compete in U.S. Trials

(Duluth, Minn.) Several Minnesota marathon runners will be heading to New 
York City next month with a goal of earning a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic 
team. To acknowledge their accomplishment and to help offset expenses, the 
Minnesota Elite Athlete Development Program (MEADP) has awarded $300 to 
each of the athletes.

Donovan Fellows (Woodbury), Matt Gabrielson (Minneapolis), Pete Gilman 
(Rochester), Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis), Chris Lundstrom (Minneapolis) 
and Zachary Schendel (Minneapolis) have all qualified to compete in the 
U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials scheduled for Saturday, November 3. These six 
Minnesotans will be among the field of the nation's fastest male 
marathoners taking to the streets of New York City with the hopes of 
representing the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Games. The top three finishers 
will make the U.S. Olympic team.

MEADP will also make contributions to Minnesotans who qualify for other 
2008 Olympic Trials long-distance events ranging from 5K to the marathon, 
including the 2008 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials which will be held 
next April in Boston.

In 1998, the Minnesota distance running community created MEADP to provide 
financial assistance to elite Minnesota distance runners who have completed 
their academic running careers. The program provides grants to assist 
qualified runners in reaching their full athletic potential. The program is 
funded through contributions from Austin-Jarrow Sports, Grandma's 
Marathon-Duluth, Inc., Minnesota Distance Running Association (MDRA) and 
Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.

In addition, MEADP is now accepting applications for 2008 grants. MEADP 
will provide grants in amounts up to $2,000 per recipient to promising male 
and female Minnesota elite distance runners. Applications and more 
information can be obtained at www.grandmasmarathon.com or call Neil Franz 
at (320) 253-7130.


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