FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2008 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Teammates Deena Kastor, Magdalena
Lewy-Boulet, Blake Russell to Race at 2008 NYRR New York Mini 10K
NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE defending champion Hilda Kibet and
Mexican Olympian Madaí Pérez to round out women's professional field
New York, May 28, 2008—The 2008 U.S. Olympic women's marathon team of Deena
Kastor, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet, and Blake Russell will take a victory lap
through Central Park when they compete at the NYRR New York Mini 10K on
Saturday, June 7, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president
and CEO Mary Wittenberg. NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE reigning
champion Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands and Mexican Olympian Madaí Pérez
fill out the women's professional field.
The NYRR New York Mini 10K, the world's original women-only road race that
debuted in 1972, will be one of the highlights of the inaugural Running
Week Presented by New York Road Runners, a week of events and happenings
that commemorate the 50th anniversary of the organization's founding on
June 4, 1958. Running Week will extend from June 1 to 8 and will feature
special runner services in Central Park, a free five-mile Anniversary Run
on June 4, and Run to Work Day on June 6, among other events.
Kastor, Lewy-Boulet, and Russell all qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic
team at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women's Marathon on April 20 in
Boston, one day before the 112th Boston Marathon. They will represent the
United States at the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 17.
"This is a formidable and very experienced squad with legitimate Olympic
medal hopes that all of America should be very proud of," said Wittenberg.
"Having them all here for the Mini reflects our commitment to America's top
athletes and demonstrates that the road to Beijing continues to run through
Central Park for America's Olympians."
Kastor, 35, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, produced the second-fastest Olympic
Trials performance in U.S. history by winning the race in 2:29:35. A
three-time Olympian, Kastor is the defending Olympic bronze medalist and
the American record-holder in the marathon. She has twice competed in the
NYRR New York Mini 10K; she won the race in 2004.
Lewy-Boulet, 34, of Oakland, CA, narrowly missed a spot on the 2004 Olympic
Team with her fifth-place finish at the Trials. This time around,
Lewy-Boulet pushed the pace from the start and led for 23 miles of the 2008
Olympic Trials race before finishing second to Kastor in 2:30:19.
Lewy-Boulet is no stranger to the New York racing scene, having previously
competed in the Mini three times (2003, '04, '06) and twice in the ING New
York City Marathon, first as a pacemaker in 2003 and then in 2006, when she
earned her Olympic Trials qualifying time.
Russell, 32, of Pacific Grove, CA, finished a heartbreaking fourth at the
2004 Olympic Trials when Jen Rhines passed her in the last half-mile to
claim the final spot on the Olympic team. In the 2008 Trials, Russell shook
off the demons of the past and finished third in 2:32:40. While this will
be her Mini debut, Russell's most recent race in New York City was a
resounding success; she won the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships at Van
Cortlandt Park.
Kibet, 27, notched a breakthrough performance in winning the 2007 NYC
Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE, edging Catherine Ndereba of Kenya by one
second to win in 1:10:32. Kibet, who is Kenyan-born, is the current world
leader at the 10K in 2008, having run a 31:01 at the Dutch national
championships in February.
Pérez, 28, had a spectacular month of May, qualifying for the Mexican
Olympic team at the national marathon trials and setting a personal best
for 10,000 meters (31:30.23) at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational.
She set the Mexican national marathon record (2:22:59) when she finished
fourth at the 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. Pérez finished third in
the 2007 Boston Marathon and was fifth in last year's NYC Half-Marathon
Presented by NIKE.
New York Road Runners has increased the prize money structure for 2008 to
include a separate purse for top American finishers. A total prize purse of
$34,000 is up for grabs, with $10,000 awarded to the winner. Founded by
NYRR in 1972, the Mini got its name when race founder Fred Lebow convinced
the first sponsor to run a six-mile "mini" marathon—named for the
miniskirt, which was then in fashion—rather than a full marathon. The first
race featured 78 participants; the Mini has been on the NYRR calendar ever
since.
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