Wire 6, January 29, 2003

In this edition of the Running USA wire:

1) Running USA Annual Meeting Report
2) USA Men's Marathon Championship Preview
3) New York City Marathon Applications Available January 30
4) Nike and NRC Expand the Reuse-A-Shoe Program

Team USA California sponsored by Nike
Supported by a grant from The New York City Marathon

Copyright © 2003 Running USA
All Rights Reserved
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UPCOMING EVENTS:

Mercedes Marathon, Birmingham, AL, February 9
*79th USA Men's Marathon Championship, February 8
http://www.mercedesmarathon.com
USA Cross Country Championships, Houston, February 15-16
http://www.usatf.org
Motorola Marathon, Austin, TX, February 16
http://www.motorolamarathon.com
City of Los Angeles Marathon, CA, March 2
http://www.lamarathon.com
Gate River Run 15K, Jacksonville, FL, March 8
*USA Men's and Women's Championship; USARC Event
http://www.1stplacesports.com
HEB Bayou City Classic 10K, Houston, TX, March 8
http://www.bayoucityclassic.org

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Running USA Annual Meeting Report
Four Board of Directors Elected

At the fourth annual Running USA meeting in Houston on January 17-18, the highlight was a seminar on conducting successful youth running and fitness programs. Presentations were made by Dr. Albert C. Hergenroeder, Chief of Adolescent and Sports Medicine at Texas Children's Hospital and co-author of a running curriculum for the junior high student; Judge Eric Andell, Deputy Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education; Sherlynn Everly, Director of the Crim Festival of Races in Flint, Michigan and Marti Austin, Crim Youth Program Coordinator.

A task force was formed to establish a national 'Fit for Life' program with a coalition of schools, hospitals and events. Joining the four presenters listed above on the task force will be Nick Curl, Vice-President of the City of Los Angeles Marathon; Bill Roe, resident of USA Track & Field; David Hannah, former director of the Houston Marathon, Cliff Sperber, Executive Director of the New York Road Runners Foundation and David Coyne, Running USA counsel and developer of the Running USA training programs. One goal for 2003 is to survey research on the benefits of youth running and conduct pre- and post-evaluations of participants in several model youth programs around the country.

Elections also were held for four board seats. The Running USA Board of Directors consists of 8 elected members and 4 USATF representatives. All elected members serve for 2 years and the others for as long as they hold their respective offices. Each year, 4 members are elected so that there are at least 4 experienced members on the Board.

The Board of Directors consists of the following elected and appointed members.

VOTING MEMBERS
Jerry Crockett, USATF LDR Division Chair, Stillwater, OK
Nick Curl*, City of Los Angeles Marathon, CA
Lisa Dorfman, Food Fitness Int'l, Miami, FL
Sherlynn Everly, Crim Festival of Races, Flint, MI
Dan Finanger*, Twin Cities Marathon, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN
Dan Grimes, USATF Men's LDR Chair, Pocatello, ID
David Hannah, hp houston marathon, TX
Doug Kaplan*, National Sports Network, Chicago, IL
Craig Masback, USATF CEO, Indianapolis, IN
Elizabeth Phillips, USATF Women's LDR Chair, New York, NY
Allan Steinfeld, New York City Marathon, NY
Rich Williams*, Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, OH
*elected for a 2 year term

APPOINTED MEMBERS
Tim Murphy, Elite Racing, San Diego, CA
Creigh Kelley, BKB Ltd., Denver, CO
Wally Kastner, Big Sur Int'l Marathon, Carmel, CA

Running USA, a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, is dedicated to improving the status of road running and raising its awareness among the public and corporate America and supporting and developing U.S. distance runners through Team USA Distance Running. Founded in March 1999 with USA Track & Field, its membership includes major U.S. road races, running associations, members of the athletic industry, athlete legends and media.

Its event members represent over 240 races including some of the leading ones in the U.S. with over 1.5 million participants and millions of spectators and over $1.9 million in annual prize money. For more information on Running USA, its objectives and members, visit its website: http://www.runningusa.org or call Ryan Lamppa, (805) 696-6232.

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Elite Field for 2003 USA Men's Marathon Championship
$30,000 Guaranteed Prize Purse, World Championship Spots, USARC Opener

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - (Jan. 29, 2003) - Mercedes Marathon Weekend of Races, host of the 79th USA Men's Marathon Championship and the 2004 Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon, is proud to announce the elite field for Birmingham's inaugural national road championship. Entered in the Saturday, Feb. 8 race are former American marathon record holders David Morris and Jerry Lawson, rising stars Clint Verran, Kyle Baker and Ryan Shay and 1996 Belgian Olympic marathon team member Eddy Hellebuyck.

Morris, of Albuquerque, N.M., the 2002 USA 25K Champion, set the American record at the 1999 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, finishing fourth in 2:09:32 - breaking by three seconds the record set at the same race two years prior by Lawson, of Jacksonville, Fla.

The three rising U.S. stars Verran, Baker and Shay who finished close to each other at the 2002 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon can further establish themselves as marathoners and 2004 Olympic Marathon Trials contenders with top performances here over the criterium course.

At Chicago, Verran, of Rochester Hills, Mich., ran 2:14:17 to improve his personal best by more than a minute (2002 Boston Marathon 2:15:19). Verran, a Hansons Team USA Michigan member, also was the national runner-up at the 2001 USA Marathon Championships in New York City. Baker, of Mason, Mich., a four-time Big Ten Track Champion and three-time NCAA All-American, finished 12th overall at Chicago in 2:14:13. A recent Notre Dame graduate and Team USA California member, Shay, of East Jordan, Mich., made his marathon debut in 2:14:30 at Chicago.

Hellebuyck, now a U.S. citizen and resident of Albuquerque, was a member of the 1999/2001 World Championships U.S. marathon team. His personal marathon record is 2:11:50 from 1994 in Antwerp, Belgium.

The remaining elite athletes expected are: Christopher Banks (Albuquerque, NM); Nate Bowen (Menlo Park, CA); Edward Callinan (Haddonfield, NJ); Jeff Campbell (Rochester Hills, MI); Brian Clas (New York, NY); Kevin Collins (Craryville, NY); Peter DeLaCerda (Alamosa, CO), 2002 USA Half-Marathon Champion; Rick Fuller (Eugene, OR); Darrell General (Mitchellville, MD); Chris Graff, (Palo Alto, CA); Phil Hudnall (Kansas City, MO); Stephen Jayaraj (Atlanta, GA); Andy Keel (Marietta, GA); Fred Kieser (Lakewood, OH); Brantley Lutz (Albuquerque, NM); Dave McCollam (Macedon, NY); James McGown (Shelton, NE); Jason Medler (Muncie, IN); Teddy Mitchell, an Albuquerque reservist on standby; Patrick Muturi (Lafayette, CO); Ryan Pauling (Macedon, NY); Ken Pliska (Marblehead, MA); Carl Rundell (Birmingham, MI); Michael Slinskey (Wappingers Falls, NY); Rusty Snow (Randolph, MA); David Spiller (Harrisonburg, VA); Scott Strand (Birmingham, AL); Michael Wardian (Arlington, VA) and Greg Wenneborg (Tucson, AZ).

PRIZE STRUCTURE
The top ten finishers will share the $30,000 guaranteed prize purse with $10,000 for the U.S. champion. In addition, there are performance incentives starting at sub-2:20:01 ($500) to sub-2:12:01 ($5000).

THREE TICKETS TO PARIS FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top three finishers at the USA Championship will receive automatic spots on the U.S. marathon team for the World Championships in Paris, France. The Men's Marathon will be contested on Saturday, August 30 (2:20pm start).

USA RUNNING CIRCUIT SEASON OPENER
The Mercedes Marathon opens the 2003 USA Running Circuit - a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon. With 9 events for men and 7 events for women, the 2003 USARC, the ninth edition for the men and eighth for the women, offers over $340,000 in national championship prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse.

Per USARC race, the first ten U.S. runners earn points (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1) with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The elite athlete news conference will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7. (Note this news conference is a change from an earlier announced date/time.) The race begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, followed by an awards ceremony at 12 p.m.

HOST INFORMATION
The 2003 Mercedes Marathon weekend is hosted by Birmingham Marathon, Inc., a non-profit charitable organization with the mission to provide premier events open to athletes of all running abilities. Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (MBUSI) and Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. are title sponsors of the 2003 Mercedes Marathon weekend. The three-day event includes the Mercedes Marathon, Half-Marathon, Kid's Marathon and new this year is a five-person Relay.

For more information about the 2003 USA Men's Marathon Championship race and course and Mercedes Marathon weekend, visit: www.mercedesmarathon.com

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GET READY, SET, GO!
APPLICATIONS FOR 2003 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON AVAILABLE

NEW YORK - (January 27, 2003) - Applications for the 2003 New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 2 will be available for runners and wheelchair participants on-line (www.nycmarathon.org) beginning Thursday, January 30, with paper applications following soon afterwards, Allan Steinfeld, New York Road Runners (NYRR) President and CEO and New York City Marathon Race Director, announced today at the weekly Track Writers of New York luncheon.

The 2003 New York City Marathon application fee will be $70 for NYRR members ($80 for non-members). Participants can apply online at www.nycmarathon.org, by mailing their name and address on a piece of paper to Marathon Entries, 9 East 89th Street, New York, NY 10128 or by picking up an application at the NYRR building at 9 East 89th Street. The deadline for all on-line and mail entries, completed in full and accompanied by a non-refundable processing fee of $7, is midnight June 1. A random lottery drawing, which will fill most of the starting field of approximately 30,000, will be held in mid-June.

Certain applicants may also gain guaranteed entry in the 2003 New York City Marathon including: New York Road Runners members who completed nine NYRR qualifying races in 2002, participants who have run in 15 New York City Marathons and those entrants in the 2002 New York City Marathon who canceled prior to the race. Runners and wheelchair participants who have met the New York City Marathon qualifying times set forth on the 2003 application may also get guaranteed entries. These applications must be received by May 1.

Inaugurated in 1970 with 127 entrants, the New York City Marathon has grown into the world's premier road race, featuring 30,000 participants, some 2.5 million live spectators, a leading elite field and a guaranteed prize purse of more than $475,000. Broadcast across the nation and in 125 countries worldwide, the 26.2-mile footrace is the United States' most watched one-day sporting event. The New York City Marathon, a Running USA Founding Member, takes places the first Sunday in November each year and is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world's most comprehensive running organization. For more information visit www.nycmarathon.org

Last year, the New York City Marathon was the largest U.S. marathon with 31,834 finishers and #2 in the world behind the Flora London Marathon (32,899 finishers). Kenyans swept the 2002 New York City Marathon as Rodgers Rop (2:08:07) took the men's crown and Joyce Chepchumba (2:25:56) the women's title.

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The National Recycling Coalition and Nike Expand the Reuse-A-Shoe Program to 25 Community Recycling Centers Across the United States
The Pilot Program Hopes to Collect More Than 125,000 Pairs of Used Athletic Shoes

BEAVERTON, Ore. - (January 23, 2003) - The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) announced a partnership with Nike that expands the Reuse-A-Shoe program to 25 communities across the United States. For the first time, community recycling centers will be able to add used athletic footwear to existing recycling programs. Since the launch of the Reuse-A-Shoe expansion to NRC members in November 2002, 19 recycling organizations, from Portland, Ore. to Atlanta, Ga., already have committed to collecting a minimum of 5,000 pairs of old athletic shoes by June 2003.

In addition, participating recycling organizations will also have the chance to apply for two $25,000 seed grants to be applied toward a new sports surface made with Nike Grind, the resulting material comprised of recycled athletic shoes from the Reuse-A-Shoe program.

"NRC members, the people who run recycling programs in thousands of communities across the nation, are always looking for innovative and cost-effective ways to add new items to their recycling programs. Through this exciting partnership with Nike, we can help them do just that," said Kate Krebs, Executive Director of the National Recycling Coalition.

"Closing the recycling loop is a shared responsibility, from collecting and processing used items like athletic shoes, to recycling them into new products like sports surfaces, to buying and using those recycled products in our every day lives. Manufacturers and retailers, consumers, and recycling professionals must all work together. The NRC-Nike partnership is an excellent example of how, by doing what each of us does best, we can create new environmental, economic and community benefits through recycling," said Krebs.

Under the partnership, the National Recycling Coalition will continue to educate its extensive national network of 20 state affiliates and more than 4,000 member recycling organizations and advocates around the country about the Reuse-A-Shoe program and the new opportunities provided by the partnership. NRC will also provide technical assistance to the participating organizations that are members of the Coalition. Nike will manage the logistics of picking up shoes from each of the 25 participating recycling centers, recycle the shoes in its Reuse-A-Shoe recycling center in Wilsonville, Ore. and provide Nike Grind material to its strategic licensee partners - FieldTurf, Rebound Ace, Atlas Track and Connor - for use in sports surfaces.

After registering with NRC and Nike, recycling organizations are responsible for collecting and properly storing old athletic shoes in the way that best suits the organization's needs. When enough shoes have been collected to fill a 27-foot trailer (approximately 5,000 pairs), Nike will arrange for the shoes to be picked up by Roadway and shipped to the Reuse-A-Shoe recycling facility in Wilsonville, Oregon free of charge. The National Recycling Coalition and Nike will also provide each organization with communications tools to promote its collection effort, including customizable radio spots, media releases, posters, print ads and logos that feature the call-to-action "Get Your Old Shoes Back in the Game."

"Partnering with the National Recycling Coalition allows a wide range of recycling organizations access to a program that has been primarily focused at retail audiences," said Beth Farnum, manager of the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program.

The 19 organizations that have already committed to the program represent a diverse group of universities and municipalities across the country. Each of the participating organizations is adding the Reuse-A-Shoe program to current recycling efforts. The City of Portland will collect shoes at five recycling depots throughout the Portland metropolitan area.

"Recycling is an everyday, active step where citizens can participate in an environmentally beneficial activity," said Bruce Walker, Solid Waste and Recycling Program Manager for Portland, Oregon's Office of Sustainable Development. "We are pleased for the opportunity to expand recycling opportunities for Portland residents through this new program."

Emory University in Atlanta plans to kick off its collection before Spring Break and continue through the end of the semester in May. Collection bins will be visibly placed throughout the campus. "Recycling is a standard for the Emory community," said John Scheve, Emory University's Recycling Supervisor. "Collecting used athletic shoes is just one more way for our students and staff to engage in the process."

After the pilot year is over, Nike and the National Recycling Coalition will re-evaluate the program and determine how to expand and enhance the partnership going forward. Each of the 25 first-year recycling organizations will have the opportunity to continue the Reuse-A-Shoe program in 2004 based on their success in 2003.

About the National Recycling Coalition
Founded in 1978, the National Recycling Coalition, Inc. (NRC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization representing all the diverse interests committed to the common goal of maximizing recycling to achieve the benefits of resource conservation, solid waste reduction, environmental protection, energy conservation and social and economic development. Its 4,000 members include recycling and environmental organizations; large and small businesses; federal, state and local governments; and individuals. The NRC is dedicated to the advancement and improvement of recycling, and also source reduction,
composting and reuse, by providing technical information, education, training, outreach and advocacy services to its members in order to conserve resources and benefit the environment. For additional information about the NRC, please visit: www.nrc-recycle.org.

About Reuse-A-Shoe
Reuse-A-Shoe collects, slices, and grinds up used (any brand) and defective (Nike only) athletic shoes to make Nike Grind material, which is then used in sports surfaces. Since its inception in 1993, the Reuse-A-Shoe program has recycled more than 13 million pairs of shoes, and has helped donate over 100 athletic courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces to communities around the world. Nike Grind material from the shoes collected in the pilot year of the Reuse-A-Shoe program with the National Recycling Coalition will be allocated to Nike's licensees - FieldTurf, Rebound Ace, Atlas Track and Connor.

Reuse-A-Shoe is an integral part of Nike's new NikeGO initiative launched in the fall of 2002 to increase physical activity among youth ages 9-15-and give them the means to do it. Programs include the NikeGO Fund, NikeGO After School program, NikeGO Girls program, Reuse-A-Shoe, Bowerman Track Program and numerous field/court and product donations. Through NikeGO, thousands of youth will be encouraged to discover the joy of movement and physical activity in an effort to help lead healthier lives. For more information please visit:
www.nikego.com
www.nikebiz.com/reuseashoe

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Individuals that would like to participate in the Reuse-A-Shoe program outside of one of the 25 participating organizations for 2003 can send in their shoes directly to the Nike Recycling Center in Wilsonville, Oregon, or they can drop their shoes off at any of the 11 Niketowns in the U.S. or at participating retailers. They can also participate in a collection set up by one of the organizations participating in the national Reuse-A-Shoe expansion by mailing their shoes to the contact and address listed on the Reuse-A-Shoe
website.

A complete list of the organizations and their addresses are listed at:
www.nrc-recycle.org/pressroom/pressreleases.htm

 
Nothing contained herein may be reproduced online in any form without the express written permission of the New York Road Runners Club, Inc.