Running USA wire 9, February 1, 2010

Inaugural award honors Steinfeld for his contribution to the U.S. distance running resurgence since 2001

CARLSBAD, Calif. - (February 1, 2010) - Team USA Minnesota was selected for the inaugural Allan Steinfeld Development Award (left, MarathonFoto) during the Hall of Champions Dinner and Live Auction on Monday evening at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. The dinner and auction presented by ING is part of Running USA 2010: The Industry Conference.

The development award was named after Allan Steinfeld, a long-time leader in the sport, who jump-started the U.S. distance running resurgence when as head of the New York Road Runners he allocated $20,000 seed money ($1 per U.S. entry at the 2000 New York City Marathon) for the development program Team USA Distance Running launched in November 2000 that produced training groups such as Team Running USA (two Olympic medals in 2004 and major marathon wins) and Team USA Minnesota and inspired others.

"Naming this award for Allan Steinfeld is fitting as Allan was instrumental in helping create the foundation and environment that led to the successes of America's top distance runners over the past nine years. Since our inception in March 1999, part of Running USA's mission has included athlete development and this annual award will continue that important support and promotion, and Team USA Minnesota, which is entering its 10th year of operation, is a deserving recipient," said Susan Weeks, Running USA CEO.

"We are honored to be selected for this inaugural award created by Running USA," said Team USA Minnesota president and founder, Pat Goodwin. "This recognition is a tribute to our athletes, our volunteer board, our local and national sponsors, and to Coach Dennis Barker. We truly appreciate Running USA's confidence in our program as well as the additional funding this award provides to our training center."

Team USA Minnesota includes: Katie McGregor, Matt Gabrielson, Kristen Nicolini Lehmkuhle, Jason Lehmkuhle, Emily Brown, Antonio Vega, Michelle Frey, Josh Moen, Meghan Armstrong, Heather Dorniden, Patrick Smyth and coach Dennis Barker.

Last fall, established U.S. distance training groups were invited to apply for 2010 funding, and at its annual conference, Running USA, the national industry non-profit organization, will award $25,000 from its live and silent auction proceeds to Team USA Minnesota who was represented and feted at the Hall of Champions dinner.

Six U.S. distance training groups - Bay Area Track Club, Mammoth Track Club, McMillan Elite, TeamROGUE Elite, Team USA Minnesota and ZAP Fitness - applied for the 2010 development award.

About Team USA Minnesota
Team USA Minnesota is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis / St. Paul. The training center brings together local and national resources to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance runners on the track, roads and cross country. Team USA Minnesota was formed in 2001 and since that time has developed an Olympian and 11 national champions in events ranging from the 1500 meters up through the marathon. For more information, go to: www.teamusaminnesota.org

About Running USA
Running USA advances, serves, promotes and celebrates the sport of running as a clearinghouse and resource center and though its popular annual conference, Running USA wire, Running USA E-News, website, annual marathon and State of the Sport reports and youth fitness portal RunningRocks.com and by supporting athlete development.

Running USA's more than 260 members include road races, race services companies, running-related media companies and organizations and the athletic industry.

In March 2009, the non-profit industry organization marked a decade of achievement to build and promote the sport. For more information, visit: RunningUSA.org or contact Ryan Lamppa at (805) 696-6232 or ryan@runningusa.org

Young, Armstrong half-marathon champions; event record of more than 18,000 entrants

MIAMI - (January 31, 2010) - Veteran marathoner Michael Wardian, who arrived in South Florida less than 24 hours before the race after working an 80-hour week as a shipping broker, outclassed the field at the 8th ING Miami Marathon on Sunday morning.

Wardian covered the scenic 26.2-mile course in 2 hours, 28 minutes, 39 seconds, which gave him a comfortable seven-minute, 24-second victory margin over 38-year-old Brazilian Cesar Martins. Columbia, S.C. clinical therapist Orinthal Striggles was third (2:38:43).

Wardian is a 35-year-old father of two who has completed more than 100 marathons. He finished fourth three weeks ago in the Disney Marathon. An international shipping broker for Potomac Maritime LLC, Wardian, who lives in Arlington, Va., has been busy handling shipments to earthquake-stricken Haiti and was concerned he might not be in peak form for the race.

"I ran wire-to-wire," said Wardian. "I was able to dictate the pace, although it was a little humid and slowed down my time a bit. I was able to run a fairly good race given the conditions and having to work a lot. But I love my job a lot and what I do so it's a sacrifice that I can happily make. I was able to make a good showing for my sponsors and family and that's what it's all about."

Wardian's biggest client is the largest container carrier in the world. "It's been quite busy with trying to get cargo to Haiti. I've been working all weekend and we have to actually get back to the office tomorrow," he said.

Brett Ely, a Natick, Mass. native running under the umbrella of Team Strands, captured the women's title in 2:45:36 that met the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials "B" standards for women. Belarusian Alena Vinitskaya was 2:26 behind at 2:48:02. Yolanda Mercado of Puerto Rico was third (3:00:12).

Ely, a research physiologist for the U.S. Department of Defense, struck gold Sunday in just her sixth career marathon.

"I would love to see the photo of me coming across the finish line," she said. "I was so thrilled. When I saw that finish line tape come up, well, the feeling of the tape across my chest felt so good."

In the half-marathon, Bloomington, Ind. runner Justin Young (1:05:57) beat Team Strands teammate Michael Aish (1:06:38) of Arvada, Colo., while Meghan Armstrong of Richfield, Minn. totally outclassed the women's division with a time of 1:17:50.

The event was run under cloudy skies in Miami that gave the record 18,321 runners some relief from the typical South Florida heat. But humid conditions kept course records from being broken.

8th ING Miami Marathon & Half Marathon
Miami, FL, Sunday, January 31, 2010

MEN
1) Michael Wardian (VA), 2:28:39, $2000
2) Cesar Martins (BRA), 2:36:03, $1000
3) Orinthal Striggles (MI), 2:38:43, $500

WOMEN
1) Brett Ely (MA), 2:45:36, $2000
2) Alena Vinitskaya (BLR), 2:48:02, $1000
3) Yolanda Mercado (PUR) 3:00:12, $500

8th ING Miami Half Marathon
MEN
1) Justin Young (IN), 1:05:57
2) Michael Aish (CO), 1:06:38
3) Patrick Rizzo (CO), 1:07:31

WOMEN
1) Meghan Armstrong (MN), 1:17:50
2) Gabriella Trana (CRC), 1:22:20
3) Marta Jimemez Portillo (ESA), 1:24:06

For complete results and more, go to: www.INGmiamimarathon.com

Agreement gives fans nationally, globally unprecedented access to the world's oldest annual marathon

LOS ANGELES and BOSTON - (Feb. 1, 2010) - Universal Sports, the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming, and the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) have announced a multi-year agreement that makes Universal Sports and UniversalSports.com the exclusive national television home, as well as worldwide multimedia destination, for the legendary Boston Marathon for the next three years beginning 2010 through 2012. The 114th Boston Marathon will take place Monday, April 19 at 9:30am ET.

"We are thrilled to reach this multi-year agreement with the BAA to be the exclusive national television home and worldwide multimedia destination for the world's oldest, as well as one of the most competitive and iconic marathons worldwide - the Boston Marathon," said Universal Sports Chairman and CEO Claude Ruibal. "Universal Sports has established itself as the top destination for competitive running and road racing events such as the World Marathon Majors. We continue to deliver on our mission to elevate and deliver Olympic and lifestyle sports that exemplifies the best of the human competition and spirit. And Boston certainly exemplifies this competition and spirit."

Anchored by veteran sports commentator Al Trautwig, Universal Sports' three-hour broadcast will kick-off at 9:30am ET. WBZ-TV will continue as the exclusive local broadcast partner for the Boston Marathon.

UniversalSports.com will start at 9:30am ET with LIVE coverage of the complete race, along with athlete trackers, course maps, field previews, full-length videos, highlights, photos and recaps at UniversalSports.com.

"Our partnership with Universal Sports and Universal Sports.com now allows us national and global reach of this storied and most exciting of the World Marathon Majors, the 114th Boston Marathon," said Guy Morse, executive director of the BAA. "With Universal Sports, along with our ongoing local partnership with WBZ-TV, we can provide marathon fans across Boston and the nation with in-depth and comprehensive coverage of this amazing athletic competition."

Universal Sports is home to the World Marathon Majors (WMM), offering complete and in-depth television and multimedia coverage of the five marathon majors: Boston Marathon, Virgin London Marathon, real,-Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon.

Headlining the world-class men's field will be Americans Meb Keflezighi, the reigning New York Marathon champion, and Ryan Hall, current holder of the second-fastest U.S. marathon time. With their goal to be the first male American winner since Greg Meyer in 1983, both will be competing against a field of the world's best. Both the men's and women's professional field will be announced by John Hancock Financial, the principal sponsor of the race, during the last week of February.

For more race information, go to: www.BostonMarathon.org

First-Ever Gatorade National Player of the Year Jeff George surprises standout with elite honor

CHICAGO - (January 28, 2010) - In its 25th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, has announced Lukas Verzbicas of Carl Sandburg High School (Orland Park, Ill.) as its 2009-10 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Verzbicas, who becomes just the second high school sophomore (of 213 honorees) to win Gatorade National Player of the Year honors in any sport, was surprised with the news during his fifth period class at Carl Sandburg High School by the first-ever Gatorade National Player of the Year and former NFL quarterback, Jeff George.

"Being named the first-ever Gatorade National Player of the Year was a really significant moment for me, so it felt great to surprise Lukas with the news and invite him into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports," said former NFL quarterback Jeff George, a 14-year veteran of the league who threw for more than 27,000 yards during his career. "Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Verzbicas as the nation's best high school boys cross country runner. A national advisory panel comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country helped select Verzbicas from more than 231,000 high school boys cross country runners nationwide. Verzbicas is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 5-foot-11 sophomore raced to the national title at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships this past season with a time of 15:07.8, breaking the tape 15 seconds ahead of the next-closest competitor to become the youngest champion in the event's 31-year history. The 2009 Junior Duathlon World Champion, Verzbicas won the 2009 Class AAA state cross country championship in 14:07. The Eagles' standout also took first at the Foot Locker Midwest Regional championships with a time of 15:34. As a freshman, Verzbicas set a national high school indoor record in the 5K with a time of 14:18.42 at the 2009 Nike Indoor Nationals. Verzbicas also owns national freshman class indoor records in the mile (4:15.43) and 3,000 meters (8:29.15) as well as the freshman outdoor record in the two-mile run (8:53.98).

A native of Lithuania who came to the United States at age nine, Verzbicas has maintained a 3.32 GPA in the classroom. He is a devoted parishioner of the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis Lithuanian Catholic Mission community and has volunteered locally mentoring youth triathletes and runners on behalf of the Multisport Madness Triathlon Club.

"Entering the final two weeks of the 2009 cross country season, Verzbicas was one of a small handful of great candidates that could have finished as the season's best," said ESPN RISE / DyeStat Senior Editor Steve Underwood. "In the end, he had the last word, becoming the first sophomore to win the national Foot Locker Cross Country Championships-with a fast and dominating performance in poor conditions-and completing an undefeated year."

Verzbicas will begin his junior year of high school this fall.

"Without question, Lukas is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school boys cross country runner based on his statistics on the racecourse and the impact his accomplishments have had on Carl Sandburg High School's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade National Players of the Year include:
* U.S. record-holder in the mile Alan Webb
* WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
* Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning
* Volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh
* American League MVP Joe Mauer

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit: http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com