Top Americans In The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon

For more information:
Tom Smithburg                 Cari Murphy
(312) 829-8326 EXT. 232       (312) 904-9803
Fax (312) 829-0778            Fax (312) 904-9820
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          TOP AMERICANS TO RUN 2001 LASALLE BANK CHICAGO MARATHON
      Former Olympians DeHaven, Coogan, Williams & Others join field

Chicago (June 11, 2001)  Top American marathoners Rod DeHaven, Mark Coogan
and Todd Williams have committed to The 2001 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon,
it was announced today by Carey Pinkowski, executive race director. Other
top Americans have joined the field, including Peter De La Cerda, Eric Mack
and Sean Found.  The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. on
October 7, 2001. Athletes will be competing for $450,000 in prize money,
plus time bonuses.

"We are happy to assemble another strong American field in Chicago," said
Pinkowski in making the announcement. "We have a solid combination of
veterans and up-and-comers who will be competing on our fast course. I have
always felt Chicago is the best venue for American athletes to prove
themselves against the world?s best."

Rod DeHaven, 34-years old from Madison, WI, has run the fastest marathon by
an American in 2001 with a personal best time of 2:12:41 in Boston. In that
race DeHaven placed sixth, the highest American finish in ten years at
Boston, by finishing ahead of former Boston Champions Moses Tanui, Elijah
Lagat, and 2000 Olympic Champion Gezahegne Abera. He won the 2000 U.S.
Olympic Marathon Trials and was the only American to run the Marathon in
the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  This will be DeHaven's second appearance in The
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In 1998 he finished 15th (2:13:01).

Mark Coogan, 34-years old from Frederick, MD, is a 1996 Olympian in the
Marathon, a three-time National Road Champion, and a eight-time member of
the U.S. World Cross Country Team. In 2000 he won The LaSalle Bank Shamrock
Shuffle 8K (22:59). This will be Coogan's third appearance in The LaSalle
Bank Chicago Marathon. In 2000 he finished 13th (2:15:08) and in 1998 he
finished 20th (2:15:32).

Todd Williams, 32-years old from Monroe, MI, is a two-time Olympian in the
10,000m (1992 & 1996), four-time U.S. 10,000m Champion, five-time 15K
Champion, and a two-time Cross Country Champion. He won The 1999 LaSalle
Bank Shamrock Shuffle 8K (23:20). This will be Williams' third appearance
in The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In 1997 he finished 10th with a
personal best time of 2:11:17 and in 1999 he finished 20th (2:14:56).

Peter De La Cerda, 29-years old from San Fernando, CA, finished second at
the 2000 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a personal best time of 2:16:18.
De La Cerda made his marathon debut at The 1999 LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon and finished 29th (2:18:08). He was the 1993 NCAA Division II
10,000m Champion at Adams State. He lives and trains in Alamosa, CO, where
he teaches history part-time at nearby Center High School.

Eric Mack, 26-years old from Riverside, CA, ran his debut marathon at The
2000 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and finished eighth with a time of
2:12:42, the third-fastest American marathon performance in 2000. He was
second at the 2000 Park Forest Scenic 10-Mile (48:39). Mack, who has a
masters degree in political science from the University of Colorado,
currently lives in Las Vegas where he is an Air Force captain.

Sean Found, 29-years old from Boulder, CO, will be making his marathon
debut this fall in Chicago. In 2000 he placed fourth at the U.S. Olympic
Trials 10,000m (28:33). Found ran his first race longer than 10 miles at
the 2000 Old Kent River Run 25K, where he was the fastest American placing
third overall. He has been a member of the U.S. Army's Wold Class Athlete
Program (WCAP) since 1998.

The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is one of the premier races in the world.
>From 1996 to 2000 the number of registered runners grew three-fold from
10,925 to 33,171. In addition to the amazing growth of the field, The
LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is now one of Chicago's favorite annual
traditions with more than 900,000 spectators attending the race in 2000.

Chicago also has one of the world?s fastest courses. A World Record time of
2:05:42 was set in 1999, and an American Record of 2:07:01 was set in 2000
by three-time winner Khalid Khannouchi.

The 2001 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon begins Sunday, October 7, 2001, at
7:30 a.m., starting and finishing in Chicago?s Grant Park. The race will be
televised live on NBC5 and broadcast on Chicago?s ESPN Radio 1000 from 7:30
a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The 2001 race is expected to draw up to the registration
cap of 37,500 participants who will compete for $450,000 in prize money,
plus time bonuses. The Marathon is open to all runners who can complete the
course in less than six hours.

For information call toll-free 1-888-243-3344 (U.S. and Canada) or (312)
904-9800. Registration is $70 ($80 for international participants) and can
be completed online by visiting www.chicagomarathon.com. Mail-in entries
will be accepted until September 12, 2001. Runners registering online earn
a $5 discount and have a September 19, 2001 deadline or until the
registration cap is reached, whichever comes first. There will be no race
weekend registration.