Defending Champion and Runner-Up to Face Off Again in 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
[email protected]		[email protected]
		


NDEREBA, KIPLAGAT RETURNING TO THE LASALLE BANK CHICAGO MARATHON
Defending Champion and Runner-Up to Face Off Again

Chicago (July 11, 2001) After a memorable duel in 2000, defending 
champion Catherine Ndereba and runner-up Lornah Kiplagat are 
returning to compete in The 2001 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, 
it was announced today by Carey Pinkowski, executive race director.
The 2001 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. on 
Sunday, October 7TH. Athletes will be competing for $450,000 in
prize money, plus time bonuses.

�We are thrilled to have Catherine and Lornah return to Chicago 
this fall,� said Pinkowski in making the announcement. �They are
two of the very best athletes in the world right now. Catherine
is coming off a victory in Boston and Lornah just won the Peachtree
Road Race in Atlanta. If last year is any indication, the rematch 
may produce historic results.�

The 2000 LaSalle Bank Marathon was a two-woman race from the beginning
as Kiplagat led the first 22 miles and held as much as a 15-second 
advantage over Ndereba. The two Kenyans ran together for most of the
second half of the race until Ndereba pulled away in the last two 
miles for the victory. Ndereba�s winning time of 2:21:33 was the 
world�s fastest in 2000, the fifth fastest marathon of all-time and
only 12 seconds shy of Chicago�s course record of 2:21:21 set by 
Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1985. Kiplagat�s second place performance
of 2:22:36 was a personal record and the fastest runner-up time 
ever. The averaged times of the first two women�s finishers 
(2:22:04) was the fastest ever, beating the previous average 
(2:22:13) set in Chicago in 1985. The current women�s World Record
is held by Tegla Loroupe (2:20:43).

Ndereba, 28-years old from Nairobi, Kenya, has continued to shine
in 2001 with her second consecutive victory at the Boston Marathon.
In a dominant performance, she ran away from the field with the 
seventh fastest time in Boston history (2:23:53), nearly three 
minutes ahead of the second place finisher.  Last  Sunday (July 8th)
Ndereba smashed a ten-year old event record with a victory at the
Boilermaker 15K in Utica, New York.  Her performance (48:06) was
a Kenyan national record. She is currently ranked #1 by Runners
World for the third consecutive year. This will be Ndereba�s 
second appearance in The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.


Defending Champion and Runner-Up to Face Off Again					

Kiplagat, 27-years old from Kipkabus, Kenya, has three career 
marathon victories - Los Angeles in 1997 (2:33:50) and 1998 
(2:34:03), and Amsterdam in 1999 (2:25:29).  This year she ran 
a World Record in the 20K (63:54) at the 2001 Twentig of Hans 
Verkerk in the Netherlands. Earlier this week (July 4, 2001) she
won the very competitive Peachtree Road Race 10K (30:58) for the
second consecutive year.  In 2000 she ran the world�s fastest 
half marathon and 10K. This will be Kiplagat�s second appearance
in The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. In 1997 she finished 10th
with a time of 2:39:13.

Pinkowski also announced that two-time champion Marian Sutton and
Kerryn McCann will be competing in Chicago this fall. Sutton, who
turns 38 on race day, won The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 
1996 (2:30:41) and 1997 (2:29:03). In 2000 she ran the Sydney 
Olympic Marathon for Great Britain. This will be Sutton�s seventh
appearance in Chicago. McCann, 34-years old from Australia, is a
two-time Olympic marathoner. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 
Australian finished an impressive seventh (2:28:37). McCann also
ran a personal best (2:25:59) at the 2000 London Marathon, 
finishing fifth. This will be her first appearance in The LaSalle
Bank Chicago Marathon.

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 has one of the world�s fastest courses. A men�s 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.