Back to News Table of Contents.

 Defending Champions Join Field for 29th Nortel Networks Cherry Blossom 10 Mile

 Washington, DC -The men's and women's 2000 champions, both from
 Kenya, are returning to defend their titles at the Nortel Networks
 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile on April 8 in West Potomac Park. Reuben
 Cheruiyot, who posted the 4th fastest winning time of 46:07 in the
 28-year history of the race despite blustery, snow-swept conditions last
 year, and Teresa Wanjiku, who escaped with a narrow 6-second win over
 Jane Omoro in 55:53, have been given the top seeded numbers. Omoro, the
 1999 champion, is returning as well.

 Cheruiyot took third at the Azalea Trail 10K in Mobile, AL on March 24
 in a quick 28:04. He will need all the speed he can muster to overcome a
 huge high-quality Kenyan squad, including last year's third-place
 finisher, John Korir. Korir took fifth in last year's Olympic
 10,000-meters and placed first in seven major events in 1999. A good
 candidate to break up Kenyan domination is Ethiopian Fita Bayesa. He
 placed fourth in last year's Olympic 5,000-meters and will seek to apply
 his track-running savvy to 10 miles of roads.

 The women's race should be the most competitive in recent years.
 In addition to Wanjiku and Omoro, Japan's 2:22 marathoner Harumi
 Hiroyama, will be the first representative from her country with a
 chance to win the women's race. Hiroyama has the 11th fastest women's
 marathon time in history. In addition, South African Elana Meyer, who
 has set world bests on the roads at 15K and the half marathon, is also
 entered. 

 Tough competition among the area's top runners is expected as well. The
 top local man and woman will receive a trip to the Professional Road
 Running Organization's Race of Champions, held in conjunction with the
 Peachtree 10K, in Atlanta on July 4. Last year's leading local woman,
 Alisa Harvey, should receive the women's trip once again. Christopher
 Graff, Andre Williams, Peter Sherry, Phillippe Rolly, who won the trip
 last year, and Edmund Burke head a strong local men's field vying to go
 to Atlanta.

 Four-time open champ, marathon legend and crowd favorite Bill
 Rodgers, returns for the fifth consecutive year. Now 53, Rodgers should
 again take the 50-54 age group prize; last year, only three runners from
 the 40-44 and 45-49 divisions beat him. Most of last year's age-group
 winners will defend their titles.

 Proceeds from the race will be used to fund two $4,000 Road
 Scholars grants given by the Road Runners Club of America to support
 young, promising American distance runners. Last year two former grant
 recipients, Nick Rogers and Deena Drossin, ran in the Olympics. "This is
 our way of giving back to the running community which has supported the
 event for 29 years and to help put U.S. distance running back on the
 map," said Stewart. This year's race closed to registrants on Jan. 9.  About two-thirds 
 of the registrants signed up using on-line registration.

 The race has attracted Olympic medallists and world-record
 holders. Both the men's and women's then-world records for 10 miles were
 set in the 1995 race, and South African Colleen DeReuck set the current
 women's world record of 51:16 in the 1998 race. The race is part of the
 National Cherry Blossom Festival.

 The top runners will compete for a total of $28,500 in prize
 money, the largest purse in the event's history with the top male and
 female finishers each receiving $5,000.  Nortel Networks returns as the title sponsor 
 for the 11th year. Joining Nortel Networks are supporting sponsors Gatorade, 
 PowerBar, NRH Regional Rehab Sports Medicine, and Fleet Feet of Washington, DC. 
 Information is available by calling the race hotline,
 301.320.3350 or at the website at www.cherryblossom.org.
 

###