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 TWO-TIME BOSTON MARATHON CHAMPION NDEREBA TO RUN OGDEN NEWSPAPERS 20-K CLASSIC
 25th Anniversary Edition to Honor Bill Rodgers

 WHEELING (May 1) -- Two-time Boston Marathon Champion, Catherine Ndereba
 of Kenya, will make a special trip from her African homeland to compete in
 the 25th anniversary edition of the Ogden Newspapers 20-K Classic on Saturday,
 May 26.  She may also make history.

 "Bill Rodgers is the only athlete ever to win the Boston Marathon and come
 back to cross the finish line first in Wheeling in the same year," said
 Race Director, Hugh Stobbs.  "If anyone can match that feat, it's Catherine."

 Ndereba has only competed at the Ogden Newspapers 20-K Classic once, but
 it was a memorable run.  In 1999, after running the Boston Marathon for the
 first time, she sliced nearly a minute off of Manuela Machado's course
 record, and made it look easy.  Her time of 1:09:37 represents a pace of
 five minutes and 36 seconds per mile, extremely fast for the notoriously
 difficult course.

 "When she finished the race in 1999 she didn't even break a sweat,"
 observed Stobbs.  "She was smiling and waving to everybody coming in to the finish
 line.  She never stopped for a drink."

 Ndereba is coming off of a commanding victory at the Boston Marathon last
 month where she defended her 2000 title.  She finished the historic 26.2
 mile race in 2:23:53, the second fastest marathon time in the world this
 year.  She also won the Chicago Marathon last year in 2:21:33, which made
 her the fourth-fastest female marathoner in history.  She was ranked by
 Runner's World magazine as the world's top road racer in the world last
 year, the third consecutive year she has earned that honor.

 Running the hills of Wheeling less than six weeks after Boston would seem
 daunting for most athletes, who would still be recovering.  Ndereba looks
 at it differently.  "She loves hills and finds them fun," said her long-time
 agent Lisa Buster of Promotion in Motion International.  "Instead of
 wearing out her legs, she finds they rejuvenate them and makes her stronger.  She
 loves the Wheeling course.  The terrain is not unlike where she comes
 from."

 Ndereba, 28, also has an additional incentive to improve on her course
 record.  Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Marhefka Auto Dealers, she
 could walk away with a brand new 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier automobile in
 addition to the $5000 first prize.

 "Jon Marhefka, who will give the car keys for a course record, had better
 be prepared to have his picture taken with her after she breaks the course
 record," added Stobbs.

 If Ndereba should win the race, she will get personal congratulations from
 Bill Rodgers, who will be on hand for a celebration in his honor.  The man
 who won four times at both the Boston and New York City Marathons was a
 three-time winner at Wheeling.  In addition, Governor Bob Wise will act as
 official starter, and be on hand to cheer the more than 1,000 runners who
 are expected to compete in both the 20-K walk and run.

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 The Ogden Newspapers 20-K Classic is made possible by the generous support
 of its sponsors: Ogden Newspapers Inc., United National Bank, Wheeling
 Downs Racetrack and Gaming Center, Jamboree in the Hills, Mason Rehab Center,
 and Marhefka Auto Dealers.

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