Celebration of Women's Running

THE CELEBRATION OF WOMEN'S RUNNING
By George Banker

To place an emphasis on the lack of women's distance running events in the
Olympic Games, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) started the Women's
Distance Festival (WDF). On July 13, 1980, the date of the men's marathon
was being held in the Moscow Olympics.

The WDF's are a celebration of women's running. The true winner of each
event will be a woman. The events pull together women of all abilities,
runners and walkers. It's all about fitness and well-being. The WDF's
happen once a year and the numbers have been steadily increasing across
the country.

The 12th Annual Women's Distance Festival Grand Prix Series is sponsored
by the Maryland RRCA and the participating RRCA Clubs. This year, Avon and
RYKA has joined as sponsors.

Additional sponsors include Runner's World and Moving Comfort.

The Series consist of ten 5K (3.1 miles) races for women only. The courses
all vary and are scenic, the common thread, the camaraderie. The men show
their support by volunteering.

To demonstrate support for the WDF Series, Optimer will award a
dri-release singlet to the first MASTER finisher in each event. The dri-release is a
unique fabric that feels like cotton and moves moisture away from the
skin, dries quickly and is soft to the touch. The dri-release's comfort
qualities are permanent.

The OVERALL winner will receive a free entry to the Avon Walking &
Running-Baltimore 5K, September 9, 2001 at the Inner Harbor. The Avon series of
events will take place in eight U.S. cites with Phoenix hosting the Avon
Walking & Running National Championship. The events create an environment
for women runners and it build's upon the program's mission to communicate
the message of health and fitness, particularly cardiovascular fitness.

Last year at Baltimore, the Honorary Event Co-Chair, Baltimore City
Councilwoman, Catherine Pugh, participated and finished the 10K in 51:04.

"I got involved in the race because of Avon, I came out here to cheer but
found out I was registered to run. I have been running for 15 years, about
an hour a day. I enjoy it and I saw a lot of friends. I just wanted to
maintain an even 8 minute pace", said Councilwoman Pugh.

The Grand Prix Series will kick off with the Montgomery County Road
Runners Club, Run For Roses 5K on Saturday, June 24, 2001 at 8:00 a.m., in Wheaton
Regional Park, Wheaton, Md. The scenic loop course winds through the
woods, along the lake and around the Brookside Gardens. Each finisher will
receive a rose. Awards will be presented to the top three finishers, first master
and the top two in each age group.

"I thought it was cool to run with all women, my first, when you find the
results you are further up on the list. As usual, I went out to fast,
eight minutes for the first mile. My coach would not let me run fast today and I
was pleased with my time (27:33). It's so much fun and the social thing
and you meet some great friends", said Terry Adirim of Silver Spring.

To find out more about the Avon Walking & Running, visit http://www.avon.com.

Women who complete 4 or more of the races are eligible to receive the WDF Participation Award.

To view WDF's by state, visit the RRCA website, http://www.rrca.org

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