Race Report Sunday June 13, 1999

2ND ANNUAL AVON RUNNING-BALTIMORE EVENT ATTRACTS RUNNING STARS AND FIRST-TIME FITNESS WALKERS

Alisa Harvey Successfully Defends Title as Champion of Avon Running-Baltimore

BALTIMORE (June 13, 1999) -- Alisa Harvey successfully defended her title as champion of the Avon Running-Baltimore 10 K Run. The second annual Avon Running 10 K Walk & 5 K Walk/Fun Run, held on Sunday, June 13, 1999, took place at the Baltimore Inner Harbor's Rash Field and attracted 1,270 female runners and walkers. Avon Running-Baltimore was the fourth leg of the 1999 Avon Running U.S. Series, which is part of the 12 country Avon Running Global Women's Circuit.

Harvey completed the 10K (6.2 miles) run with a time of 36:06. She led the pack of 10K runners by more than a minute, with Karen Oudekerk (Arlington,VA) taking second with a time of 37:01 and Jennifer Lethum (West Chester, NY) finishing third with a time of 37:10. Eleanor Simonsick (Baltimore, MD) was the first Masters (40 and over) runner, and placed fifth overall with a time of 40:24.

"I'm extremely excited to be back as the winner of Baltimore's Avon Running event," said Harvey, who is an eleven-time All American and a 33 year-old resident of Manassas, Virginia. "It's certainly quite a thrill to see women of so many ages, sizes and fitness levels here this morning, all doing their best to meet their goals and get to the starting line of fitness." Harvey didn't beat her winning time from last year (35:44), however her win automatically qualifies her to travel to Cincinnati, OH to compete in the Avon Running National Championships on October 31, 1999 and for a chance to go on to the Global Championship, featuring a total prize purse of $50,000 -- the richest 10K race prize money in the history of women's running. A mother of a four-year old daughter, Harvey is a 1986 N.C.A.A. Division I Track and Field Champion. She is currently training for the 2000 Olympic Games to take place in Sydney, Australia.

The winners of the 5K event were Claire Ponder, a 23-year-old from Washington DC who finished with a time of 23:32, Ponder was followed by Jodi Finkelstein, a 29-year-old from Silver Spring, MD, who finished with a time of 23:53. Taking third-place was Katie Stern, a 19 year-old from Forest Hill who recorded a time of 24:28.

Avon Running-Baltimore took place along Baltimore's world-renowned Inner Harbor under overcast skies and with a slight breeze. The course found participants traveling in and around Baltimore's scenic and historic Inner Harbor and through Federal Hill, Locust Point and historic Fort McHenry.

The beneficiaries of today's event extend far beyond the hundreds of women who participated. One-third of each entry fee was donated to the Baltimore Area Road Runners Club, a local running organization. Additionally, $2 of each entry fee went to the Road Runners Club of America's "Roads Scholar" program, a travel and training fund for developing women runners in the U.S. Approximately $25,000 was raised for this unique fund through Avon Running's U.S. events in 1998.

Participants came from as far away as Hawaii, and in the true spirit of the Avon Running Program, represented all ages and fitness levels including 546 walkers and runners competing in the 5K event and 656 runners completing the 10K event. There were a total of 325 first-time runners or walkers. Included in the group were a large number of participants from the Avon Running-Baltimore training sessions, a 10-week series of walking and running clinics held each Thursday night at Baltimore's Poly Western High School track.

Avon Running-Baltimore also played host to 39 members of "Rosie's Chub Club," a group formed by popular television talk show hostess, Rosie O'Donnell, to help her and her viewers lead healthier lifestyles as the millennium approaches. "Rosie's Chub Club" follows the mission statement, "Eat Less and Move More." Rosie has been encouraging her 300,000+ "Chub Club" members to participate in a 5K since the Club's inception in January, 1999.

There were a total of 89 mother/daughter teams, with U'Tonna & Margaret Sherrad winning the Mother/Daughter Team competition with a combined time of 1:50:07. In Open Team competition, "Synergy" won first and was followed by the "Dazzlin' Dames" and "Jazzercise," respectively.

Samantha Lawrence, a 13-year-old standout from North Potomac, Maryland finished 13th overall with an impressive time of 43:02. The youngest participant was 6-year-old Nia Newsome. Georgia Kaczmarek was the oldest finisher at 72 years of age, completing the 10K with a time of 1:36:10.

Among the participants were 34 Avon Representatives and an additional 6 Avon Associates and employees. Of the Avon Representatives, 29 completed the 5K and five completed the 10K. All six of the Avon Associates and employees completed the 5K event.

The top Avon finisher in the 5K was Lisa Nelson from Fort Belvoir, VA, who completed the event with a time of 27:19.

More than a dozen girls participated in Avon Running's Girl Power! Mile, a one mile run for girls sponsored by Avon Running and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Girl Power is a multi-phase national campaign designed to help and encourage 9 to 14-year old girls to make the most of their lives. Girl Power! provides positive messages, accurate messages, and support for girls and the people who care for them.

Participating in the awards ceremony were Mr. Angie Rossi, regional vice president of Avon's Northeast Division, and Mr. Bill Singleton, a regional sales director of Avon's Northeast Division.

Avon is the world's leading direct seller of beauty and related products, with $5.2 billion in annual revenues. Avon markets to women in 135 countries through 2.8 million independent sales representatives. Avon product lines include such recognizable brands as Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Avon Color, Far Away, Rare Gold, Millennia, Starring, Avon Skin Care and Women of Earth. Avon also markets an extensive line of fashion jewelry, apparel, gifts and collectibles. More information on Avon and its products can be found on the company's award winning website www.avon.com. Avon Running-Global Women's Circuit features some 30 events in 16 countries, including 10 races/fitness walks in the U.S. and international events in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Avon Running-Baltimore was sponsored by UPN-TV 24, Patuxent Publishing Company, and the Sinai Health System.

More information on Avon and its products can be found on the company's website: http://www.avonrunning.com.