For More Information Contact:
Lindsay Shearer
Regional Director, Public Relations
800.500.1098 ext. 7721
lindsay.shearer@cigna.com
Manchester, NH, August 9, 2001 -- Paul Mwangi and Tetyana Pozdnyakova were the fastest male and female finishers in a field of nearly 5,500 registered runners and walkers registered to participate in the CIGNA HealthCare Corporate 5K Road Race held Thursday, August 9th, in Downtown Manchester, NH. The Honorable Mayor Robert Baines fired the starting gun that marked the ninth running of New Hampshire’s largest road race and the third largest timed road race in New England following the Boston Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race. Proceeds from the race benefit the United Ways of New Hampshire.
On line registration was added to this years event which also brought back the wave start and ChampionChip® timing system. The wave start ensures that each participant is grouped among those individuals with similar fitness levels and that the competitive runners have a clear field ahead of them. The ChampionChip® is a small, lightweight electronic chip that is placed on a runner's shoe to provide the exact time of each participant's finish.
“The Race Committee continuously looks at ways to engage everyone in the community, from elite athletes to recreational walkers who participate with their children, to be a part of a fun event,” said Deborah Wing, race director and marketing director for CIGNA HealthCare.
Each year, CIGNA HealthCare of New Hampshire makes a donation on behalf of the race participants. For the third straight year, the recipient of the $20,000 donation is The United Ways of New Hampshire.
“We are very pleased to present this wonderful event which so many people look forward to each year. With the support of nearly 300 corporate teams, several thousand individuals and families, the City of Manchester and Mayor Robert Baines and hundreds of CIGNA employees, we’ve created an event that positively impacts and supports those in our community.”
Contributing sponsors of the road race include WMUR-TV News9, Margaritas, Southwest Airlines, Shaw's Supermarkets, and Merrimack Street Volvo.
For the serious runners, the race also offers cash awards, totaling $4,000 to the first five male and female finishers. The cash awards start at $600 each for the first male and female winners and decrease by one hundred dollar increments for the second, third, fourth and fifth place male and female finishers.
2001 Winners Include:
In the Corporate Categories:
Corporate Cup for the Fastest Team
Fastest Male Team: Raytheon Company
Fastest Female Team: Compaq
Fastest Co-Ed Team: Raytheon Company
Grand Corporate Cup for the Most Participants
Small Team - Morgan Stanley (11 out 12 participating)
Medium Team - Schleuniger (35 out of 51)
Large Team - Citizens Bank (76 out of 1123)
Grand Corporate Cup for the Highest Percentage of Participation
Small Team(s) - Plymouth Animal Hospital (9 employees) and Hedge Solutions
(7 employees) both at 100% participation
Medium Team - Merchants Insurance Group (34 employees) 74% participation
Large Team - Rockywold-Deephaven Camps (102 employees) 62% participation
In the Individual Categories:
Top 5 Male Finishers:
Name/Age/City/State/Time/Cash Prize
Paul Mwangi 34 From Kenya, running out of Ossining, NY 14:17.44 $600
Charles Kamindo 19 From Kenya, running out of Kennesaw, GA 14:23.54 $500
Steve Nyamu 29 From Kenya, running out of Chapel Hill, NC 14:45.54 $400
David Hinga 25 From Kenya, running out of Lowell, MA 14:46.64 $300
Gideon Mutisya 36 From Kenya, running out of Hartford, CT 14:48.34 $200
Top 5 Female Finishers:
Name/Age/City/State/Time/Cash Prize
Tetyana Pozdnyakova 46 From the Ukraine, running out of High Springs, FL
16:33.64 $600
Kelly Keane 28 Burlington, VT 16:46.94 $500
Katie McGregor 23 Edina, MN 16:57.14 $400
Molly Watcke 30 West Newbury, MA 17:16.74 $300
Christine Snow-Reaser 35 Dayton, ME 17:54 $200
Top Male Masters Finishers:
Name/Age/City/State/Time/Cash Prize
Guy Stearns 42 Newcastle, NH 14:49.7 2 RoundTrip SouthWest Airlines
tickets
Tony Bates 42 Salisbury, VT 15:39.6
Todd Hanson 43 Portsmouth, NH 15:42.0
James Morisseau 48 Raymond, NH 15:54.2
Kenneth Stafford 52 Auburn, MA 16:09.2
Top Female Masters Finishers:
Name/Age/City/State/Time/Cash Prize
Tetyana Pozdnyakova 46 From the Ukraine, running out of High Springs, FL
14:58.9 2 RoundTrip SouthWest Airlines tickets
Rebecca Ransom 47 Weston, MA 17:34.0
Miae Jacobs 41 Atkinson, NH 17:57.4
Carolyn Sprague 40 Sunapee, NH 19:21.9
Liane Pancoast 43 Westford, MA 20:13.6
There were no course record breakers.
A $250 award was presented to all individuals who bettered a time of 14:50 for men and 17:20 for women.
All participants (regardless of their age/finishing time) received a Road Race T-shirt as well as a finisher’s award. Comprehensive team and individual results will be mailed to each team captain promptly after the race. Results can also be found on the Internet at www.coolrunning.com. Results will not be posted at the race. Results organized by state, city or town, or age may be accessed at http://www.keyinfoinc.com/cigna/.