Birhanu, Shobukhova Win 31st ING Philadelphia Distance Run
Beijing Olympians take top two spots in women's field; tight men's finish; race record field of 13,000

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Posted Monday, 22 September, 2008

From Dan Cruz

PHILADELPHIA - (September 21, 2008) - Under clear skies outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a record field turned out for the ING Philadelphia Distance Run as Yirefu Birhanu of Ethiopia and Lilya Shobukhova of Russia won the 31st edition, leading the field of more than 13,300 runners and walkers.

Birhanu, 22, negotiated the 13.1 mile course through Philadelphia's streets in a time of 1 hour, 1 minute, 22 seconds.

"It feels really good to win, especially running a fast time," said Birhanu. "It was good to see a lot of fast times from the other runners, the flat course really helped me keep a rhythm."

Birhaun pulled away late from perhaps the most tightly contested pack of front runners in the Distance Run's history, barely edging fellow Ethiopians Terefu Zwedie and Girma Tola who ran 1:01:23 and 1:01:26, respectively.

Kenyan McDonard Ondara came in fourth at 1:01:32. Kenya's Valentine Orare (1:01:37) and Boaz Cheboiywo (1:01:34) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

The men's pack turned south on to Kelly Drive after crossing the Schuylkill River over Falls Bridge, still tightly packed as they had been from the start of the race. With nine runners clustered in the lead pack as late as the 15K mark, the middle of the race was just as close as the finish.

On the women's side, Shobukhova, 30, took the over the last mile of the race on the way to her victory. With a time of 1:10:21, she beat out the marathon world champion and two-time Olympic silver medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, who finished second in 1:10:31. Fellow Kenyan Irene Limika took third in 1:10:50.

This was just the second half-marathon for Shobukhova, after finishing 6th in the 5000 meter race at the Beijing Olympics last month.

"It's a very meaningful place for me," Ndereba said. "I came here to run fast and I'm happy with my performance. I look forward to running in Philadelphia next year."

The 13.1-mile city course started and finished at Eakins Oval, adjacent to Philadelphia Museum of Art, and made its way through downtown Philadelphia until looping back along Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Schuylkill River. Participants were treated to live music at nearly every mile on the course, which entertained and motivated them to stay energized and finish strong.

The 2008 edition of Philadelphia's Classic Half Marathon included four kid's races and approximately 30 runners with Team McGraw, an official race charity benefiting the foundation named after Phillies' legend Tug McGraw. McGraw's former Phillies teammates Larry Christenson and Greg "The Bull" Luzinski kicked off the run with Team McGraw.

"I have a lot of respect for all the people of all ages out here competing," said Luzinski, owner of Bull's Barbecue at Citizens Bank Park. "Today's effort was a tremendous success and with his son Mike running a time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, no doubt Tug would have been proud."

Matt Byrne, 29, and Abby Dean, 37, took top local honors as the first male and female finishers from the City of Philadelphia. Both earned $1000 for their efforts. When asked how they would spend their first prize winnings, each answered with an identical response: "Pay off some bills."

After the today's race 36 runners have run in all 31 Distance Runs; however this is the first year for ING as title sponsor of the annual half-marathon.

"As a financial services company, ING sees the parallels between distance running and financial planning," said Joe Loparco ING Director of External Communications. "It's about starting small, setting goals, continuously improving and staying committed for the long-run."

31st ING Philadelphia Distance Run
Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, September 21, 2008

MEN
1) Yirefu Birhanu (ETH), 1:01:22, $3500
2) Terefu Zwedie (ETH), 1:01:23, $2000
3) Girma Tola (ETH), 1:01:26, $1500
4) McDonard Ondara (KEN), 1:01:32, $1000
5) Valentine Orare (KEN), 1:01:33, $750

WOMEN
1) Liliya Shobukhova (RUS), 1:10:21, $3500
2) Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 1:10:31, $2000
3) Irene Limika (KEN), 1:10:50, $1500
4) Nriah Asiba (KEN), 1:10:58, $1000
5) Aziza Ayilu (ETH), 1:11:06, $750

MASTERS (40+)
MEN
1) Gideon Mutisya, 40, Kenya, 1:09:15, $1000
2) Scott Lebo, 42, PA, 1:11:33, $500
3) Thomas Dever, 51, IN, 1:12:42, $250

WOMEN
1) Doreen McCoubrie, 46, PA, 1:20:15, $1000
2) Kelly Dworak, 46, PA, 1:22:04, $500
3) Eileen Patrick, 40, MD, 1:22:48, $250

TOP PHILLY FINISHERS
MALE
1) Matt Byrne, 1:07:47, $1000

FEMALE
1) Abby Dean, 1:17:50, $1000

Full results at: www.RunPhilly.com

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