Irish Olympians Davenport, Dennehy-Willis Join Freihofer's Run for Women Field
Malot, Skvortsova, Aish and McGregor Will Also Contend for $22,000 Open Purse

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Posted Friday, 29 April, 2005

ALBANY, N.Y. - (April 27, 2005) - As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. In the case of the 27th annual Freihofer's Run for Women set for Saturday, June 4 at 10:15am in downtown Albany, NY, race organizers asked for top athletes from around the globe, and they are getting just that.

Today Irish Olympians Marie Davenport and Breeda Dennehy-Willis confirmed they will join 3,600 women on the starting line. Also announcing their commitments are Leah Malot (Kenya), Silvia Skvortsova (Russia), plus American elite distance runners Nicole Aish and Katie McGregor. They will join previous commitments Kim Smith (AUS), Amy Rudolph (USA) and Cheri Kenah (USA).

"We couldn't be more pleased with the way things are shaping up," says event director George Regan. "When we decided to open the race to international athletes, we were hoping we'd get a good mix of world-class runners from different countries. So far, so good."

Davenport is originally from County Clare in Ireland, but now makes her home in Chester, Conn. After a very successful college career at Providence College that culminated in a runner-up finish at the 1996 NCAA Cross Country Championships, she earned a spot on the Irish Olympic team in Atlanta. She returned to the Olympic stage in Athens, 2004, finishing 14th in the 10,000m. In 2004, she had an excellent year, setting a PR at 10,000m (31:28.78), and winning prestigious road races such as the Tufts 10K and the Downtown Providence 5K. On April 15, she won the Mt. SAC 5000m in 15:38.64. Her 5000m best is 15:09.07.

Dennehy-Willis is another in the long tradition of great Irish distance runners. She doubled up in the 5000 and 10,000 at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She is a multiple Irish National Champion in track and cross country, and represented Ireland in the World Cross Country Championships five times. After taking some time off for maternity leave in 2003 and 2004, she returned to competitive form in early 2005. She recently finished 6th at the Irish Cross Country National Championships and 3rd at the Cooper River Bridge 10K. She boasts a 5000m best of 15:12.83.

"Davenport and Dennehy-Willis are among the best in the world, and that's what we want in Albany," adds Regan. "They've both been in the Olympics, and have won many big races in their careers. They will be tough to beat."

Kenya is renowned for its distance runners, and Malot from Tumeiyo, Kenya is one of the most distinguished to proudly wear her country's red and green uniform. When she ran 14:39.83 in Berlin, Germany in 2000, she set the Kenyan record for 5000 meters, a record that stands today. She has captained the Kenya cross country team many times and competed at the World Cross Country Championships five straight years from 1998-2002, with four top-10 finishes.

Skvortsova is another one of the talented Russian marathoners, but can step up the pace as shown by her 15:17 5000m in 2000 at a meet in Moscow. She won the 2005 Rome Marathon in March (2:28:01). Her marathon PR is a sparkling 2:27:07.

Aish and McGregor are no strangers to Albany; both have made trips to New York's Capital City when Freihofer's hosted the USA 5K Championship for 14 of the past 16 years. This will be the third straight trip for Aish, finishing 9th (2002), 4th (2003) and 4th (2004). McGregor was 10th in 2002, and moved up to 5th in 2003. At the recent USA 8K Championships in New York City, McGregor finished 4th, with Aish 10th. McGregor, a Team USA Minnesota athlete, has competed in the last three World Cross Country Championships.

Regan is excited with his commitments to date, but promises more are on the way. "It's still early. We have several more in the pipeline that we will announce as soon as we work out the final details. This is going to be a fantastic race," he maintains.

"We're thrilled that the top Americans like Nicole, Katie, Amy Rudolph and Cheri Kenah want to come back to Albany," Regan continues. "They know we have a tradition here and we treat the ladies like royalty. That will never change."

Participants for the Freihofer's Run for Women, Freihofer's Kids' Run and Freihofer's Community Walk can pick up a registration form at any Capital Region Price Chopper store, or by visiting FreihofersRun.com. Additional information on all three events is also available by calling (518) 273-5552, or via e-mail at info@freihofersrun.com.

Event sponsors include the Charles Freihofer Baking Company (a division of George Weston Bakeries Inc.), Price Chopper Supermarkets, B95.5FM, NewsChannel 13 and the Albany Quality Inn.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org

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