FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                    Olympic Hopefuls to Use SunTrust 
                National Half Marathon as Trials Tune-Up
               Elite field of female athletes to enter the 
              National Half Marathon as a training race for 
                the upcoming 2008 Olympic Trials in Boston

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (March 26, 2008) - The 2008 SunTrust National Marathon 
will play host to an elite field of Olympic hopefuls on Saturday, March 29, 
2008. With the 2008 U.S. Women's Olympic Marathon Trials taking place in 
Boston on Sunday, April 20, the half-marathon course provides the perfect 
tune-up race to prepare these top women athletes for their Olympic Trials 
run.

Six female Olympic hopefuls will be competing in the half-marathon: Samia 
Akbar, Abby Dean, Susan Graham-Gray, Phebe Ko, Emily LeVan and Briana 
Whaley. Of the six, none have yet been members of the U.S. Olympic marathon 
team.

Each of the six athletes has incorporated the SunTrust National Half 
Marathon as a part of their training preparation to gear up for the Olympic 
Trials. The 13.1 mile course will provide runners with some challenging 
inclines along with beautiful scenery and lots of community encouragement. 
The event also gives each a sneak peak of some of their competition for the 
Trials in Boston. 

Half-Marathon Personal Records:
Samia Akbar (VA), 1:13:12
Abby Dean (PA), 1:18
Susan Graham-Gray (PA), 1:21
Phebe Ko (MD), 1:20:49
Emily LeVan (ME), 1:20
Briana Whaley (VA), 1:19:04

For more information on the race and the Olympic Trials, go to: 
NationalMarathon.com or http://bostontrials2008.com

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