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Contact: Ginny Cassidy
Marketing & PR Manager
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TWIN CITIES MARATHON 2005 STORY LEADS
What's New and Newsworthy about This Year's Race
2002 TCM Champion Dan Browne Returns for 2005
Dan Browne, winner of the 2002 Twin Cities Marathon and a 2004 Olympian in
the marathon and 10,000 meters, will return for the 24th running of the TCM
Oct. 2, 2005. In committing to the 2005 TCM, Browne stated his excitement
at coming back to the to the site of his first marathon victory. Browne won
the U.S. men's half marathon title in January of this year, running 1:03:56
at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.
2005 TCM Site of U.S. Men's, Women's, Masters National Championships
The Twin Cities Marathon plays host this year to all three National
Marathon Championships. Designated by USA Track & Field as the site of the
National Championships, the 2005 TCM is attracting open and masters runners
of both genders ready to vie for the national title. Prize money will be
awarded 10 deep in the men's and women's open divisions ($81,000 each for
men and women) and five deep in the masters ($15,000 each for men and
women). The complete prize purse structure can be viewed at
www.twincitiesmarathon.org.
Team USA Minnesota Strengthens Women's Field
Team USA Minnesota runners Sara Wells, the 2003 U.S. Women's National
Marathon Champion, and Dana Coons are strong contenders in the 2005 women's
race at the Twin Cities Marathon. Wells, 26, has a personal best of 2:33:15
in the marathon. Coons, who has run a 1:15 half marathon, will race her
first full marathon at the TCM. Team USA Minnesota is a TCM Community
Partner and receives a portion of the donations raised by year-round TCM
fundraising events. The Team USA Minnesota Distance Training Center
provides coaching, training groups, stipends, travel assistance, medical
care and other support for up to 15 athletes.
St. Paul Sister City Nagasaki Sends 20 Runners to the TCM in Commemoration
of 50th Anniversary Twenty members of the Nagasaki Sakura-machi Jogging
Club are registered to run the 2005 Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Mile to
Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Nagasaki, Japan and St. Paul becoming
sister cities. Eighteen members, ranging in age from 30 to 71, will run the
full marathon with two members running the TC 10. "We are very [much]
looking forward to participating in the Twin Cities Marathon and to
interchange with the people of the Twin Cities," states Kozo Hasezaki,
assistant director of the Peace Promotion Office at Nagasaki City Hall.
Native Thunder Runners Honor Red Lake Victims
Approximately 15 members of Native Thunder Distance Runners, an
all-American Indian running group based on the Mille Lacs Reservation in
central Minnesota, are participating the 24th Twin Cities Marathon to honor
victims of the Red Lake school shootings March 21, which left 10 people
dead and seven injured. Founded in May 2002, Native Thunder has members
from the Mille Lacs and White Earth Bands of Ojibwe, the Red Lake Band of
Chippewa Indians, Alaska Native, Hopi, Blackfeet and Cherokee tribes.
Man Tackles 12 Marathons in 12 Months to Raise Funds for Marine Scholarship
Fund "The Twin Cities Marathon will culminate my running of 12 marathons in
12 months in honor of the Marines and sailors from 29 Palms Marine Corps
Base who have died in Iraq," explains Jay Erickson of Yucca Valley, CA.
Appropriately enough, Erickson launched his "Miles of Memories" race
schedule at the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon last fall. He chose to finish
his quest at the TCM because, "I am still a Minnesota resident and have
always wanted to run the marathon." Erickson is collecting $1 for every
marathon mile he has run during the past year ($315) from his supporters.
The money will go to U.S. Marine Scholarship, Inc., an organization that
provides scholarships to the families of fallen heroes and those injured.
2005 TCM Course Entertainment Promises 26.2-mile Block Party!
More than 50 volunteer entertainers from bag pipe, tuba and accordion
players to marching, jazz and Dixieland bands will line every mile of the
Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Mile courses Oct. 2, 2005, promising
unprecedented curbside entertainment for the thousands of runners and
spectators participating.
The 2005 Twin Cities Marathon weekend will take place September 30 -
October 2, 2005. The three-day weekend celebration of fitness includes a
5K run/walk, children's fun runs, pasta dinner, health and fitness expo and
TC 10 Mile in addition to the marathon. TCM continues its 15th consecutive
year as the designated USATF National Masters Championship for both men and
women and will also host the USATF men's and women's open Marathon
Championships. Major corporate sponsors include Cub Foods, Capella
University and ING. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. is a non-profit organization
that directs the TCM weekend as a community service for the Minneapolis/St.
Paul area. Visit www.twincitiesmarathon.org for more information.
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