International field ready for 31rst Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, release, note by Larry Eder

International Field Readies for 31st Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

Defending USA Men’s and Women’s Masters Champions Return

St. Paul, Minn.–Oct. 6, 2012–A fleet field of international runners peppered with aspiring Americans headlines the open marathon field at the 31st annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, October 7 in downtown Minneapolis.

Leading the field are 2012 Grandma’s Marathon champions Everlyne Lagat of Kenya and Berhanu Girma of Ethiopia, who could earn $10,000 bonuses – in addition to the winners’ prize check of $15,000 – by winning both of Minnesota’s major marathon in a single year.

The race, which hosts the USA Masters Marathon Championships for the 22nd straight year, will also welcome back its reigning masters champions, Tracy Lokken of Marquette, Mich. and Sheri Piers of Falmouth, Maine.

In wheelchair competition, course record-holder and eight-time Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon wheeler champion Saul Mendoza of Wimberley, Tx. returns as does 2011 women’s champion Tracy Tabaka of Rogers.

A record number of runners–more than 12,000 – will compete in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The full slate of events that make up Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend will draw more than 28,000 runners to the street of Minneapolis and St. Paul on Saturday and Sunday.

Find the professional athlete thumbnail biographies and startlists on the following pages.

About Twin Cities In Motion (TCM): Twin Cities In Motion (formerly Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.) is the non-profit organization that provides nationally recognized, high quality running events throughout the year, including the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. With a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through running, TCM and its charity partners contribute over $500,000 to related causes each year. For more information, visit www.tcmevents.org, www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesInMotion, and follow us on Twitter @tcmarathon.

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Men’s Professional Athlete Bios

Adem Hussein – 1

Ethiopia

Age: 30

Personal Best: 2:11:18

2012 Highlights: Hussein has not race in 2012.

Christopher Kipyego – 2

Kenya

Age: 38

Personal Best: 2:12:15

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:06:15

Marathon 2:18:54

Kipyego was the runner-up at the 2010 Grandma’s Marathon.

Berhanu Girma – 3

Ethiopia

Age: 25

Personal Bests: 2:12:24

2012 Highlights: 10K 28:46

Half Marathon 1:01:54

Marathon 2:16:38

Marathon 2:12:24

Girma won this year’s Grandma’s Marathon.

Lameth Mosoti – 4

Kenya

Age: 31

Personal Bests: 2:24:43

Elija Muturi – 5

Kenya

Age: 31

Personal Bests: 2:13:17

2012 Highlights: Marathon 2:13:17

Sean Quigley – 6

Boulder, Colorado

Age: 27

Personal Best: 2:14:12

2012 Highlights: 10K 29:45

10K 29:26

20K 1:00:02

Half Marathon 1:05:29

Marathon 2:14:12

Kiyokatsu Hasagawa – 7

Japan

Age: 29

Personal Best: 2:15:15

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:04:12

Marathon 2:16:03

Davd Tuwei – 8

Kenya

Age: 33

Personal Best: 2:13:44

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:05:59

Marathon 2:17:30

Edward Tabut – 9

Kenya

Age: 29

Personal Best: 2:14:46

2012 Highlights: 10 Miles 49:58

20K 1:01:17

Half Marathon 1:04:43

Woldegeiworgis Eyob Alemu – 10

Ethiopia

Age: 30

Personal Best: 2:14:44

Kipyegon Kirui – 11

Kenya

Age: 32

Personal Best: 2:14:54

2012 Highlights: 10K 30:38

Half Marathon 1:08:43

Marathon 2:22:05

Philip Mburu – 12

Kenya

Age: 24

Personal Bests: 1:09:42 (Half Marathon)

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:09:42

Tyler Sigl – 13

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Age: 26

Personal Best: 2:17:28

2012 Highlights: 10K 30:30

Half Marathon 1:05:48

Marathon 2:19:17

Sigl ran his marathon personal best at the 2009 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.

George Towett -14

Kenya

Age: 27

Personal Best: 2:18:19

2012 Highlights: 10K 30:43

20K 1:01:40

Half Marathon 1:04:38

Jared Abuya – 15

Kenya

Age: 35

Personal Best: 2:20:13

2012 Highlights: 10 Miles Road 51:29

Half Marathon 1:07:59

Marathon 2:20:13

Other notables:

16 Joe Moore, 28

17 Pete Gilman, 37

18 Ben Payne, 31

19 Michael Little, 36

20 Cllint Wells, 37

21 Todd Braje, 36

22 Levi Severson, 32

23 Joseph Aulwes, 31

24 Brian Walker, 30

25 Francis Eanes, 25

26 Chrsitopher Grossinger, 38

27 Chrsitopher Denucci, 33

28 John Leaf, 25

29 Erik Hanson, 23

30 Cory Logsdon, 24

31 Kurt Prieve, 23

32 Nick Ross, 23

33 Sean Brown, 24

34 Kevin Groh, 25

35 Joe Sepe, 26

36 Arthurs Bareikis, 26

37 Chris Erichsen, 26

38 Kelly Fermoyle, 26

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Women’s Professional Athlete Bios

Everlyne Lagat – F1

Kenya

Age: 31

Personal Best: 2:31:32

2012 Highlights: 10K 33:58

10 Miles 56:33

Half Marathon 1:12:44

Marathon 2:33:13

Lagat, the 2012 Grandma’s Marathon champion, could become only the second woman to win Grandma’s and the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon in a single year.

Yiihunlish Delelecha – F2

Ethiopia

Age: 30

Personal Best: 2:37:06

2012 Highlights: 10K 33:50

10 Miles 54:33

Atalelech Asfaw – F3

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Age: 28

Personal Best: 2:33:56

2012 Highlights: 10K 33:29

12K 43:11

15K 51:04

Half Marathon 1:12:54

Marathon 2:40:40

Doreen Kitaka – F4

Kenya

Age: 31

Personal Best 2:32:31:

2012 Highlights: 10K 33:29

Half Marathon 1:15:58

Marathon 2:47:41

Two weeks ago, Kitaka won the Montreal Marathon!

Melissa Johnson-White – F5

Lake Orion, Michigan

Age: 29

Personal Best: 2:32:55

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:12:05

25K 1:26:22

Marathon 2:34:33

Johnson-White finished 4th at this year’s USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth.

Heidi Westover – F6

Walpole, New Hampshire

Age: 31

Personal Best: 2:35:02

2012 Highlights: 10,000m 33:24.99

15K 52:52

20K 1:13:05

25K 1:32:20

Marathon 2:35:45

Vera Trubnikova – F7

Russia

Age: 25

Personal Best: 2:40:30

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:19:13

Jeannette Faber – F8

Portland, Oregon

Age: 30

Personal Best: 2:36:50

2012 Highlights: 5000m 16:47.23

10,000m 33:12.76

20K 1:09:35

Half Marathon 1:13:27

25K 1:27:16

Marathon 2:36:50

Faber finished 21st at January’s Olympic Trials Marathon and then was 8th at the 2012 USA Half Marathon Championships in Duluth.

Venera Sarmosova – F9

Russia

Age: 33

Personal Best: 2:36:50

2012 Highlights: 10K 37:55

Half Marathon 1:18:01

Marathon 2:44:16

Esther Erb – F10

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Age: 26

Personal Best: 2:37:21

2012 Highlights: 5000m 16:45.62

10,000m 34:09.48

5K 16:48

10K 34:21

15K 55:37

10 Miles 55:28

Marathon 2:37:21

Hirut Guangul – F11

Ethiopia

Age: 20

Personal Best: 2:35:07

2012 Highlights: 10K 33:59

Half Marathon 1:14:44

Marathon 2:35:07

Tinbit Gidey Weldegebrael – F12

Ethiopia

Age: 23

Personal Best: 2:40:08

2012 Highlights: 10 km Road 34:54

Half Marathon 1:15:22

Sopagna Eap – F13

San Diego, California

Age: 31

Personal Best: 2:40:19

2012 Highlights: 5000m 17:23.20

Marathon 2:41:24

Bria Wetsch – F15

Portland, Oregon

Age: 24

Personal Best: 1:15:35 (Half Marathon)

2012 Highlights: Half Marathon 1:18:23

Wetsch was a high school running star during her youth in Minnesota. In 2006, she clocked the fastest 3200m time ever recorded by a Minnesotan with 10:06.98.

Ruth Senior – F16

Great Britain

Age: 24

Personal Best: 1:19:49 (Half Marathon)

2012 Highlights: 10,000m 36:43.32

Half Marathon 1:19:49

Other Notables:

F17 Rhiannon Beckendorf ,31

F18 Melissa Gacek, 36

F19 Trisha Moore, 29

F20 Lindsay Hattendorf, 28

F21 Clare Kazmierczak, 36

F22 Angie Voight, 35

F23 Gina Aalgaard Kelly, 36

F24 Thea Fleming, 29

F25 Lindsay Henkels, 32

F26 Hillary St. John, 24

F27 Amy Martin, 39

F28 Alison Steele, 32

F29 Michelle Mercer, 25

F30 Jennifer Goswami, 28

F31 Johanna Olson, 33

F32 Margot Branigan, 24

F33 Kelly Br
inkman, 31

Vanessa Graetz

Communication Intern