The third annual women-only Avon Running Global Championship will be held on Sunday, October 14 in Budapest, Hungary. The 10K run will uniquely showcase top U.S. and international athletes alongside thousands of women of every age and fitness level in one unified event. The world's richest women's 10K purse-- $50,000 in prize money--will be awarded to the top ten overall finishers, the top three Avon Circuit winners, and the top three masters division finishers. The overall winner will receive $15,000.

Created by Avon Products, Inc. in 1998, Avon Running is the only global program of its kind that provides women the opportunity to pursue moderate walking and running or elite racing in unified events. Avon Running events take place in fourteen countries worldwide and the Avon Running Global Championship is the annual culminating event of the series, featuring the winners of these national events as well as an invited world-class field.

In honor of the occasion, and for the first time in Hungarian athletic history, the Hungarian Athletic Federation--Magyar Atletikai Szovetseg--has awarded the title of official Hungarian Women's Cup to the event. An additional $3,000 will be awarded to the top three Hungarian athletes in the competition, as a result of this official race status.

More than 14,000 runners will participate in what is the largest Avon Running event in the world, and the largest running event of any kind in Hungary. The scenic route of the Global Championship begins in mid-town Budapest on Margit Island in the Danube, crosses the Arpad Bridge, runs along the Pest embankment (Szechenyi Rakpart), past the Houses of Parliament, through the old town university section (Leopold Town), and then returns via the Pest embankment and Margit Bridge to finish in the Margrit Island stadium.

Athletes from 21 countries will compete alongside five winners of the 2000 Avon Running U.S. National Championship, who won expense paid trips to Budapest:

Milena Glusac, of Fallbrook, CA is the overall Avon Running National Championship title-holder. Glusac has won three U.S. road running titles in 2001 at 25K, half-marathon and 20K. After her dominant victory at the U.S. Half-Marathon Championships in Parkersburg, WV on August 18, she was selected for the second time to represent the United States at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships on October 7, an event where she finished 10th last year.

Tatiana Salazar, of Tacoma, WA, is the 2000 Avon Running - Portland, OR Overall 10-K Champion. Born in Eastern Russia and raised in a remote industrial city, Salazar first came to the United States as part of a cultural and sports exchange program with the City of Tacoma whose sister city in Russia is Vladivostok. On one of the trips, she fell in love with an American, Dan Salazar, and the two married. She became an American citizen last June.

Margo Braud, of Austin, TX, is the Avon Running U.S. National Sales Representative Division Champion. Braud is also the 2001 Avon Running - Hartford Avon Sales Representative Division Winner.

Judy Walls, of Piedmont, SC, is both the 2001 and 2000 Avon Running - Baltimore Avon Sales Representative Division Winner.

Karen Yokely, of Topeka, KS, is the 2000 Avon Running - Kansas City Avon Sales Representative Division Winner.

"Avon Running prides itself in creating fitness and developmental opportunities for women. Our mission is to empower women to take charge of their health and fitness as well as provide competitive opportunities for serious women runners," said Kathrine Switzer, Program Director of Avon Walking and Running and herself a former top runner. "For many of the emerging athletes, this race will be the opportunity of a lifetime. And for women of all abilities the event is aspirational, as they are able to meet and run alongside champions from so many countries."

The World's Best Runners Meet In Budapest

Making the race especially compelling will be an elite field of world class athletes, including Ethiopian Fatuma Roba, who won the Olympic Gold Medal in the marathon in 1996. Roba went on to become a three-time Boston Marathon champion, but had her streak broken by Kenyan road racing star, Catherine Ndereba, who will also challenge Roba in Budapest. Ndereba has won the last two editions of the Boston Marathon, and was the winner of the 2000 Chicago Marathon where she ran the fastest time in the world last year: 2:21:33. At Chicago Ndereba had to overcome a spirited challenge from compatriot Lornah Kiplagat, who in finishing second ran the third-fastest marathon of 2000: 2:22:36. She, too, will be competing in Budapest.

Other top international stars include recent World Championships and Goodwill Games medallist, Ayelech Worku of Ethiopia, and Olympians Jane Salumae of Estonia and Helena Javornik of Slovenia. The 2000 Avon Running Global Champion Sonia O'Sullivan, who set a then-world road best for women last year in Milan (30:59), is expecting a baby and will not defend her title.

Other International Athletes Competing in Budapest

Avon Running international events were held in twelve countries in 2000. The champions of each of these circuit races have been awarded travel to Budapest to represent their countries in the Avon Running Global Championship. Many of these athletes are the best runners in their countries, which include Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines and Thailand, in addition to the U.S. Top qualifiers include Katrin Wessel from Germany, a three-time Olympian who won a bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships at 10,000m, and Erika Csomor of Hungary, who won the World Duathlon Championship on September 15.

The 2002 Avon Running Global Championship

Looking ahead to next year, the 2002 Avon Running Global Championship will take place on November 10, 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand. The winners of the national Avon circuit races for 2001 will win expense paid trips to compete in Bangkok. The 2001 Avon Running U.S. National Championship event will be held on Dec. 9 at Tempe Town Lakes in Phoenix.

Avon Running Global Women's Circuit Promotes Benefits of Regular Exercise

In addition to creating a competitive environment for emerging women runners around the world, the Avon Running Global Women's Circuit is building upon the program's three-year success of spreading the word about health and fitness, particularly heart disease, to thousands of women worldwide. Studies show that regular running and walking can substantially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death among women, as well as significantly reduce the risk of diabetes, cancer and other diseases. Through Avon Running, women learn the benefits of a regular running and walking regimen, one of the most accessible and affordable forms of exercise for even the busiest women. The program includes both a 10-K run and 5K walk to offer participation opportunities for the nearly 40% of the women in the Avon Running program who are beginners.

To help beginning runners get started, Avon Running offers training clinics, one of the unique aspects of the Avon Running program. These grassroots training workshops are conducted in each race city, providing beginning runners and walkers with invaluable information and guidance from leading experts in running, fitness and health.

Additional information and race applications for Avon Walking and Running events are available by calling (800)748-1047, ext. 5350 or on the Avon Walking and Running web site.

About Avon

Avon is the world's leading direct seller of beauty and related products, with $5.7 billion in annual revenues. For more than a century Avon has provided women with economic opportunity and financial independence, and the company currently markets to women in 139 countries through 3.4 million independent sales representatives. Avon is committed to women through programs such as the Avon Global Women's Health Program, Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, the Avon Worldwide Fund for Women's Health, and the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Days. Product lines include such recognizable brands as Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Avon Color, Far Away, Rare Gold, Perceive and Avon Skin Care. The company also markets an extensive line of fashion jewelry, apparel, gifts and collectibles. More information on Avon and its products and programs can be found on the Avon web site.

The photo above is Elena Paramorova winning the Avon Walking & Running 5K in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 9, 2001. Click on the photo for an article, photos, and results of that exciting race.