View the story from the Running USA Wire

The Top Ten Finishers in photo above includes: Ryan Shay - 15th at 2002 Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach (1st); Chris Graff - 10th & 1st American at Nortel Cherry Blossom 2001(7th); Christopher Banks - winner of 2002 Washington D.C. Saint Patrick's Day 10K (8th); Team Hanson (Michigan running store team) members Clint Verran (3rd), Jeff Campbell (4th) and Carl Rundell (10th).

A relative newcomer to the marathon, Ryan Shay photo above of East Jordan, Calif., is the winner of the 2003 USA Men's Marathon Championship race with a time of 2:14:28. Shay will be joined by second and third place finishers, Kevin Collins (2:15:31) and Clint Verran (2:15:51), to represent the U.S. at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Paris this summer. The USA Team for Worlds will consist of five members; the two remaining selectees include Dan Brown, winner of the 2002 USA Men's Marathon Championships at the Twin Cities Marathon last September in Minnesota, plus the athlete who ultimately has the fastest performance during the qualifying period.

Comments on the race from www.mercedesmarathon.com:

Mile 14 1:10:49, Split 4:57 Shay, Verran, Collins still in lead, close together, single file, nearest competitors almost out of sight.

Mile 20 1:41:51, Split 5:15, Projected finish now over 2:14, this group of three has led for the last eight miles

Photo: Chris Graff, in N Y Athletic Club singlet, trained under Coach Gagliano with the Reebok Enclave in Washington, DC

The race on February 8, 2003 is a trial run for the 2004 USA Men's Marathon Championships, which also will serve as the selection race for the Olympic team that will represent the USA in Athens, Greece.

Conditions for the marathon:

Weather Overnight - Some clouds. Low 19F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Weather Saturday - Sunshine along with some passing clouds. High 43F. Winds light and variable.

Results

The top 10 finishers share the race prize as follows:
1st Ryan Shay $10,000 (2:14:28)
2nd Kevin Collins $6,000 (2:15:31)
3rd Clint Verran $4,000 (2:15:51)
4th Jeff Campbell $3,000 (2:16:25)
5th Scott Strand $2,000 (2:16:51)
6th Brian Clas $1,500 (2:17:14)
7th Chris Graff $1,200 (2:18:44)
8th Christopher Banks $1,000 (2:18:51)
9th Kyle Baker $800 (2:19:54)
10th Carl Rundell $500 (2:19:58)
11 Fred Kieser      OH  2:20:45
12 James McGown     NE  2:20:51
13 Nate Bowen       CA  2:21:26
14 Rick Fuller      OR  2:22:02
15 Jason Medler     IN  2:24:59
16 Ken Pliska       MA  2:25:13
17 Stephen Jayaraj  GA  2:26:53
18 Michael Wardian  VA  2:45:36

See the Mercedes Marathon website