It's time to prepare to motor along the George Washington Memorial Parkway and it happens only ONCE a year. BAE Systems presents the 20th George Washington Parkway Classic 10 Miler and 6th 5K, on Sunday, April 25, 2004, at 8:00 am. The scenic certified course is point-to-point from historic Mount Vernon into Old Town Alexandria with a three-quarter of mile finish stretch up to Oronoco Bay Park along Union Street. The 5K starts at Belle Haven Park along the Parkway and has the same finish. There will be bus transportation to both start locations.

The race will benefit the Alexandria Olympic Boys and Girls Club. The supporting sponsors include New Balance and Pacers of Old Town Alexandria.

The early registration is $30.00 for the 10 miler and $15.00 for the 5K. In person registration will take place at Pacers at 1301 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 703-836-1463. Full race details and on-line registration at may be found at the race website http://www.gwparkwayclassic.com.

To assist with preparation leading up to the race, visit the race website to print a copy of a training schedule provided by Runner's World magazine. The schedule is for beginners, intermediate and advanced runners and can be tailored to each runner. You can get your friends together and get started today.

The total prize purse for this event is $3,900. The top runners in the 10 miler will be going after $3,250 in prize money:

Open (M/F)
1. $500
2. $300
3. $150

Master (M/F)
1. $300
2. $200
3. $100

Wheelchair (M/F)
1. $75

5K
Open (M/F)
1. $150

Master (M/F)
1. $150

Wheelchair (M/F)
1. $25

Racing along the Parkway dates back to its opening in 1932. The first race was the Evening Star Marathon sponsored by The Washington Star and WMAL. The Grand Marshal was General Douglas MacArthur.

BAE Systems is proud to bring back the tradition of the MacArthur Cup, which is presented to the U.S. military service branch with the best team score. Team scores are based on the top 10 active duty participants of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard branches. The winning service will be awarded a cash award for their relief organization. In 1992 Vice Chief of Staff for the Army, General Dennis Reimer, presented the Cup to the Air Force team. In 1993, General J.H. Binford Peay III presented the Cup to the U.S. Navy. In 1994, Rear Admiral Paul Tobin, Jr., presented the Cup in to the U.S. Navy team. The U.S. Navy team won the Cup again in 1995.

The winning male military runners (15K distance) were in 1993- Ric Banning 49:49, 1994- Ric Banning 47:37, 1995- Arno Sist 50:02. The female military winners were in 1993- Judy Beville 1:01:36, 1994- Sophie Senn 1:02:06, 1995- Susie Stewart 57:22.

The race event records are:

10 Mile
Open Male: Benson Ogato 49:05
Open Female: Irina Suvorova 58:46
Master Male: John Tuttle 54:32
Master Female: Laura Freix 1:04:38

5K
Open Male: Philippe Rolly 14:48
Open Female: Heather Hanscom 17:23
Master Male: John Tuttle 14:49
Master Female: Maria Spinnler 18:19

The George Washington Parkway Classic is presented by BAE Systems along with New Balance and Pacers of Old Town and Runner's World magazine. Full race details and on-line registration may be found at http://www.gwparkwayclassic.com.