Georgetown Classic 10K 2001 Women's Second Place Finisher Returns to Site of 1999 Victory
1999 Freihofer's Run for Women champion Cheri Kenah announced that she intends to be in Albany, New York Saturday, June 1 to take part in the 24th annual Freihofer's Run for Women and vie for the $25,000 open field purse.

"This year's race is going to be a battle of the champions," said Event Director George Regan, referring to the confirmations he has already received from '01 winner Collette Liss (Valparaiso, Ind.), '00 victor Libbie Hickman (Fort Collins, Colo.) and '97 champion Elva Dryer (Gunnison, CO). (Elva Dryer withdrew on May 22 due to pregnancy. Although Dryer won't compete, Regan said she is still slated to come to Albany to conduct three presentations at local schools leading up to the race. )"It may well be the best field we've ever had assembled here in Albany."

Kenah (Reston, VA), whose victorious race to the tape with Libbie Hickman remains one of the most memorable finishes in the history of the event, said she is excited to be competing again at Freihofer's, an event which will once again double as the USA Women's 5K Championship.

"I'm delighted to be returning to the Capital Region to race in front of my family," said Kenah, a native of nearby Saratoga Springs, who went on to have an outstanding racing career at Villanova University. "Freihofer's obviously means a lot to me and I'm excited to be part of such as highly competitive field."

Kenah, who did not race at last year's Freihofer's, was unable to defend her crown in 2000 after tearing her plantar fascia at the Oregon Twilight meet that May. Despite this setback, she showed that she is now running at peak fitness by virtue of her second place finish in March to Amy Rudolph in the 3,000m at the US Indoor Championships.

Other competitors scheduled to take part in a rich field of women's long distance talent:
Anne Marie Lauck of Hampton, NJ - 10th place finisher in 1996 Olympics Marathon
Gordon Bakoulis, 41, of New York City - senior writer for Running Times
Colleen De Reuck of Boulder, Co - in 1998, she broke women's 10 mile road race world record with a time of 51:16 at the Nortel Cherry Blossom run
Sylvia Mosqueda of Los Angeles - third place in 2002 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile with a time of 53:17
Marla Runyan of Eugene, OR - fifth place in 2002 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile with a time of 53:37 and her debut at this longer distance
Joan Nesbit Mabe, 40, of Chapel Hill, NC - University of North Carolina men's and women's long distance coach for cross country and track teams (1993-98)
Amy Rudolph of Providence, RI - 10th place in 1996 Olympics 5000m

Regan said a $50,000 bonus will be paid to the first athlete to break the existing World and American 5K road race records of 14:54.

The Freihofer's Run for Women is also the third stop on the 2002 Women's USA Running Circuit -- a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon. The 2002 USARC, the eighth edition for the men and seventh for the women, offers more than $340,000 in championship prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse.

Per USARC race, the first 10 U.S. runners earn points (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1) with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall.

To register for the 2002 Freihofer's Run for Women, a founding member of Running USA, pick up a registration form at any Capital Region Price Chopper store, or by going to freihofersrun.com. The entry fee is $25 before May 30 and $30 before May 31. There will be no day of race registration. Or register for free by being one of the first 100 women to test drive an Audi at Langan Audi before May 25.

Additional event information is available by calling (518) 273- 5552, via e-mail at Information.