Courtesy of Running USA wire.

Ndereba Goes for Five-Peat; Over $42,000 in Prize Money
FLINT, Mich. - (August 21, 2002) - For the 26th running of the Crim 10 Mile on Saturday, August 24, another top international field including four-time defending champion Catherine Ndereba and the 2001 men's runner-up Shadrack Hoff (photo) is expected.

Ndereba - the world record holder in the marathon (2:18:47) - has won the Crim 10 five times including the last four editions. The 30-year-old Kenyan should be challenged by her countrywomen Hellen Kimaiyo (1997 Crim champion) and Gladys Asiba (who finished third last year) and Morocco's Asmae Leghzaoui who has already set two world road records this year at 8K (24:28 at Crazy 8's) and 10K (30:29 at the New York Mini).

For the men, South Africa's Shadrack Hoff - the 2001 Rock 'n' Rock Half-Marathon winner - faces a tough field which includes Kenyans Gabriel Muchiri, Simon Wangai, Gilbert Koech, John Kagwe (1997-98 New York City Marathon winner), Peter Chebet and Christopher Cheboiboch and Moroccan Mohammed Ar Ar. Michigan residents Clint Verran and Kyle Baker are the top Americans in the field.

The Masters competition (40 years and older) also should be exciting as Andrew Masai of Kenya returns to defend his title for a possible three-peat. His main competition will be 1999 Crim masters winner Simon Karori (Kenya), Eddy Hellebuyck (Albuquerque, NM), Steve Spence (Shippensburg, PA) and Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia).

For the masters women, five-time Crim masters champion and evergreen Tatiana Pozdniakova (Ukraine), new master Elena Paramonova (Russia), Monica Joyce (Pinckney, MI) and Cindy Keeler (Clermont, FL) are the top entrants.

The overall prize purse is $42,750 with $28,400 Open ($5000 to the winner), $5200 Masters, $3400 Michigan resident and $5750 Wheeler.

COURSE RECORDS 45:43 Joseph Kamau (KEN) in 1996 51:47 Cathy O'Brien (USA) in 1989

The Crim 10 Mile Road Race has been recognized by Runner's World as one of the top 100 U.S. road races and by RRCA's Footnotes Magazine as one of the "20 Great Races Across the Nation" in 2002. As a member of USATF and Running USA Founding Member, the Crim is a professionally organized and sanctioned race that is celebrating its 26th run. Second only to the Race for the Cure in Detroit, the Crim is the largest road race festival in Michigan, with running and walking events in 4 distances: 10 Mile, 8K, 5K and 1 Mile. The Teddy Bear Trot for children attracts over 1,000 kids each year.

In USA Track & Field road record book, the Crim 10 Mile is noted for its 23 U.S. single age records (14 women's and 9 men's) and four U.S. age group records: Cathy O'Brien (51:47, open), Laurie Binder (56:05, 40-44), Barbara Filutze (59:14, 45-49) and S. Rae Baymiller (1:02:01, 50-54) and a Masters All-Comers (John Cambell, 47:55).

The Crim was started by and named for the former state House Speaker Bobby Crim in 1977. It began as a find-raising event for Michigan Special Olympics; today there are six charities involved with Crim; Area XIII Special Olympics, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of greater Flint, Fair Winds Girl Scout Council, Shelter of Flint, Genesee County Literacy Coalition and the Crim Youth Development Program. The name of this event changed from the Crim Road Race to the Crim Festival of Races in 1992.

Total participation in the 2001 Crim was 14,227, and the 25th running of the Crim 10 Mile produced a record number 6,789 participants (the third largest 10 mile in the United States). Crim participants in 2001 represented 48 states and 11 countries.

For more information call 810-235-3396 or check out, www.crim.org