2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race Press Conference Scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Friday,
July 2
What: AJC
Peachtree Road Race Press Conference
Join Tracey Russell, Race Director of the AJC Peachtree Road Race and Becky
Washburn, Athlete Liaison for the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division, along
with members of the 2010 Peachtree Invited Athlete and Wheelchair Division
fields as they discuss highlights of 2010 event.
When: Friday, July 2, 2010
10 a.m. - Press
Conference
Where: AmericasMart (Peachtree Health
and Fitness Expo)
230 Spring St.
Building 2, West Wing
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Highlights:
World-Class Field Lined Up for the 2010 AJC
Peachtree Road Race
Once again, a world-class field will be
represented at this year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race. For the second year in a
row, the AJC Peachtree Road Race will host the USA Men’s 10 km Championship
resulting in a strong American contingent in the men’s field and upping the
total Peachtree prize purse to over $110,000. In addition, the AJC Peachtree
Road Race will serve as the championship race for the Professional Road Running
Organization (PRRO) race circuit, a nationwide series of road racing events. A
$10,000 PRRO bonus is available to eligible athletes upon winning Peachtree.
Abdi Abderahman – reigning USA 10 km
Champion, Ridouane Harroufi – 2nd place finisher in the 2009 AJC
Peachtree Road Race and contender for the PRRO bonus, and Stephanie Herbst-Lucke
– top female masters contender and 2008 female masters champion, will be on hand
at the press conference representing the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race invited
athlete field.
Shepherd Center Wheelchair
Division Draws Field From Over 11 Countries
Close to 80 athletes from over 11 countries
including the U.S., Australia, Canada, England, Scotland, Japan, Mexico, New
Zealand, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland are scheduled to compete in the 29th
edition of the Shepherd Center’s Wheelchair Division of the AJC Peachtree Road
Race. This event is considered one of the largest and fastest wheelchair 10 km
races in the country.
Three-time Peachtree winner and
Georgia resident, Krige Schabort, will be at the press conference to talk about
preparations for his 14th Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division of the
AJC Peachtree Road Race. Schabort has had a strong 2010 season thus far winning
the Disney and LA Marathons earlier this year and is sure to be a strong
contender in the open men’s division in this year’s race.
Athlete Bios:
Abdi Abdirahman- USA
Abdi Abdirahman is the defending USA 10 km
Men’s Champion. As a five-time USA 10 km Champion (2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and
2009), he will attempt to claim his sixth title at the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road
Race. He battled an injury for most of 2009, but will attempt to improve on his
sixth place finish at the 2009 AJC Peachtree Road Race for a spot on the podium
and his fourth consecutive championship.
Born in Somalia, Abdirahman attended
the University of Arizona and become a US citizen in 2000. A decorated runner
in the 10,000 meters, Abdirahman is the only American to have ever run in three
consecutive Olympic 10,000-meter finals. He qualified for his third Olympic team
by winning the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
Abdirahman made a run at the U.S. men’s 10,000 meter record at the 2008
Prefontaine Classic, finishing in 27:16.99. His performance at Pre was a
personal best and the top 10,000 meter time by an American in 2008. He resides
in Tucson, Ariz.
Ridouane Harroufi – MAR
Ridouane Harroufi made the podium at last year’s
AJC Peachtree Road Race with a second place finish in time of 28:02. He has
recorded several key performances in the past year, including a win at the 32nd
annual Boilmaker Road Race in Utica, New York, where he earned his eligibility
for the 2009-2010 PRRO Circuit Bonus at the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race. He is
a two-time winner at Steamboat 4-mile (2008, 2009), two-time winner at Cherry
Blossom 10 mile (2008, 2009) and two-time winner at Bolder Boulder 10 km (2007,
2008). The Moroccan distance runner is a contender for a top spot on the podium
at this year’s race, along with being eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Circuit
bonus.Stephanie Herbst-Lucke - USA
Stephanie Herbst-Lucke, a top Masters (over
40) runner in the United States, trains and resides with her family in Atlanta,
Georgia. In 2008 she finished as the Top American Female, Top Masters Female and
Top Georgia Female, claiming $3,000 in prize money. She was unable to compete in
the 2009 Peachtree due to injury. With the injury behind her, this hometown
favorite looks to repeat her performance from 2008. As a Masters runner, she
has a personal best time of 32:55 in the 10 km.
Herbst-Lucke’s impressive running
career spans over three decades. During her career at the University of
Wisconsin, Herbst-Lucke ran to six All-American performances, seven Big Ten
titles and five NCAA championships. She returned to running in 2007 and has had
three successful years, claiming the Masters division at the 5k, 15k, 20k and
25k USA Championships. In addition, Herbst-Lucke qualified for the 2008 Olympic
Marathon Trials in Boston and was named the 2009 Road Runners Club of America
Masters Runner of the Year.
Diane Roy – CAN
2010 will mark Diane Roy’s eighth
time competing in the Shepherd Center Wheelchair Division of the AJC Peachtree
Road Race. Roy, a native of Quebec, Canada, is the top-seeded female going into
this year’s event. She took top honors at the 2004 Peachtree and hopes for a
repeat of that performance at the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race. Roy is a
two-time member of the Canadian Paralympic Team bringing home a silver and two
bronze medals at the 2008 Bejing Games and two bronze medals at the Athens Games
in 2004. Roy is currently preparing for the 2010 Commonwealth Games which will
be held this fall in Delhi, India.
Krige Schabort - USA
Krige Schabort will compete in his 14th Shepherd
Center Wheelchair Division of the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4, 2010. A
four-time South African Paralympian, Schabort has had a stellar 2010 season so
far, recording first place finishes at the LA Marathon and Disney Marathon. A
three-time Peachtree winner (2002, 2003 and 2006), Schabort will attempt to
improve on his race PR of 18:48 and could challenge for a podium spot.
Schabort began his racing career
in 1989 after he lost his legs in a bomb explosion serving the South African
military. Soon after his rehabilitation, Schabort established himself as a
wheelchair athlete. Schabort moved to the United States in 1997 to train and
race professionally. He currently lives in Cedartown, Ga., with his family.
Contact:
Tracy Lott
Atlanta Track Club
Office - 404.231.9064 x 13
Cell – 404.358.7834
tlott@atlantatrackclub.org
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About the AJC
Peachtree Road Race
The AJC
Peachtree Road Race is a 10K event that takes place every Fourth of July in
Atlanta, Georgia. The first Peachtree was held in 1970 and featured 110
runners. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is the largest 10K running event in the
world with 55,000 participants. The AJC Peachtree Road Race is perhaps most
famous for the coveted Peachtree T-shirt, which is handed out to all the event
finishers. For more information on the AJC Peachtree Road Race visit
atlantatrackclub.org or
ajc.com/peachtree .
About the Atlanta Track Club
The Atlanta Track Club is a non-profit
organization established to inspire and engage the community to achieve health
and fitness through running. With close to 10,000 members, the ATC is the second
largest running organization in the United States. In addition to the AJC
Peachtree Road Race – the largest running event in the US – and the Atlanta Half
Marathon, the Atlanta Track Club directs more than 25 running events per year.
For more information on the Atlanta Track Club, please visit
atlantatrackclub.org.
About The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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the leading source both in print and
online
of news, information and
advertising for metropolitan Atlanta, reaching a total print and online
audience of nearly 2.2 million people each week. Every month, nearly 2.3 million
unique visitors access the newspaper's Web sites, including
ajc.com and
accessAtlanta.com. The Atlanta
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broadcasting subsidiary of Atlanta-based
Cox Enterprises.
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