LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon Team Up

Chicago (August 9, 2004)--In an unprecedented joint effort, the race directors of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon today announced the $1 million Athens Marathon Challenge. This history-making initiative will award $500,000 to an American man or woman who wins the 2004 Olympic marathon gold medal in Athens later this month, for a total possible payout of $1 million.

This year's U.S. Olympic marathon team is considered to be one of the strongest and deepest ever. The women's squad consists of Colleen DeReuck, 40, of Boulder, Colorado; Deena Kastor, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, California; and Jen Rhines, 30, of Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Dan Browne, 29, of Portland, Oregon; Alan Culpepper, 31, of Boulder, Colorado; and Meb Keflegzhi, 29, of San Diego, make up the men's team.

De Reuck, Kastor, Rhines, Culpepper, and Keflezighi all have previous Olympic experience, and Browne, a 2003 Pan Am Games bronze medalist, was the 2002 USA Marathon champion. Kastor, the American marathon record holder (2:21:16), is a two-time World Cross Country silver medalist. In a recent informal poll, Olympic writers from around the country agreed nearly unanimously that an American man or woman would finish in the top five in Athens.

The women's Olympic marathon will be contested on August 22; the men's race will close the Games on August 29.

LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski and ING New York City Marathon race director Allan Steinfeld joined Culpepper, De Reuck, and Kastor in making the historic announcement via conference call.

"This collaboration is the first of what we expect will be many more combined initiatives between our two great marathons as we join forces to encourage and support our American athletes and raise the level of public awareness for our sport," said Steinfeld, also the president and CEO of New York Road Runners.

"We are extremely pleased to partner with the ING New York City Marathon to further our commitment to and support of our American athletes," said Pinkowski. "The American marathon team selected for Athens this year is arguably one of the best groups ever assembled to compete for Olympic gold. For the two premier U.S. marathons to collaborate in support of American athletes is a wonderful testament to the sport."

Three Americans have won the Olympic marathon gold medal. Johnny Hayes was the 1908 Olympic marathon champion in London, Frank Shorter ran to victory in 1972 in Munich, and Joan Benoit Samuelson won the inaugural women's Olympic marathon in 1984 in Los Angeles.