CHICAGO - The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon - set for Sunday, October 10 - will once again host a strong core of elite American distance runners. Featuring a mixture of seasoned and up- and-coming athletes, top American's Jenny Spangler and Khalid Khannouchi will be joined by Trent Briney, Brian Sell, Clint Verran, Marla Runyan and Blake Russell. The entire elite American field all qualified to compete in this year's Olympic Trials.

"The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is proud of its ongoing support and development of American distance runners and we are extremely pleased to have Olympic-caliber athletes in our 2004 field," commented Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "Arguably, American distance running is at its best ever. I have seen some extremely talented athletes rise to the forefront of the sport, and I'm confident we will see some very impressive performances from our American athletes at this year's race."

Runyan and Russell will give Jenny Spangler, who set the current U.S. Women's Masters Record at Chicago last year, some serious competition.

Russell, 29, will be running only her third marathon. Her marathon debut win at the 2003 Twin Cities Marathon with a time of 2:30:41 was the fourth fastest U.S. debut of all-time. She led the pack for much of the race at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, but fell to fourth with a time of 2:30:32, just missing the Olympic team. "I gained invaluable experience at the Olympic Trials but I am now looking to my Chicago marathon debut," remarked Russell. "Ever since I first watched The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on TV, I have wanted to run it. Chicago has established itself as the place to run because of its fast course and world-class competition."

Runyan, 35, established the second-fastest U.S. marathon debut time in the 2002 New York City Marathon with a time of 2:27:10. After being diagnosed in her early teens with Stargardt's disease, a degenerative disease causing blindness, Runyan made her mark in middle-distance running and track and field throughout her running career. The 2000 and 2004 Olympian set an American record at the 2003 New Haven 20K with a time of 1:05:52 and finished fifth at the 2003 Boston Marathon.

Khannouchi will lead the men's American field, but up-and-comers Briney, Sell and Verran are able competitors who all fared well at the 2004 Olympic Trials.

Briney, 25, excelled at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials to finish 4th in 2:12:35 as he cut 8 minutes 35 seconds off of his personal best time. He was the first alternate to the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team. Briney, who will return this year for his second LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, has been running competitively for 12 years. He was a four-time Division II All-American while running for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

"Chicago's organization is unmatched with its treatment of athletes," commented Briney. "In Chicago, every athlete has the opportunity to run fast on what is probably the fastest marathon course in the world."

Twenty-six year-old Sell, who has been running competitively for 8 years, finished 13th in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Although disappointed with his finish at the Trials, Sell set the tone and pace for the race by leading for much of the first 21 miles. He now has his sights set on Chicago to apply what he's learned from his Trials experience and from his months of training in hopes of improving upon his 2:19:57 performance at the 2003 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Verran, 28, who finished fifth at 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, was also an alternate for the American team. Verran ran The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2002 and finished 13th with a time of 2:14:17 and was a pacer in 2003 race, helping several American's achieve their Olympic Trials qualifying times. "The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has been the unofficial U.S. marathon championship," remarked Verran. "Chicago is the place to compete if you want to run fast."

Briney, Sell, and Verran are all members of the Hansons-Brooks Olympic Distance Project, a Michigan-based program that provides jobs and housing to aspiring American athletes who hope to one day represent the U.S. in Olympic competition.

"The Hansons' program is one of the best development programs in competitive distance running," remarked Pinkowski. "The rigorous training and the unmatched support they receive from their coaches have provided opportunities for many American athletes to excel in the sport of running. I'm personally very excited to see Trent, Brian and Clint run this year's marathon - I'm certain their hard work and dedication will make all of us proud."

The Chicago race is the first major marathon to take place after the stellar performances by bronze medalist Deena Kastor and silver medalist Meb Keflezighi at the 2004 Olympic Marathon. Their performances in Athens along with the $1 Million Olympic Marathon Challenge sponsored by the Chicago and New York City Marathons has raised the stature and expectations for American distance runners.

Although Keflezighi, who established his Olympic Trials qualifying time in Chicago last year and Kastor, who placed sixth in Chicago among a highly competitive field in 2002, won't be part of Chicago's field this year, their performances in Athens will certainly be inspirational to the pool of seasoned and up-and-coming American athletes that will run the streets of Chicago at The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

Part of the $650,000 elite athlete prize purse includes money earmarked for American athletes. The American Development bonus program will pay a total of $80,000 to the top 5 American men and women.

The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon takes place Sunday, October 10 starting and finishing in Chicago's Grant Park. The race will be broadcast live on CBS 2 CHICAGO and ESPN 1000 beginning at 8am. Elite athletes will compete for a portion of the $650,000 prize purse, the highest in the sport. Registration for this year's race is closed as the cap of 40,000 was reached. Visit www.chicagomarathon.com for more information.