FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ILSA PAULSON WINS 2009 USA WOMEN'S MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP
AT 28th ANNUAL MEDTRONIC TWIN CITIES MARATHON
Colleen De Reuck Places Second, Wins USA Women's Masters Championship;
29 Women Qualify for 2012 Women's Marathon Olympic Trials
(St. Paul, Minn.) – A twenty-five year age difference separated the first
and second place winners of the 2009 USA Women's Marathon Championship
today at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. Ilsa Paulson, 20, of New York
City, won the title with a finishing time of 2:31:49. Colleen De Reuck, 45,
of Boulder, Colo., placed second with a time of 2:32:37; De Reuck also won
the USA Women's Masters Championship. The championship events were part of
the 28th Annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, which started in downtown
Minneapolis and finished at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn.
"Nothing compares to the marathon distance, and I can't say enough good
things about the people here at the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon," said
Paulson. On her win, Paulson remarked, "This is really, really rewarding.
You just hang in there and grind it out, and it felt so good today,
particularly the last 10 kilometers. It was also such a blessing to have
Colleen De Reuck in the race."
De Reuck, a four-time Olympian, said the pace picked up around mile 24. "I
was trying to run my pace, but Paulson was much stronger over the last six
miles," she said.
Kristen Nicolini, 32, of Team USA Minnesota (Minneapolis), placed third
among the women with a time of 2:35:06. Nicole Blaesser, 24, of Seattle,
placed fourth with a time of 2:35:09; Sally Meyerhoff, 25, of Eugene,
Wash., placed fifth with a time of 2:35:49.
"This may be the year of the women – boasting exceptional finishing times
for both the USA Women's Marathon Championship and the USA Women's Masters
Championship," said Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of Twin
Cities Marathon, Inc. "Masters runner Colleen De Reuck's finishing time is
particularly noteworthy, as well as the 29 women producing qualifying times
for the 2012 Women's Marathon Olympic Trials."
The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon was the only opportunity to qualify for
the 2012 USA Women's Marathon Olympic Trials. At the race, 29 women posted
qualifying times; ten women are "A Standard" qualifiers, posting times of
2:39:00 or better, and 19 are "B Standard" qualifiers, posting times of
2:46:00 or better.
The USA Women's Marathon Championship and USA Women's Masters Championship
were a USA Track & Field national championship event that started with the
open Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon field at 8:00 a.m., Sunday, October 4.
The 28th annual race began near the HHH Metrodome and in front of the state
capitol.
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