Elite Field Stars at B.A.A. Half Marathon®,
presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund,
on Sunday, October 12.

Race around Boston's Emerald Necklace and through Franklin Park Zoo
features $25,000 in prize money.

Two-time New York City Marathon champion (1997, 1998)
and top American at this year's Boston Marathon are headliners.

(October 2, 2003) BOSTON, Mass. - The third annual B.A.A. Half Marathon, presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund, on Sunday, October 12 features a prize purse for the first time and has drawn a deep, international field of runners, who will vie for a share of the $25,000 purse.

Headlining the men's elite field are two-time New York City Marathon champion John Kagwe and the top American from this year's Boston Marathon, Eddy Hellebuyck. The top females are Lioudmila Kortchaguina and Marie Davenport.

Also among the top-seeded men in this year's race are Timothy Cherigat, Laban Kipkemboi, Phillimon Hanneck, Chad Johnson, Kyle Baker, Nigusu Urgie, Paul Mwangi, and the inaugural B.A.A. Half Marathon champion, Wayne Levy. Included as part of the elite women's field are: Melody Fairchild, Theresa Du Toit, Naomi Wangui and Maria Servin.

ELITE MEN:
John Kagwe, 34, of Kenya, won the New York City Marathon in 1997 (2:08:12) and 1998 (2:08:45). In addition, he has placed among the top 10 at that same race on five other occasions. He will attempt his third victory there on November 2. Also, Kagwe has placed among the top six at the Boston Marathon on three occasions (fifth place in both 1998 and 1999; sixth place in 2000). He is a consistent top finisher in any race he enters, and has won the city marathons in Prague (2:09:07, 1997), Pittsburgh (2:10:54, 1995) and San Diego (2:10:57, 2001). Kagwe divides his training and residency between Kenya and Royersford, Penn., in the Philadelphia metro area. Recently, he placed sixth at the Philadelphia Distance Run on September 21 in a time of 1:02:47, which was one minute, 18 seconds behind the winning effort of Laban Kipkemboi, who is also entered in the B.A.A. Half Marathon.

A prolific road racer now also a seasoned master's division competitor, 42-year old Eddy Hellebuyck knows his approach to top flight road racing is unconventional: he races almost every weekend in a national or world-class event. He has been in 90 marathons, including three Bostons (eighth place, 1987; DNF, 2001; tenth place, 2003), including having won 21 of those marathons he has entered, and he is the American record-holder in the masters division at 5K, 10K, 15K, and the half marathon. At the USA Masters 10K Championship this past Sunday in Paso Robles, Calif., Hellebuyck ran 29:05, improving his own previous U.S. masters mark of 29:36; he was named "USA Track & Field athlete of the week" by the sport's national governing body for his performance. Originally from Belgium, he became a US citizen in 1999 and was 28th in the world championship marathon in 1999 and 38th in 2001. In 1996, he ran for Belgium at the Olympics in Atlanta, and he represented his native country at three other world championships. At Boston, his tenth place finish (2:17:18) was good for runner-up in the masters division (age 40 and older). Hellebuyck, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he is a high school cross country coach, went through the half marathon checkpoint in this year's race in 1:05:19.

Laban Kipkemboi, 25, of Kenya, has been third in 2:08:39 at the 2002 New York City Marathon (his marathon debut) and was 11th place (2:17:50) at this year's Boston Marathon. He won this year's Philadelphia Distance Run (half marathon on September 21) in a time of 1:01:29. He trains in Boulder, Colorado with Timothy Cherigat, who is also entered in the race. Both of these athletes, like Kagwe, intend to run in this year's New York City Marathon and will use the B.A.A. Half Marathon as part of their preparation.

Timothy Cherigat, 26, of Kenya, was fourth place (2:11:28) at this year's Boston Marathon. Among his other credits are tenth place at the 2001 Boston Marathon in 2:14:21 (his marathon debut) and a victory at the 2002 San Sebastian (Spain) Marathon in 2:09:34. He trains in Boulder, Colorado with Laban Kipkemboi.

Phillimon Hanneck, 32, was runner-up at this year's US Half Marathon Championship in 1:04:31 (Carondelet Heart Institute Hospital Hill Half Marathon in Kansas City, Missouri). He was also the US National Champion for 10K and 20K in 1999. A native of Zimbabwe, Hanneck is a US citizen, residing in Clackamas, Oregon [near Portland]. He was third place at the 2000 US Half Marathon Championships (Parkersburg, West Virginia) in 1:04:23, and he was third in the US Championship at the 2003 New Haven 20K (59:24) on Labor Day. He was tenth place in 1:05:00 at the Philadelphia Distance Run (half marathon) on September 21.

Chad Johnson, 27, currently resides in Portland, Oregon and trains with Hanneck. He was runner-up in 1:04:20 at the Hartford (Conn.) Half Marathon last October, and he was a finalist at 10,000 meters - finishing 15th - at the 2000 US Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. He won the US title (1:16:11, fourth overall) at 25K in 2001 (Old Kent River Run in Michigan). Kagwe finished first in that race. Also, he was runner-up at the Senior Bowl Charity Bowl 10K in Mobile, Alabama in November of last year in 28:29, and that race served as the US 10K Championship. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota.

Kyle Baker, 27, of Mason, Michigan, was his state's "Runner of the Year" in 2001. He is an assistant track and cross country coach at his alma mater, Michigan State University, and was runner-up in 2002 at the competitive US 20-kilometer Championships (59:22, New Haven, Conn.), and was 21st at that same race this year in 1:03:00.

Nigusu Urgie, 37, of Ethiopia won the 2003 Holyoke (Mass.) St. Patrick's Day 10K in March in a time of 30:24. He was 14th place, one position behind Hellybuyck, in 1:07:07 at the 2003 Ogden Newspapers 20K Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia over Memorial Day weekend of this year. He has been using Cambridge, Mass. as his home base for racing in the United States during this summer and fall.

Paul Mwangi, 36, resides in Ossining, New York and is a citizen of Kenya. He is a top Northeast region talent and competes for Westchester (New York) Track Club.

The inaugural B.A.A. Half Marathon champion, Wayne Levy, 38, of Newton, Mass. (1:10:57, 2001; and fifth place, 1:12:12 in 2002) is also entered in this year's race. Levy runs for the Boston Athletic Association, which plays host to the event.

ELITE WOMEN:
Lioudmila Kortchaguina, 32, of Russia, has won eight marathons since 2000, including the races in Bermuda (2000, 2001), Napoli (2001), Panama (2001), Hartford (2001, 2002), and Pittsburgh (2003). A resident of Toronto, she also was victorious at the Canadian Marathon Championships in 2002. At Pittsburgh earlier this year, she established a personal best time of 2:29:53. Prior to that she had a marathon PR of 2:30:18, recorded in a runner-up performance at the 2003 City of Los Angeles Marathon. Also earlier this year, she ran 1:10:50 at the Vancouver Half Marathon (a PR and a race which she won). She intends to run this year's New York City Marathon.

The former Marie McMahon, 28-year old Marie Davenport is a 1997 graduate of Providence College, who is an Irish citizen currently residing in Chester, Connecticut. An Olympian in 1996 at 5,000 meters, she was the Irish national champion at 1,500 meters in 2002. Among her collegiate accomplishments is second place at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1996, held that year in Arizona. In addition, she has represented her home country (Ennistymon, Co. Clare) at both the 1999 and 2002 IAAF World Cross Country Championships (long course both years). Personal bests for Davenport include 4:17.10 for 1,500 meters (1996); 9:10.32 for 3,000 meters (2002); 15:29.83 for 5,000 meters (2002); and 31:59.29 for 10,000 meters (also in 2002). She is coached by Ray Treacy, the long-time head coach at Providence College, and she recently shocked the field with her impressive victory at the Downtown 5k in Providence on September 7 in a time of 15:23.9.

Melody Fairchild, 29, competed for the University of Oregon, and currently resides in Medfield, Massachusetts. As a first-year assistant coach at Wellesley College, Fairchild embarks on the continuation of an outstanding career which has placed her on the US World Championship team (5,000 meters in 1997). Fairchild ran her debut marathon in 2:44:41 (1999; Twin Cities, Minn.), qualifying for the US Marathon Trials. She won the indoor 3,000 meter title at the NCAA Championships in 1996, and she has run 1:11:38 for the half marathon distance (Las Vegas, 2000).

Theresa Du Toit, 30, of South Africa, currently lives and trains in Morris Plains, New Jersey and has a recent time of 1:13:16 with her victory at the Chicago Distance 20K Classic on August 3, 2003 among her athletic accomplishments. She represented her home country at the 1999 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Palermo, Sicily (Italy), running 1:17:33. She posted a half marathon personal best (1:15:19) on her way towards a personal best time at the marathon distance (2:43:14) on the first day of the new millennium (January 1, 2000). Since then, she has lowered her half marathon PR to 1:15:01 (2001). Her personal best for 10,000 meters is 33:18.92, posted on the track in Durban, South Africa in 1999. And, she has run two road race PRs in 2003: 33:37 at 10K and 51:45 for 15K.

Naomi Wangui, 25, of Kenya, currently trains in Pennsylvania and has personal bests of 54:36 for 10 miles (Park Forest, Ill. in 2000); 50:51 for 15K (Utica, New York in 2001); and 32:18 for 10K (Pittsburgh, Penn. in 2001). She has recent victories at 10 miles (Virginia Ten Miler; Lynchburg, VA; September 6) in 57:46 and 20K (Newark Distance Classic; New Jersey; March 2003) in 1:15:01, and she was tenth place at this year's world-class Peachtree Road Race (33:42, 10K) in Atlanta, Georgia on July 4.

Maria Servin, 41, of Mexico is the top-ranked masters division female in the field. Residing in Middleboro, Mass., Servin was the third place master at the 2003 Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) in August with her time of 41:11. Also, local runners know her as a two time champion of the James Joyce Ramble (10K in Dedham, Mass.) in 1996 and 1997. Among her most impressive road racing performances was a seventh place finish at the Peachtree Road Race (10K, Atlanta) in 1996 in a time of 32:20.

Local favorites include Sarah Nixon and Jennifer Rapaport. Nixon, 39, of Medfield, Mass. is the two-time defending champion at the B.A.A. Half Marathon, having won the 2002 race in 1:22:34 and the inaugural race (2001) in 1:21:16. Nixon is a long-time Dana-Farber runner, who sometimes competes for the Merrimack Valley Striders. Jennifer Rapaport, 39, also of Merrimack Valley Striders and Melrose, Mass., has already qualified for next April's US Marathon Trials (2:47:39 at the 2002 Chicago Marathon) and is among the top Boston-area entrants in this year's half marathon.

WHEELCHAIR DIVISION:
The B.A.A. Half Marathon push rim wheelchair division includes two time champion Tim Kelly, of Weymouth, Mass., and top-seeded Tony Nogueira, 35, of Glen Ridge, New Jersey. In August 2003, Nogueira won the Falmouth Road Race (26:33 for 7.1 miles) and was runner-up at Maine's Beach to Beacon (10K) Road Race in 26:48. Nogueira also holds the course record (24:12) for his division at Beach to Beacon, which he established in 2002. He also won the Falmouth Road Race in 2002 (25:20), and he was runner-up at that same race in 2001 (30:19). Nineteen year-old Laurie Stephens, of Wenham, Mass., is entered in the women's push rim wheelchair division. She was the runner-up at this year's Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race in 34:28. The wheelchair division competitors will start at 7:50 a.m.

MEDIA NOTE:
Lead vehicles (open-bed pick-up trucks) will precede both the men's and women's leaders. If representatives of your media outlet - writer(s) and/or photographer(s) - would like to secure a space on one or both of the vehicles, please contact Jack Fleming of the Boston Athletic Association to make arrangements, including details and directions for parking.

# # #

EVENT:
3rd Annual B.A.A. Half Marathon,
presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund.

DATE:
Sunday, October 12, 2003

TIME:
8:00 a.m.

PRIZE MONEY:
$25,000 (first year)

START/FINSH LOCATION:
Roberto Clemente Field in the Back Bay Fens neighborhood of Boston.

COURSE:
The B.A.A. Half Marathon highlights the beauty of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system in Boston and Brookline. The 13.1-mile, rolling course features a combined loop and out-and-back route, beginning and ending at Roberto Clemente Field in the Back Bay Fens neighborhood of Boston (also known as the Fenway). With a start on Park Drive adjacent to Roberto Clemente Field, the course proceeds through the Riverway and over Route 9 into Brookline. The course then passes Jamaica Pond and the Arborway on its way to Franklin Park, with a turnaround in the Franklin Park Zoo. Returning from Franklin Park, the course follows the Arborway to the Jamaicaway to the Riverway before finishing back in the Fenway neighborhood at Roberto Clemente Field. This year's half marathon course will be as it was for the inaugural race in 2001 and will not include Fenway Park (as in 2002).

WEB SITE:
www.baa.org

ENTRIES:
The race reached its maximum field size in three weeks when applications and online registration became available during the summer from July 14 through August 1. A limited number of entries still remain through the event's presenter: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund (see "FUNDRAISING COMPONENT" and "DANA-FARBER RUNNERS" below).

FUNDRAISING COMPONENT:
To register with Dana-Farber Runners and help us win the race against cancer,
call Dana-Farber at 617-632-1970 or 800-551-7036;
send an e-mail to dfmc@dfci.harvard.edu; or,
or log onto www.jimmyfund.org/half-marathon

SPONSORS:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and The Jimmy Fund (Presenting Sponsor).
PowerBar/PowerGel
Long's Jewelers
Adidas
Veryfine
Finagle-a-Bagel
Nextel
Belmont Springs
Gatorade
New England Apples

TO BENEFIT:
Emerald Necklace Conservancy

HISTORY
Inaugural B.A.A. Half Marathon on October 14, 2001:
3,375 Entrants
2,517 Finishers

2nd Annual B.A.A. Half Marathon on October 13, 2002:
4,072 entrants
3,055 finishers

CHAMPIONS:
Men
Overall
2001 Wayne Levy Watertown, MA (citizenship: JAM) 1:10:57
2002 David Hinga Lowell, MA (citizenship: KEN) 1:09:47

Masters division (40-years and older):
2001 Dave Oliver Westborough, MA 1:16:12
2002 Kenneth Jacobson Framingham, MA 1:18:29

Push rim wheelchair division
2001 Timothy Kelly Weymouth, MA 1:06:46
2002 Timothy Kelly Weymouth, MA 1:06:51

Open team
2001 Boston Athletic Association
2002 Boston Athletic Association

Masters division team (40-years and older)
2001 Boston Athletic Association
2002 Boston Athletic Association

50-years and older team:
2001 Boston Athletic Association
2002 L Street Running Club

60-years and older team:
2001 L Street Running Club
2002 L Street Running Club

Women:
Overall
2001 Sarah Nixon Medfield, MA 1:21:16
2002 Sarah Nixon Medfield, MA 1:22:34

Masters division (40-years and older):
2001 Patricia Greene Dorchester, MA 1:29:23
2002 Nanci Cahalane Norfolk, MA 1:30:13

Push rim wheelchair division
2001 Jane Raymond-Hall Watertown, MA 1:31:06
2002 --

Open team
2001 Boston Athletic Association
2002 Boston Athletic Association

Masters division team (40-years and older)
2001 Merrimack Valley Striders
2002 L Street Running Club

50-years and older team:
2001 Falmouth Track Club
2002 --

60-years and older team:
2001 --
2002 --