PARKERSBURG, W.Va. - (August 19, 2000) - At 8AM this morning, Governor Cecil Underwood fired the mountaineer rifle to start the USATF Half-Marathon Championship in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The temperature was 63 degrees and overcast; considerably better conditions in mid-summer than either of the Olympic Marathon Trials. Rod DeHaven, Jerry Lawson, Jeff Campbell, Shawn Found, David Morris, Todd Reeser and Phillimon Hanneck led a group of 15 men through 2 miles in 9:49. By the 5 mile mark, the group had been whittled to four with DeHaven, Reeser and Hanneck shoulder-to-shoulder and U.S. Marathon Record Holder David Morris 20 meters back.

At 6 miles, DeHaven, 33, had thrown in a 4:48 mile to open a 20 meter break on Reeser and Hanneck. DeHaven's 10K split was 29:51 and his 7th mile was run in 4:41. This year's 25K USA champion Shawn Found hung 200m off Hanneck and Reeser who continued to run side-by-side. As Olympic marathoner DeHaven's lead grew, so did his confidence. Looking strong and relaxed, the Madison, Wisconsin resident came through the 10 mile mark in 47:56, a 37 second lead over Hanneck and Reeser. He attacked the infamous 13th Street Hill and coasted to victory in a U.S. course record 1:03:06. The 1994 and 1998 USA Half-Marathon champion sliced 32 seconds off the record that he had set in 1994. Reeser was second in 1:04:13 followed by Hanneck in 1:04:23.

With his victory at Parkersburg, DeHaven earned $6000 and moved into second place in the Men's USA Running Circuit. Shawn Found who finished fifth (worth 6 USARC points) maintained his Circuit lead (33 points to DeHaven's 32 points).

Sylvia Mosqueda led the women's race through the early going, hitting the 3 mile mark in 16:03 with Kelly Cordell 30 seconds back and favorite Libbie Hickman another 10 seconds back. At 4 miles it was so foggy, spotters had trouble picking up additional places. Later, Hickman, 35, from Ft. Collins, Colo. moved in front of Cordell and now trailed Mosqueda by 25 seconds. By the seven mile mark, Mosqueda still led with a time of 37:35 and Hickman now only 4 seconds back. At 7.5 miles, Mosqueda turned to the side to see the 2000 USA 5K champion Hickman on her shoulder. The two stayed together through the next three miles coming through the ten mile mark in 53:59 as the sun broke through the clouds.

On the 13th Street Hill Hickman made her move. "I didn't plan it that way" she would say later. "It just kinda happened. I don't usually like the hills but that seemed easy."

The 10,000 meter Olympian moved comfortably down Market Street to a 1:11:01 finish, 1 minute and 32 seconds under the U.S. women's course record set by Trina Painter in 1992. Mosqueda finished a solid second in 1:11:20.

With her victory, Hickman, the 1999 USARC Grand Prix champion, picked up 15 Circuit points to climb into first place in the women's standings with 33 points. The Women's USARC finale is the Tufts Health Plan Run for Women 10K in Boston on October 8.

The top five men and top three women qualified for the USA Half-Marathon Team that will compete in the World Championships in Veracruz, Mexico on November 12th. The remaining members of the women's team will be announced by selectors in early September.

USA Half-Marathon Championships: Parkersburg
Parkersburg, WV, Saturday, August 19, 2000

MEN
1) Rod DeHaven, WI 1:03:06 $6000
2) Todd Reeser, NY 1:04:13 $4000
3) Phillimon Hanneck, OR 1:04:23 $3000
4) Clint Verran, MI 1:04:53 $1500
5) Shawn Found, CO 1:04:59 $1200
6) Mark Coogan, WI 1:05:00 $850
7) David Morris, NM 1:05:20 $700
8) Jeff Campbell, CO 1:06:09 $500
9) Teddy Mitchell, CO 1:06:20 $400
10) Jerry Lawson, CO 1:06:25 $325

WOMEN
1) Libbie Hickman, CO 1:11:01 $6000
2) Sylvia Mosqueda, CA 1:11:20 $4000
3) Kelly Cordell, CA 1:14:12 $3000
4) Shelly Steely, NM 1:14:37 $1500
5) Kristy Johnston, WV 1:15:45 $1200
6) Susannah Beck, OR 1:15:54 $850
7) Kelly Keane, MA 1:16:01 $700
8) Ann Schaefers-Coles, IL 1:16:41 $500
9) Michelle Byrne, TX 1:16:50 $400
10) Jenny Crain, WI 1:17:08 $325

MASTERS MEN (40+)
1) Sam Ngatia, NM 1:06:33 $1000
2) Budd Coates, PA 1:09:17 $500

MASTERS WOMEN
1) Marie Boyd, NM 1:17:39 $1000
2) Maria Trujillo de Rios, CA 1:19:03 $500

Full results and photos are available at www.ccmh.org.

Women's USARC Standings
after five races
1) Libbie Hickman, 35, Ft. Collins, CO 33
2) Sylvia Mosqueda, 34, Los Angeles, CA 29
3) Susannah Beck, 32, Eugene, OR 24
4) Chris Clark, 37, Anchorage, AK 21
5) Jen Rhines, 26, Haverford, PA 19
6) Kristy Johnston, 35, Shepherdstown, WV 18
7) Kristin Beaney, 28, Wayland, MA 15
Deena Drossin, 27, Alamosa, CO 15
9) Ann Schaefers-Coles, 35, Algonquin, IL 13
10) Blake Russell, 25, Greensboro, NC 12
Michelle Byrne, 27, Richardson, TX 12

Men's USARC Standings
after four races
1) Shawn Found, 29, Boulder, CO 33
2) Rod DeHaven, 33, Madison, WI 32
3) Peter DeLaCerda, 28, Alamosa, CO 22
Mark Coogan, 34, Madison, WI 22
5) Dan Browne, 25, Lafayette, CO 15
6) Eddy Hellebuyck, 39, Albuquerque, NM 13
7) Eric Tollefson, 27, Spokane, WA 12
Todd Reeser, 26, Macedon, NY 12
9) Scott Larson, 30, Boulder, CO 11
Jeff Campbell, 29, Alamosa, CO 11
Phillimon Hanneck, 28, Clackamas, OR 11

The 2000 USA Running Circuit (USARC), the sixth edition for the men and fifth for the women, offers over $679,000 in prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse. The 2000 Circuit, a USA Track & Field road series, features six events for men and women. Per race, the first ten U.S. runners earn points (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1) with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000 and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall.

The USARC mission is to support, develop and promote U.S. runners. Past USARC Grand Prix champions include Olympians Keith Brantly ('95), Mark Coogan ('96), Rod DeHaven ('98), Libbie Hickman ('99), Anne Marie Lauck ('96), Shelly Steely ('98) and Todd Williams ('99).

Upcoming USARC races:

New Haven Labor Day 20K (men), New Haven, CT $10,000 September 4
Tufts Health Plan Run for Women 10K, Boston, MA $14,150 October 8 Delchamps Senior Bowl Charity Run 10K (men), Mobile, AL $20,000 November 4

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Special thanks to 
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Coordinator for providing us this press release.
USATF Road Running Information Center
5522 Camino Cerralvo, Santa Barbara, CA 93111
(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 696-6252
http://www.usaldr.org