ALBANY, N.Y. - (June 5, 2004) - Lynn Jennings, wherever she is, just dodged another bullet. That bullet is Marla Runyan, who for the third straight year, dominated the field at the USA 5K Championship hosted by the 26th Freihofer's Run for Women in Albany. For the third straight year, Runyan, 35, from Eugene, Ore. came torturously close to Jennings' course record of 15:24, stopping the clock this time at "15:25.something" which rounds up to 15:26. Last year, she won in 15:25, the year before in 15:27.

"I could hear the announcer counting down the time as I was coming down the hill," said the 2000 Olympian at 1500 meters who earned $10,000 as national champion. "I was thinking, 'Oh my gosh.' I thought I was going to get it because I heard 15:05, 15:06...but the seconds just kept ticking!" The mobs lining the streets urged her down the hill with one eye on the hard-charging Runyan, and the other eye on the fast-ticking finish line clock. The clock won for the third straight year.

The clock was much kinder for Colleen De Reuck, as she grabbed the headlines with her 3rd place 15:47 finish, but more importantly a new Masters 5K world road record as well as the USA Masters Championship crown. De Reuck the Destroyer inked her name in the record books with no doubt the first of many Masters world records, destroying Ruth Wysocki's 16:06 set here in 1997, and just for good measure a pending 15:55 world record set by Russia's Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova in 2003.

"I was hoping to run a good time," said De Reuck, who has already made her reservations for the 2004 Olympics in Athens by virtue of winning the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. "I'm happy to come in 3rd here, and very happy to run under 15:55. I figured I shouldn't be much slower than last year (15:41, national runner-up)."

It was an Albany Chamber of Commerce day for the start of the race, with temperatures in the low 60s, plenty of sunshine and virtually no wind. The Red Bull Jump Team made a thrilling grand entrance just after the Star Spangled Banner, landing in front of an event record 3,500 women on the starting line with the Empire State Plaza providing a spectacular backdrop.

Remarked Joan Nesbit Mabe, 1996 Olympian and 2002 FRW masters champion: "George (Regan, long-time race director) really outdid himself this time!"

A pack of four - Runyan, De Reuck, Elva Dryer and Nicole Aish - quickly detached themselves within the first half mile. Sylvia Mosqueda trailed a few meters back, and quickly lost contact and found herself alone as the leaders entered Washington Park.

The first mile passed in 5:03 with the pack of four still sharing a very small space of real estate. The intensity picked up as they weaved up and down the roads in the park around the lake. Runyan made her first strong move which served to string out the runners single file like elementary school kids on their way to recess. Dryer and De Reuck answered the bell and gave chase with Aish just a few steps behind. As they exited the park near the halfway mark it was evident that Runyan was in control and the other three were battling through their own little bad patches.

Runyan methodically pulled away and there was no doubt she was on her way to a three-peat performance. She turned her attention to the clock, passing mile 2 in 10:12, well behind the pace for the course record. Experienced FRW runners know the final 1.1 miles is turbo-charged.

Runyan's experience told her not to panic. "I heard the time at mile 2 and it was almost exactly the same as last year (10:10) so I knew I still had a chance. I didn't let up."

Behind her, Dryer, the 1997 USA 5K champ here, and De Reuck, the 2002-03 Freihofer's runner-up, were not letting up either. They engaged in a gut-it-out battle for second position, with Dryer finally gaining the advantage near the 2-mile mark.

"She's tough," said Dryer of De Reuck. "I had to keep pushing because I knew she wouldn't give up."

"I knew Elva was back there," said Runyan. "I didn't know where she was, but after we came out of the park, I felt like I had it."

Runyan powered down Madison Avenue within earshot of the huge crowds at the finish line. "I was giving it everything I had, but my legs just gave in. I couldn't get them to move any faster. I was thinking, 'please just get me to the finish.'"

With her 15:42, Dryer had enough in her legs to hold off De Reuck, but not enough to make a challenge at Runyan. Mosqueda, awake from her mid-race slumber, was making a serious move on Aish in the background as they turned onto Madison.

"I woke up around mile 2 and told myself to start racing," said Mosqueda. "But it was too late."

Aish finished four seconds faster than Mosqueda, 15:56 to 16:00.

In the masters race, Carmen Troncoso, 45, ran an impressive 2nd 16:55, but not until she gave herself a little pep talk mid-race.

"Debbi (Kilpatrick-Morris) and Joan (Nesbit Mabe) passed me at about 1K. I said 'OK, Carmen you have to make this hurt.'"

She made the others hurt as she reclaimed her position and held it the rest of the race to set a pending U.S. 45-49 age group record. Kilpatrick-Morris finished 3rd Masters in 17:03, and Nesbit Mabe 4th in 17:10 in a very deep masters race. Twelve runners over the age of 40 broke 18 minutes.

Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Freihofer's Run for Women spokesperson, ran 17:46 despite aggravating an achilles injury. She was hobbling around with ice on her ankle post-race, but was very pleased with the entire event.

She summed things up: "Great race. Great day. Great race by Marla. Strongest U.S. masters field ever."

Freihofer's also was the fourth stop of seven on the 2004 Women's USA Running Circuit, a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon. With her third place finish (worth 10 USARC points), De Reuck, the 2002-03 USARC Grand Prix champion, solidified her lead over Deena Kastor, 55 points to 24, and with three Circuit races remaining, De Reuck has virtually assured herself one of the three grand prix prize money spots.

The 2004 USARC offers over $810,000 in national championship prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse. The top 10 U.S. finishers score Circuit points at each event with the final top three point scorers awarded $6000, $4000 and $2500 respectively. More USARC information and current standings available at: www.usatf.org

26th Freihofer's Run for Women 5K: USA Open/Masters Championship
Albany, NY, Saturday, June 5, 2004

OPEN
1. Marla Runyan, OR, 15:26, $10,000
2. Elva Dryer, NM, 15:42, $5000
3. Colleen De Reuck, 40, CO, 15:47, $4000
4. Nicole Aish, CO, 15:56, $3000
5. Sylvia Mosqueda, CA, 16:00, $2000
6. Amy Yoder-Begley, IN, 16:20, $900
7. Jenny Crain, OR, 16:23, $800
8. Rachel Kinsman, OH, 16:39, $700
9. Sonja Friend-Uhl, FL, 16:43, $600
10. Cassandra Henkiel, TX, 16:46, $500
11. Suzanne Weeder-Einspahr, NE, 16:48, $400
12. Christina Blackmer, CT, 16:49, $300
13. Megan Flowers-Skeels, TX, 16:51, $200
14. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso, 45, TX, 16:55, $100
15. Beth Fonner, NC, 16:57, $100

MASTERS
1. Colleen De Reuck, 40, CO, 15:47#, $750
2. Carmen Ayala-Troncoso, 45, TX, 16:55*, $600
3. Debbi Kilpatrick-Morris, 40, OH, 17:03, $350
4. Joan Nesbit Mabe, 42, NC, 17:10, $200
5. Monica Joyce, 45, MI, 17:24, $100
#pending Masters World Record; *pending U.S. 45-59 age group record

For full results go to: http://www.freihofersrun.com

2004 USARC Standings

WOMEN after four races
1) Colleen DeReuck, 40, Boulder, CO 55
2) Deena Kastor, 31, Mth Lakes, CA  24
3) Jen Rhines, 29, Ardmore, PA      20
4) Sara Wells, 25, Edina, MN        18
Debbi K-Morris, 40, Strongsville, OH      18
Sylvia Mosqueda, 38, LA, CA         18

2004 USARC Champions

WOMEN
Colleen De Reuck   49:02  Gate River Run 15K, Jacksonville, FL, March 13
Colleen De Reuck 2:28:25* U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, St. Louis, MO, April
3
Debbi K.-Morris  1:31:14  Fifth Third River Bank 25K, Grand Rapids, MI, May
8
Marla Runyan       15:26  Freihofer's Run for Women 5K, Albany, NY, June 5
*Olympic Trials Record