Seven of the country's top Developmental Teams will discuss how to build on momentum of recent U.S. success on the road to 2008 Olympics

Clubs' Athletes Include National Champions, Olympic Medalists and the Future Stars of American Distance Running

BOSTON, Mass. - Coaches and directors of some of the most successful elite distance-running teams in the U.S. will gather in Boston Oct. 21-23 to chart the future of their athletes, their clubs and the sport in this country. Hosted by the Boston Athletic Association, the 2005 USA Distance Running Summit will focus on continuing the recent progress made by American distance runners. The resurgence of successful, comprehensive distance-running clubs has been heralded by most experts in the sport as the favored route for U.S. athletes to become world-class competitors.

"As one of the oldest running clubs in the country, based in a city known around the world for its running tradition, it is only fitting that we seize every opportunity to serve the sport," said Guy Morse, executive director of the 118-year-old Boston Athletic Association. "American distance running right now has turned the corner, and we want to do anything we can to help it keep going in the right direction."

Last year, the first USA Distance Running Summit was organized by ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, N.C., one of seven clubs expected for the Boston conference. Also planning to attend are representatives of Team USA Minnesota, Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, Indiana Invaders, Big Sur Distance Project, the new Boulder Distance Club, and Team Running USA. Among them, athletes in the seven clubs reflect every phase of topnotch distance running in America, from the promising-but- unknown sub-elites to 2004 Olympic marathon medalists Meb Keflezighi (silver) and

Deena Kastor (bronze), the first Americans to bring home marathon medals since Joan Benoit Samuelson in 1984. Echoing that success, Kastor won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9.

Discussions on race scheduling and training methods will lead the summit agenda. Also planned are sessions on marketing strategies, health care and how to structure the optimum environment for athletic success.

Guest lecturers include Bill Reifsnyder, adidas sports marketing manager; Mark Wetmore, president of Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., a Boston-based athlete-representation and events firm; Dave McGillivray, president of DMSE Inc. and race director of the Boston Marathon; Dr. James Zachazewski, clinical director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Sports Medicine & Elite Athlete Health Center; and Bill Squires, the legendary coach of a roster of American distance greats that included Bill Rodgers. Greg Meyer, winner of the Boston Marathon in 1983 when he lived and trained in Boston, will be keynote speaker at a dinner to conclude the summit.

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and its five- year-old B.A.A. Half Marathon on Oct. 9 was highlighted by American newcomer Celedonio Rodriguez's victory over an international field. The organization also sponsors other local events, including the Oct. 23 Mayor's Cup Cross Country Races, in which athletes from several of the USA Distance Running Summit teams are expected to compete. In addition to events, the B.A.A. supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs.