The race for the first sub 4-minute mile by a Maine resident on Maine soil is on! Ayalew Taye, the current high school indoor mile national champion, and Pat Tarpy former Brown University star, have signed up to compete in the 3rd annual KeyBank New England Mile.

"I was thrilled when Louie Luchini decided to run and having Ayalew and Pat join in really brings the race to a new level," said Pete Bottomley race Director and Founder. "Having runners with Ayalew's and Pat's ability and accomplishments racing against Louie makes the chance of breaking 4-minutes a true reality. This is going to be a terrific race to watch and participate in."

Ayalew is a high school All-American in track He won the mile at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March and placed second in the mile Nike High School Outdoor Track Championships in 2006. He is a legend in Maine high school track. He will continue his running career at Georgetown University this fall.

Tarpy has progressed from a good high school runner to an outstanding collegiate runner and he is running faster than ever as a professional post graduate runner. At a Boston High Performance meet last week Tarpy ran 3:41.28 in the 1500, the equivalent of a 3:59.3 mile.

"I felt very fortunate when Louie decided to run, I wasn't expecting Ayalew or Pat to run. With Jeff Caron, Gabe Rivard and Ethan Hemphill joining the front pack I'd be surprised if we didn't see a sub 4-minute mile," proclaimed an enthusiastic Bottomley. '" Even people who don't run understand that running under four minutes in the mile is a great accomplishment. Whether people come to run or watch they have a chance to be a part of history."

The race will start at 9:00 am on June 17th by the intersection of Neal and Congress streets and run east down Congress street ending at Lincoln Park just after the fire station.

For more information contact: Pete Bottomley, 207-807-1133