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|  Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton Highlights Field for SBLI Falmouth Mile August 2, 2002 From race press release.
The Falmouth Mile, held in conjunction with the SBLI
Falmouth Road Race the next day, has become one of the
centerpieces of race weekend and a stage for many
memorable performances. The women's race figures to be the showcase, with
Hamilton and Rudolph primed for fast times. "I am in good
shape and I am coming to run fast," said Hamilton. A
pace-setter will be in the field to run the first half mile in
2:08. Hamilton has been a world-class middle distance
performer for many years and has represented the U.S. on
three Olympic teams. She has a personal-best in the mile of
4:22.93 and ran the fastest 1,500 meters in the world in
2000 with a 3:57.40 victory at Oslo's Bislett Games.
Hamilton was a nine-time NCAA champion at the University
of Wisconsin, a six-time U.S. champ and last spring placed
fifth in the 4 kilometer World Cross-Country Championships
in Dublin. Rudolph, a former Providence College star and NCAA
champion, is another seasoned and decorated veteran. A
two-time U.S. Olympian, she has been running well on the
European track circuit this summer, competing mostly at
3,000 and 5,000 meters. She has a personal-best in the
mile of 4:27.66. She was also a
member of the U.S. 8k World Cross Country team that
finished second, only 10 points behind Ethiopia and ahead
of the favored Kenyan team.
Mary Jayne Harrelson of Blacksburg, W. Va., Ga., who won
the 2000 Falmouth Mile and was second last year (4:34.11),
is also returning. She is a three-time NCAA 1500 meter
champion while competing for Appalachian State University.
Also competing in the women's race will be Anna
Brzezenkia of Poland; Jenelle Deatherage, Madison, Wisc.;
Carmen Douma-Hussar, Canada; Amy Lyman, Northfield,
Mass.; and Carrie Tollefson, Edina, Minn. The runner to beat in the men's race looks to be Leonard
Mucheru of Kenya, who ran 3:59.58 in finishing second last
year to John Itati's 3:58.36. Itati will not compete in the mile,
focusing instead on the next day's road race. Mucheru ran
3:49.58 in Rome last summer. Others to watch in the men's race include Canadian native
Kevin Sullivan, who ran 3:55.80 this year indoors and
3:58.77 outdoors. He is a member of the 2002 Canadian
Commonwealth Games team competing this week in
Manchester, England. Mike Miller of Boulder, Colo. and George Milic of Yugoslavia
should also be in the thick of things.
The men's race goes off at 6:15 p.m., followed by the
women at 6:30 p.m. Prize money of $1,000 goes to the winners and $500 to the
runners-up. In addition, there are incentives of $500 if the
men's winner breaks four minutes and the women's winner
cracks 4:33. A 2002 Volkswagen Beetle GLS will be
awarded for a new U.S. citizen's record. Steve Scott, who ran
3:47.69 in Oslo, Norway in 1982, holds the men's record.
Mary Slaney set the women's mark of 4:16.71 in 1985 in
Zurich. Jason Pyrah ran the first-ever sub-four-minute mile on Cape
Cod when he won the 1997 Falmouth Mile in 3:58.39. Alexis
Sharangabo of Rwanda holds the men's record of 3:57.82,
set in 2000. Last year more than 2,000 fans circled the track as Lyudmila
Vasilyeva of Russia set the women's record with a time of
4:30.30. That was also the fastest mile run in the world in
2001. The Kalperis Track is a Mondo surface and recognized as
one of the fastest in the world.
For more information check out, www.falmouthroadrace.com
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