Posted: June 16, 2005

Athletics: ING New York City Marathon 2005 to Offer Largest-Ever Marathon First Place Women's Purse

Olympians Kiplagat, Rhines and Davenport announced as first three women entrants

NEW YORK - (June 14, 2005) - Through an added bonus from the ING Run for Something Better program for women, the ING New York City Marathon 2005 will increase its prize purse to $130,000 for the women's champion, the largest guaranteed first place prize in the history of marathoning.

"Today in collaboration with our partners at ING, New York Road Runners takes another milestone step in the support and encouragement of women's running," said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners and the race director of the ING New York City Marathon.

"We believe this to be the first time that any major sports event has put up more money for the women's winner than for the men's. So we are breaking ground not only in the sport of long distance running but in all of sport," said Wittenberg.

Wittenberg made the announcement at a luncheon at Restaurant San Domenico NY, located along the marathon course. Joining her were the first three professional women athletes signed for the race: Olympians Jen Rhines of the United States, Marie Davenport of Ireland and Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands. Rhonda Mims, president of the ING Foundation and vice president of community relations for ING, was also at the luncheon.

The men's champion of the five-borough 26.2-mile race on Sunday, November 6, will collect $100,000.

The added $30,000 for the womenıs winner comes from the ING Run for Something Better, the cause-related cornerstone program of ING's title sponsorship. Additional prize money will also be paid to the women's second place ($20,000 additional for a total $65,000), third place ($10,000 additional for a total $40,000) and fourth place ($5000 additional for a total $25,000) finishers.

ING became the marathon's first title sponsor in 2003 and recently extended its title sponsorship through the 2007 race. Since the ING Run for Something Better program's inception in 2003, ING has contributed close to half a million dollars to community and youth running organizations.

"ING&sup';s sponsorship of the ING New York City Marathon is part of INGıs commitment to support running events to enhance the experience not only for those taking part in the races, but for the community at large," said Mims. "It is a priority for ING to contribute to the development of the sport - especially among children - which is the mission of the ING Run for Something Better."

"I am grateful to the ING New York City Marathon and New York Road Runners for their commitment to women's running, from their showcasing of the professional women's marathon start to the 34-year-old Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K, the world's original women-only road race," said Rhines of Team Running USA.

In addition to the ING Run for Something Better prize money, ING will also donate a total of $150,000, equally split between the New York Road Runners Foundation and the City Parks Foundation, in the names of the top four women finishers. Both organizations reflect NYRR's and ING's shared commitment to the sport of running, to youth and to the local community.

The NYRR Foundation carries out the community service mission of New York Road Runners, establishing and supporting running-based physical education programs for youth in underserved communities throughout New York City.

City Parks Foundation (CPF), founded in 1989, is the only independent, non-profit organization to offer park programs throughout the five boroughs of New York City. CPF works in more than 700 parks citywide with a variety of free arts, sports and education programs to help citizens support and use their local parks.

Kiplagat, 31, and Rhines, 30, are both marathon veterans. Kiplagat has been a top 10 finisher in the ING New York City Marathon the last three years, with a third place showing in 2003. Rhines, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic marathon team, placed 17th in the ING New York City Marathon 2003.

Davenport, 30, of Guilford, Conn., was slated to make her marathon debut in last year's ING New York City Marathon, but an ankle injury forced her to withdraw. She is a two-time Olympian, in 1996 at 5000 meters and in 2004 at 10,000 meters.

New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners, soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running and enhancing health and fitness for all. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and Web site support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of 60, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRRıs home base in New York, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the worldıs top professional runners. For more information, visit NYRR.org.

The ING New York City Marathon
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the worldıs great road races, drawing more than 85,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $500,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and 260 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the 635,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit www.INGNYCMarathon.org.

About ING
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, insurance and asset management to over 60 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of over 113,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

In the U.S., the ING family of companies offer a comprehensive array of financial services to retail and institutional clients which include life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts, alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment management, annuities, employee benefits, financial planning and reinsurance. ING holds top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves over 14 million customers across the nation. For more information, visit ING.com.

Source: New York Road Runners, Media Relations Department.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.