Posted: December 19, 2005

Athletics: Mottram in 2-mile at Reebok Boston Indoor Games

BOSTON (Dec. 19) – Craig Mottram of Australia, the surprise 2005 World Championships bronze medalist and one of the most talked-about distance runners in the world today, headlines a powerful field in the men’s 2-mile run at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, organizers announced today. The event, in its 11th year, is set for Jan. 28.

Mottram, the first non-African to win a World Championships medal at 5000 meters since 1987, will be making his Reebok Boston Indoor Games debut in what is likely the fastest and deepest 2-mile field ever assembled in this country. Joining him on the starting line in Boston will be a star-studded roster, including Ireland’s Alistair Cragg, the 3000m European Indoor Champion; Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, the four-time World Cross Country Championships medalist; and Sileshi Sihine of Ethiopia, the 2004 Olympic 10,000m silver medalist and 2005 World Championships runner-up at both 5000 and 10,000m, who will be making his U.S. debut. Among the challengers will be Americans Ryan Hall and Ian Dobson, both members of the 2005 World Championships 5000m team; Jorge Torres, a finalist at 5000m in the 2003 World Championships; and Dan Lincoln, a steeplechase finalist in Athens. Adding to the field’s luster are Markos Geneti of Ethiopia, the 2004 World Indoor bronze medalist at 3000m; Boaz Cheboiywo of Kenya, a two-time NCAA champion; and Abebe Dinkessa of Ethiopia, a 10,000m finalist at the 2005 World Championships.

Over the past decade, the Reebok Boston Indoor Games, produced by Boston-based Global Athletics & Marketing, Inc., has been the site of four World Records and eight American Records as it has become a fixture on the Boston sports calendar. For the past three years the event has sold out, and finish-line tickets are going fast.

The 11th-annual Reebok Boston Indoor Games will be held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, 1350 Tremont St., from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 28, and will be broadcast Jan. 29 on ESPN2 from 3-4:30 p.m. It is the first stop on USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series. Tickets and information are now available on-line at www.BostonIndoorGames.com or by calling 1-866-GO-BIG06.