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Julie Allen women's winner and Amy Micheletti ATC champion
From Megan Rowe
AVALON, Calif. - (March 15, 2008) - Ben Brown won his second consecutive Catalina Marathon in dominating fashion. In a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes, 25 seconds, Brown crossed the finish line with the fastest Catalina Marathon time since 1994. The 26-year-old La Mirada, Calif. resident attributed his extraordinary 9 minute course personal record to knowledge of the course, cool temperatures, and a generous tail wind. In the women's race, Julie Allen won in 3:31:14, an exceptional showing on this course in her marathon debut.
Brown was also crowned the American Trail Champion once again. The Buffalo Run Half Marathon (February 9th) and Catalina Marathon are joined to form the American Trail Championship (ATC). Awards are based on the combined time in both events. Brown completed the Buffalo Run in a time of 1:24:19 for a combined Championship time of 4:12:44. The women's ATC winner was Amy Micheletti who completed the marathon in 3:56:35 and the half-marathon in 1:59:04 for a combined time of 5:55:39.
Named by Runner's World magazine as the top off-road marathon, runners from all corners of the world and the nation traveled to Catalina Island last weekend for the 31st Catalina Marathon. Runners from as far away as China and Germany toed the line for this annual event. The weekend also included a 10K, 5K and Kids' Run. The Catalina Marathon is filled with long standing runners' traditions that bring back veteran runners year after year, and attracts new trail runners looking to experience the sport of running from a completely different vantage point.
With over 23-miles of the 26.2 marathon course traversing through the island's breathtaking and hilly interior, this race is like no other marathon in the world.
31st Catalina Marathon: American Trail Championship Finale - Avalon, CA, Saturday, March 15, 2008
MEN
1) Ben Brown (CA), 2:48:25
2) Joshua Loren (DE), 2:57:57
3) Christopher Michael (CA), 3:01:26
WOMEN
1) Julie Allen (CA), 3:31:14
2) Amelia Valinsky (CA), 3:33:40
3) Sydney Leonard (CA), 3:38:40
American Trail Championship
MEN
1) Ben Brown (CA), 4:12:44
2) Mike Whitcombe (CA), 4:57:03
3) Jimmy Wills (CA), 5:09:18
WOMEN
1) Amy Micheletti (CA), 5:55:39
2) Erin Beresini (CA), 6:08:15
3) Kristin Deatherage (CA), 6:17:34
Complete race results at: PacificSportsllc.com
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.
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