Good Afternoon,

 

I hope you are well! Below you will find the press release announcing Jen Rhines and Michelle Frey for the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon on April 15. Jen and Michelle are the two fastest runners ever to take part in the race, which is the largest women’s half-marathon in the country.

 

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or for additional information.

 

Best,

Lauren

 

 

 

 

 

Contact:

Lauren Loeb 212.423.2271 | lloeb@nyrr.org

Media Relations Department, New York Road Runners

 

For Immediate Release

 

Powerhouse Pair Jen Rhines and Michelle Frey to Compete in More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon on April 15

 

Three-time Olympian Rhines and Two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier Frey will be the two fastest runners ever to take part in the event

 

New York, March 8, 2012—Three-time U.S. Olympian Jen Rhines and two-time U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Michelle Frey will headline a field of more than 8,000 runners at the ninth annual More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon, the largest women-only half-marathon in the country, on Sunday, April 15, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

 

The 13.1-mile race through scenic Central Park is open to women runners and walkers of all ages. The race attracts women from all 50 states and of every level, from first-time runners to elite athletes. Each year, the sold-out event provides thousands of women the opportunity to gather for competition, celebration, and camaraderie. The race champion will win $1,000 and receive “The Meyerhoff,” an award named in honor of 2010 champion and NYRR member Sally Meyerhoff, who tragically died in a cycling accident last March. 

 

“The More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon is a powerful race that celebrates strong, active, and spirited women,” said Wittenberg. “Jen and Michelle bring world-class talent and grace to the race, and they are extraordinary role models for women runners everywhere.”

 

Rhines, 37, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, has made three U.S. Olympic teams at three different distances. She competed in the 10,000 meters in Sydney in 2000, the marathon in Athens in 2004, and the 5000 meters in Beijing in 2008. Rhines has also competed in five IAAF World Championships in Athletics (2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011) and has won many U.S. titles on the track and the road. Training under her husband and coach, Terrence Mahon, at the NYRR-backed Mammoth Track Club in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Rhines is the reigning American half-marathon champion and has a 1:11:14 personal best. She will be the fastest woman ever to run the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon.  In June, Rhines will attempt to make her fourth Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR.

 

“I'm looking forward to returning to the streets of New York next month for the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon,” said Rhines. “I anticipate there will be great energy among the thousands of women that will compete in the nation's largest all women's half-marathon. I'm excited to tackle the hills of Central Park as I build my strength for the Olympic Track Trials in June. It will be a great weekend to enjoy the camaraderie and celebrate womens’ running.”

 

Frey, 29, of Minneapolis, MN, will turn 30 on the day of the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon. In January, she finished 22nd in a field of 152 finishers at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston. Frey, running under her maiden name of Michelle Lilienthal, finished third at the U.S. Half-Marathon Championships in 2007, clocking her personal-best time of 1:12:46. 

 

“I’ve always wanted to compete in the More Magazine/Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon, so I'm extremely excited to be racing it for the first time,” said Frey. “I love the energy in New York City, and Central Park is one of my all-time favorite places to run. That, combined with the largest all-women's half-marathon in the country, will make for a really special day! I can't wait!”

 

The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck will serve as host for the race and will also be running the race it for the second year in a row with Team NOGII to raise money for Celiac Disease research. The event is hosted by Athleta as the presenting sponsor, with product sponsors Aveeno, Birkenstock, Duane Reade, Jenny Craig, Oakley, Playtex Sport, Skechers and Tonalin. Race participants will be raising money for the charitable partner, Hole in the Wall Gang, a nonprofit, summer camp and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer. CARE and Florida Grapefruit are expo sponsors, sister magazine EatingWell is the media partner and Francesco Rinaldo is a food court sponsor.

 

Prior to the race, a two-day Health & Wellness Expo at the Metropolitan Pavilion—located at 18th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues—will feature health-oriented vendors and exhibitors, guest speakers, product giveaways, and more.  The Expo, which is free and open to the public, is also the location for race-number pickup for registered runners.

 

The half-marathon will begin at 8:00 a.m., Sunday, April 15, on Central Park’s West Drive near 63rd Street. For more race details, please visit http://www.morefitnesshalf.com/.

About NYRR

New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people. Over the past 53 years, NYRR has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s mission is to empower everyone, of all ages and abilities—beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren—to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.

 

NYRR’s races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed ING New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50 states, and around the world.

 

Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible. To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.

 

About More magazine
Launched in September 1998, critically acclaimed More is the only lifestyle publication that celebrates women of style and substance. More shares the latest on beauty, fashion, health, career, finance, travel and culture with a community of influential women interested in reinventing themselves and their world. The magazine is published 10 times a year by Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 1.3 million and readership of nearly 1.9 million with the highest income among all women’s magazines. More was named 2006 Magazine of the Year by Ad Age and also landed on the publication’s “A List” of Top 10 magazines in 2007, 2005 and 2003. Adweek named More to its 2009 “Hot List,” Capell’s Circulation Report honored More as one of the Top 10 Newsstand Performers in 2006, while Media named More the “Best Women’s Lifestyle Magazine” of 2004. Visit www.more.com.

 

About FITNESS magazine
Launched in 1992, FITNESS magazine is a leading source for all the latest news on health, nutrition and exercise. The magazine and its partner website, fitnessmagazine.com, are devoted to delivering strategies and tools that help women make little changes to achieve big success. With a you-can-do-it attitude, our workouts, health and beauty advice, diet plans and success stories motivate readers to get strong in mind, body, and spirit. The magazine empowers women to embrace fitness as a lifestyle—not an age or dress size—and to change the conversation from "skinny" to "healthy." FITNESS is published 10 times a year by Meredith Corporation [NYSE: MDP], with a rate base of 1.5 million and an audience of 7.6 million readers.  For more information, please visit www.fitnessmagazine.com.

 

 

Lauren Loeb | NYRR Media

New York Road Runners

156 West 56^th Street, FL 3 | New York, NY 10019

p: 212.423.2271 | lloeb@nyrr.org

www.nyrr.org