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INVADERS PLACE 3 IN TOP 10 AT INDIANAPOLIS MINI MARATHON
May 3, 2003
(INDIANAPOLIS) The Indiana Invaders penetrated the top ten at the
2003 Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon on May 3rd with
Mary Duerbeck, Geoffrey Fleming, and Leah Nilsson taking 7th, 8th,
and 10th, respectively in the 1/2 Marathon.
The 27th edition of the Indy MINI is the largest 1/2 Marathon
in the United States with over 25,000 participants. The course
loops the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the world-famous
Indy 500, Brickyard 400 and the United States Grand Prix.
Duerbeck, making her career debut in the 1/2 Marathon, finished
as the top Indiana finisher in seventh place with a time of 1:20:15.
Duerbeck opened her outdoor track season last weekend at the Drake
Relays
finishing fourth in the 10,000. Nilsson, a runner-up in the 5,000
at the 2002 USATF National Club Track & Field Championships, was eighth
with a time of 1:21:32 and was the second Indiana finisher. USATF
national steeplechase qualifier ('01), Judy Porter, finished 18th just
six months after giving birth to her first child.
Fleming, a graduate of Purdue University, finished in eighth
place with a career best time of 1:06:53 and was the second Indiana
finisher. Fleming was 15th at the World University Games Half Marathon
in 1999 (1:07:38) and was eighth at the USATF National Cross Country
Club Championships in 2002. Teammate Paul Howarth, a graduate of
Butler University, just missed the top ten with a 12th place finish
in 1:09:07 as the third place Indiana finisher. Howarth was third
at the 2002 USATF National Club Championships in the 1500.
Team Director Greg Harger said, "The Indy MINI is our community's
signature road race and several of our athletes were motivated to run in
front of their home town crowd." Harger added, "Indianapolis does an
outstanding job every year with this event and with our planned growth
in developing elite marathoners and long distance runners, we are
excited about returning next year with the intent of breaking into the
top 5 in both the men's and women's races."
2003 Indianapolis Life 500 Festival Mini-Marathon:
http://www.500festival.com/
For further information on the Indiana Invaders, please contact Greg
Harger at 317 289-4018 or online at: (email)
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