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	Joseph, Constantina Tomescu-Dita Win World 21k Titles

Joseph, Constantina Tomescu-Dita Win World Half-Marathon Titles in Edmonton
Shay Leads Team USA
Special to USATF, by Paul Merca

EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA - (October 1, 2005) - Led by the 15th place finish of Ryan Shay of East Jordan, Mich., the Team USA men's squad earned sixth place at the 14th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships with a cumulative time of 3 hours, 11 minutes, 38 seconds on Saturday morning.

The U.S. men's placing is their highest at this highly competitive international event since the 1996 squad finished eighth. The five members of Team USA will split $3000 for finishing sixth.

The race at Hawrelak Park was held under cloudy skies, with light drizzle and temperatures in the low 40s at the start of the men's race. The course consisted of 4 1/2 laps in and around the park's perimeter. During the race, the runners crossed a bridge over the North Saskatchewan River once each lap.

In an exciting men's race, Fabiano Joseph of Tanzania was the gold medalist in 1:01:08 as he edged Mubarak Shami of Qatar at the tape. Ethiopia won the team competition, running a cumulative time of 3:06:18, followed by Eritrea (3:07:05) and Japan (3:08:30).

Shay's 15th place performance - 1:03:13, a personal record - was also the highest ever placing by an American male at the World Championships, eclipsing the 17th place finish by Clint Verran in 2000. He was followed by Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.), who finished 20th in 1:03:50. Matt Downin (Norwood, N.J.) rounded out the American scorers, finishing 30th in 1:04:53.

"It was cold out there, but I'd rather enjoy that if it weren't for my hands getting numb. My game plan was to stick with the Japanese runners, since I know they would run pretty consistent. I had a pretty good sprint with a Kenyan and an Ethiopian at the end," commented Shay. "It's a pretty good testament to my fitness, and puts me in a very good position leading up to the ING New York Marathon. I wanted a top 15 finish, and I got that!"

In the women's competition, Constantina Tomescu-Dita of Romania dominated the field as she won by over a minute, 1:09:17 to 1:10:19 for Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands. Romania also won the team title in 3:31:00 with Russia (3:33:05) and Japan (3:35:42) second and third, respectively. Team USA finished ninth in 3:49:50.

Laura Turner (Tacoma, Wash.) was the top American, running a PR of 1:16:11 in finishing 38th. Jenny Spangler (Lake Villa, Ill.) placed 43rd in 1:16:41, while Stephanie Bylander (Alamosa, Colo.) rounded out the American scorers, finishing 46th in 1:16:58.

14th IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships
Edmonton, CAN, Saturday, October 1, 2005

MEN
1) Fabiano Joseph, TAN, 1:01:08, $30,000
2) Mubarak Shami, QAT, 1:01:09, $15,000
3) Yonas Kifle, ERI, 1:01:14, $10,000
4) Sileshi Sihine, ETH, 1:01:14, $7000
5) Abebe Negera, ETH, 1:01:53, $5000

U.S.
15) Ryan Shay, MI, 1:03:13
20) Jason Hartmann, CO, 1:03:32
30) Matt Downin, NJ, 1:04:53
33) Jason Lehmkuhle, MN, 1:04:58
49) Mike Morgan, MI, 1:06:46

TEAM
1) Ethiopia, 3:06:18, $15,000
2) Eritrea, 3:07:05, $12,000
3) Japan, 3:08:30, $9000
6) USA, 3:11:38, $3000

WOMEN
1) Constantina Tomescu-Dita, ROM, 1:09:17, $30,000
2) Lornah Kiplagat, NED, 1:10:19, $15,000
3) Susan Chepkemei, KEN, 1:10:20, $10,000
4) Galina Bogomolova, RUS, 1:10:34, $7000
5) Mihaela Botezan, ROM, 1:10:36, $5000

U.S.
38) Laura Turner, WA, 1:16:11
43) Jenny Spangler, IL, 1:16:41
46) Stephanie Bylander, CO, 1:16:58
48) Dot McMahan, MI, 1:18:44
53) Michelle LaFleur, GA, 1:20:36

TEAM
1) Romania, 3:31:00, $15,000
2) Russia, 3:33:05, $12,000
3) Japan, 3:35:42, $9000
9) USA, 3:49:50

source RunningUSA