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RUPP, WEBB LEAD ENTRANTS FOR SILICON VALLEY TURKEY TROT
By David Monti
© 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

American track stars Galen Rupp and Alan Webb lead the entry list for tomorrow's sixth annual Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot/Elite 5-K in San Jose, Calif., the West Coast's most competitive and fastest Thanksgiving Day race.

For Rupp, 24, the only athlete to win all five NCAA distance running titles in a single season, the race will mark his road running debut. The reigning USA 10,000m champion, who has run 13:07.35 for 5000m, should be right at home on the race's four-lap, criterium course, and he could threaten Marc Davis's American road record of 13:24 set at the Carlsbad 5000 in 1996. The race is offering a $10,000 bonus for breaking that mark.

"He's in great shape," said his coach Alberto Salazar in a short phone interview yesterday. "And so is Alan."

Webb, 27, the American record holder for the mile with a 3:46.91 personal best, is no slouch at 5-K with a track best of 13:10.86. He's also run several road races in his career, and has excellent strength for a miler. It has been nearly one year since Webb underwent Achilles surgery, and has made steady progress under Salazar who began coaching him at the end of last year.

The two Americans are only part of a very strong and deep field assembled by elite athlete coordinator Mark Winitz. Course record holder Scott Bauhs who ran 13:37 to win this race in 2008, is also entered, along with Belgian Monder Rizki (5000m PB of 13:04.06), American Bolota Asmerom (13:15.16), Kenyans Josphat Boit (13:17.12) and Kevin Chelimo (13:30.55), and Moroccan Ali Maataoui (13:32.14) amongst others. In all there are 40 men in the invited field, according to Winitz.

The field of invited women is smaller (18), but is also solid. Misiker Mekonnin Demissie of Ethiopia, who raced most of her career as Teyba Naser of Bahrain before switching her citizenship back to Ethiopia, is the top entrant with a road PB of 15:35. However, the 24 year old athlete who lives in Albuquerque will have to shake of a disappointing 2:37:39/21st place finish at the ING New York City Marathon on November 7. Indeed, she may still be fatigued from that effort.

Kenyan veteran Jackline Okemwa will try to restart her stalled career. The 1997 African Junior Championships silver medallist at 3000m has not yet raced in 2010 and only raced once in 2009. Ethiopian Aziza Aliyu, who like Demissie ran the ING New York City Marathon, is also entered, as is American steeplechaser Lindsay Allen (5000m PB of 15:48.97), and former Stanford runner Teresa McWalters (15:49.54).

The women's course record of 15:41 was set by Kenyan Sally Kipyego last year.

The invitational races are part of a larger and growing race festival which features both a 5-K and 10-K run for everyday runners. Those events recorded 5340 and 3236 finishers, respectively, last year, representing a combined increase of 36% from the prior year. The invitational races take place after the mass events, so there should be thousands of spectators on hand to watch the pros.

Rupp and Webb, who are both married and live in Portland, Ore., still plan to be home for Thanksgiving dinner.

"We've got a flight back in the afternoon," said Salazar.

ENDS

Men
#1 Galen Rupp USA/OR 24 Oregon TC Elite/Nike 13:18.12 (indoors)
#3 Scott Bauhs USA/CA 24 Transports adidas 13:28.92 (track)
#5 Monder Rizki Belgium 31 Unattached 13:04.06 (outdoors)
#7 Bolota Asmerom USA/CA 31 Unattached (Saucony) 13:15.15 (track)
#9 Josphat Boit Kenya 26 � 13:17.12 (track)
#11 Alan Webb USA/OR 27 Nike 13:10.86 / 3:46.91 (mile-AR
#17 Abiyot Endale Ethiopia 24 Westchester TC 13:25
#19 Kevin Chelimo Kenya 27 Oregon Track Club Elite 13:30.55 (track)
#21 Jordan Horn USA/AZ 26 McMillan Elite 13:31.19
#23 Ali Maataoui Morocco 29 LMElite 13:32:14 (track)
#25 Aron Rono Kenya 27 AmeriKenyan RC 13:33.77 (track)
#27 Shadrack Biwott Kenya 25 Oregon Track Club Elite 13:36
#29 Robert Letting Kenya 26 Unattached 27:45 (10K)
#31 Jeremy Johnson USA/NM 25 Unattached (Brooks) 13:35.13
#33 Jonathan Pierce USA/CA 27 Mammoth TC 13:41.00 (track)
#35 Kenyon Neuman USA/CO 23 Unattached 13:41.78 (indoors)
#37 Michael Kilburg USA/OR 25 Team Strands/Mizuno 13:46 (track)
#38 Elkanah Kibet Kenya 24 Unattached 13:49.44 (indoors)
#40 Sergio Reyes USA/CA 28 Asics Aggies 13:52.39 (track)
#41 Tom Chorny USA/IN 33 Indiana TC 13.53.62/ 8:22.16 steeple
#42 Phillip Reid USA/CA 24 Asics Aggies 13:55
#43 Brett Gotcher USA/AZ 26 McMillan Elite 13:56.40 (track)
#44 Scott Smith USA/AZ 24 McMillan Elite 13:56.18 / 28:35.71 (10K)
#45 Ruben Sanca USA/MA & 23 Boston Athletic Assoc. 13:56.46 (track)
Cape Verde
#46 Philip Lagat Kenya 27 Unattached 13.58.65 / 3.57.55 (mile)
#47 Jacob Petralia USA/CA 24 Asics Aggie RC 4:03.35 (mile)
(more)
#48 David Kinsella USA/CA & Ireland 25 Transports adidas 14:02
#49 Chris Mocko USA/CA 24 Asics Aggie RC 14:27 / 8:50 steeplechase
#50 Danial Tapia USA/CA 23 Transports adidas 14:16 (track)
#51 Beau Rogers USA/CA 23 Unattached 14:16.1 (track)
#52 Chris Chavez USA/CA 24 Transports adidas 14:14 (track)
#53 Michael WickmanUSA/CA 23 Unattached 3:43.56 (1500m))
#54 Jordan Zwick USA/ID 24 Puma/Greater Boise RC 14:25
#56 Abebe Yimer USA/NV 30 Unattached 23:53 (8K) / 1:17:43 (25K)
#57 Mark Matusak USA/CA 24 Bay Area TC 14:16.28 / 7:53.31 (3,000m)
#58 Brendan Scanlon USA/CA 22 Unattached 14:44
#59 Neville Davey Ireland/USA-CA 35 West Valley TC 14:25
#60 Dennis Simonaitis USA/UT 48 Unattached Masters PR: 14:38
#61 Alan Newton USA/ID 47 Unattached 14:55 master / 14:37 all-time
#63 Lenin Zapata USA/CA 27 Transports adidas 14:38

WOMEN
#2 Jackline Okemwa Kenya 32 Unattached 15:04 (track)
#4 Misiker Mekonnin Demissie Ethiopia 24 Unattached 15:30 / 32:34 (10K)
(formerly Teyba Naser)
#6 Aziza Aliyu Ethiopia 25 Unattached 15:41.01 (track)
#8 Lindsay Allen USA/AZ 24 McMillan Elite 15:48
#10 Teresa McWalters USA/MA 25 Impala 15:49
#12 Annie Bersagel USA/CA 27 New Balance Silicon Valley 15:50 (track)
#14 Beverly Ramos USA/KS 23 Unattached 15:51.82 (track)
& Puerto Rico
#16Sarna Becker USA/WA 34 Club Northwest 15:54 (track) E
#18 Atalelech Asfaw USA/NM 27 Unattached 15:56
#20 Danielle Domenichelli USA/AZ 23 McMillan Elite 16:01 / 33:19 (10K)
#22 Heather Gibson USA/CA 30 Asics Aggie RC 16:36 (track)
#26 Alexa Glencer USA/CA 22 Impala Racing Team 16:57 (track)
#28 Chantelle Wilder USA/CA & Canada 24 Unattached 17:03 (indoor track)
#30 Lindsay Nelson USA/CA 25 Asics Aggie RC 17:05
#32 Megan Rolland USA/CA 22 Unattached 17:16 / 10:27 steeplechase
#34 Emily Bates USA/UT 34 Impala Racing Team 17:23
#36 Suet-Fei Li USA/CA & Hong Kong 35 New Balance Silicon V. 17:44
#62 Yiou Wang USA/CA 25 Tamalpa Runners 17:07