Top US Women Announced for Chicago Marathon

Olympians
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet and Colleen De Reuck Headline American Field

CHICAGO, IL (June 23, 2010)
– The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced a
preliminary roster of elite athletes that includes several of the United
States’ top female marathon performers. Headlining the U.S. contingent
are Olympians Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Oakland, CA) and Colleen De Reuck
(Boulder, CO). Challenging them for top American honors will be IAAF
World Championship team members Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, MI) and
Tera Moody (Colorado Springs, CO), along with Melissa White (Rochester
Hills, MI).

“We’re honored to welcome
this group of American women to Chicago,” said Executive Race Director
Carey Pinkowski. “The Bank of America Chicago Marathon continues to
support American distance running, and we have witnessed several
historic American performances over the years. We look forward to adding
to that legacy again this year. Magdalena and Desiree have had recent
breakthrough performances on the world stage, and Colleen’s career is
unrivaled in success and experience. The mixture of youth and experience
is going to set the stage for some great performances from our American
women contingent this fall.”

Lewy-Boulet is currently
the top-ranked female marathon runner in the country for 2010 based on
her 2:26:22 performance at the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon in April.
Lewy-Boulet is a native of Poland who became a U.S. citizen in 2001.
After narrowly missing the 2004 Olympic marathon team, she placed second
at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials marathon and competed in the Beijing
Olympic Games. The 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be
Lewy-Boulet’s first marathon since her breakthrough performance in
Rotterdam.

“It’s a dream come true to compete in the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon and to visit Chicago for the first time,” said
Lewy-Boulet. “There will be no better way to experience the city than
from the streets of this historic marathon course. I’m excited to
compete against a strong field, and my goal is to run even faster than I
did in Rotterdam on American soil.”

De Reuck is a four-time Olympian best known for her
career longevity, which dates back to a top 10 finish in the1992 Olympic
Marathon in Barcelona. The 46-year-old has a marathon best of 2:26:35
from the 1996 Berlin Marathon, and has competed in the Chicago Marathon
on six occasions, finishing as high as second in 1998 and most recently
placing sixth in 2008. Her time of 2:28:40 at the 2005 Chicago Marathon
is the American Masters record. De Reuck, a native of South Africa who
became a U.S. citizen in 2000, won the Copenhagen Marathon this past May
with a time of 2:30:51. She is currently the second-ranked female
marathon runner in the country in 2010 behind Lewy-Boulet.

“I chose to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon to get on a
fast and familiar course,” said De Reuck. “I’m looking forward to a
good race and a fast field, and am hoping to run a little quicker than I
did in Copenhagen.”

Davila’s last marathon outing was a stellar 11th
place finish at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin in a
personal best 2:27:53. She will be looking to improve upon her fifth
place showing at the 2008 Chicago Marathon.  Her appearance this year
will be aided by improved track speed, which garnered her a 10th
place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Track
& Field Championships in March.

Also adding to the mix of American women are Moody and White,
two runners with a history of top performances in Chicago. Moody is a
Chicago native who has four Chicago Marathon finishes to her credit,
including a ninth place showing in 2009 in a personal best 2:32:59. In
that same event, Moody was edged at the line by White, who placed eighth
in a personal best 2:32:55.

Members of the American field will be vying to stand atop the
podium at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for the first time since
Deena Kastor’s triumph over Olympic marathon gold medalist Constantina
Dita in 2005.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has a history of
producing elite American performances, including Joan Benoit Samuelson’s
then-American record and third all-time ranked U.S. performance of
2:21:21 in 1985, and Kastor’s fourth all-time ranked U.S. performance of
2:21:25 in 2005. Inspired by those efforts, several athletes will
arrive in Chicago this fall in pursuit of personal bests as well as the
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standards. In recognition of those
pursuits, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is offering the following
American Development time bonuses: $2,500 for sub 2:39:00 performances
(women’s U.S. Olympic Trials “A” standard) and $1,000 for sub
2:46:00 performances (women’s U.S. Olympic Trials “B” standard).
Similarly for American men, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is
offering $2,500 for sub 2:19:00 performances (men’s U.S. Olympic Trials
standard) and $1,000 for sub 2:21:00 performances.

About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 33rd
year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 runners, including a
world class elite field, and 1.5 million spectators. As a result of its
national and international draw, the iconic race assists in raising $10
million for a variety of charitable causes while generating an estimated
$143 million economic impact to its host city. The 2010 Bank of America
Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Chicago’s Grant Park
beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 10. In advance of the race, a
two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place
Convention Center on Friday, October 8 and Saturday, October 9. More
information on the race and how to get involved is available at the
event Web site, chicagomarathon.com.

www.chicagomarathon.com