Olympians to Compete at NYRR’s Emerald Nuts Midnight Run

Olympians Ian Dobson and Erin Donohue to headline field of professional athletes scheduled to run

New York, December 21, 2009‰ÛÓAs the clock strikes midnight on December
31, New York Road Runners (NYRR) is kicking off the new year in Central
Park with fireworks, a costume contest, and a four-mile fun run for
thousands of runners at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run.  

Olympians Ian Dobson and Erin Donohue are among the top athletes
expected to race for a prize purse of $2,000, including $500 apiece to
the male and female winners. The field also includes Dobson‰Ûªs wife,
Julia Lucas, and Team USA Minnesota‰Ûªs Patrick Smyth and Alisa McKaig,
in addition to top local runners Abiyot Endale and Genna Tufa on the
men‰Ûªs side, and Aziza Aliyu and Lesley Higgins on the women‰Ûªs side.

The men‰Ûªs event record is 18:12, set by Andrew Carlson in 2007. Carmen
Douma-Hussar holds the women‰Ûªs event record of 20:54, also set in 2007.

The Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a Central Park tradition since 1978,
offers runners and spectators a fun and healthy way to celebrate the
New Year, just blocks north of the crowds in Times Square. The Emerald
Nuts Midnight Run promises to be one of the most distinctive,
cost-effective parties in all of Manhattan. 

‰ÛÏThe Emerald Nuts Midnight Run has become a New Year‰Ûªs Eve destination
for thousands of runners and spectators,‰Û said Mary Wittenberg,
president and CEO of New York Road Runners. ‰ÛÏIt has a dedicated crowd
that gathers each year for one of the most active New Year‰Ûªs Eve
parties in New York City.‰Û

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‰ÛÏWe‰Ûªre proud to be the title sponsor of the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run,‰Û
said Jeff Ngo, Director of Marketing at Diamond Foods. ‰ÛÏWe‰Ûªre excited
to help people start the year off right with a source of natural
energy. This is part of our commitment to promoting active and healthy
lifestyles.‰Û

The festivities begin at 10:00 p.m. with a dance party and costume
contest, followed by a costume parade at 11:00 p.m. At midnight, the
runners will take off on their non-scored four-mile loop through
Central Park, under the glow of a 17-minute fireworks show.  In lieu of
water at mile two, runners will have the option to raise a glass of
non-alcoholic champagne to the New Year.

For the third straight year, military personnel stationed in Iraq will
start their own Midnight Run at the stroke of midnight‰ÛÓeight time zones
ahead of New York. Captain Clifford Cotten, a NYRR member stationed at
CSC Scania in Iraq, has organized the event with a team of 50 runners,
including military personnel on base as well as a few local Iraqis who
Cotten has inspired to join the team.

The following athletes are expected to comprise the pro athlete field: