Hansons-Brooks women return to the roads at the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5 km

The Hansons-Brooks (powered by Saturn) women will return to the roads at the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5 km in Albany, New York on Saturday. It will be their first race since a strong showing at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Boston last April. They will be joined on the start line by no fewer than five Olympians and an elite field representing eight nations in the 30th running of the Freihofer's Run for Women.

Melissa White and Desiree Davila, who have team-leading road bests of 16:23 and 16:25, respectively, will lead the Hansons-Brooks women. Their bests came at the 2007 U.S. 5 km Championships in Providence, R.I., where White placed 11th and Davila was 12th. Teammates Dot McMahan (16:44) and Yolanda Flamino (16:47) should also challenge for top finishes in a strong women-only field.

Australian Benita Johnson is heavily favored to defend her Freihofer's titles from 2006 and 2007. Johnson was also the 2004 World Cross Country champion (8 km), and currently holds 7 Australian national records. Other top contenders include Olympian Kathy Butler (Great Brittain), Olympian Jane Gakunyi (Kenya), Rose Kosgei (Kenya) and Amane Gobena (Ethiopia). Elite athlete bios are available at www.freihofersrun.com/elite_athlete_bios.htm.

The women will also participate in the Freihofer’s Run for Women Athlete Visitation program—a community outreach program started in 1993 providing local students an opportunity to meet with the elite women and ask them questions about their life as professional athletes.

Complete race results will be available at the Freihofer’s Run for Women web page at www.freihofersrun.com after 5 pm EST.