Contact: Andy Downin

877-345-2230

Eugene, OR -

This weekend's Eugene Marathon boasts the largest and one of the most competitive elite fields in the race's history in both the half and full marathon races with runners including Olympic hopefuls and several others capable of setting new course records in both races. The 50 registered elite runners will come from 14 states and four countries to compete in the April 29th event. The men's full marathon will have 20 competitors who went below the 2:30 mark in 2011, looking to be especially highly contested.

One men's full marathon competitor will be Aleksandar Tomas, a Serbian runner attempting to qualify for his country's Olympic team. Tomas will need to run the Olympic standard 2:18 to make the team for the 2012 games.

The women's full marathon will have its own Olympic hopeful in favored Slovakian marathoner Kat Janosikova. With a marathon PR of 2:42, Janosikova will likely set a new Eugene Marathon course record.

The 2012 field of elites does not end with the marathon runners. There are six male runners capable of running sub 67 minutes, which would mean another new course record for the men's half. Leading the way is 2010 Eugene Marathon champion and current Eugene resident, Craig Leon. Leon finished 26th at the US Olympic Marathon Trials in January and is ready to pop a good time over the half marathon distance. For the women's half, there will likely be two runners vying for the top spot. Those two runners include the winner of the 2011 Portland Marathon, Marci Klimek from Bend, and former Duck Bria Wetsch. Klimek's Portland Marathon victory last year was her first marathon attempt ever and Wetsch ran an impressive 1:16 half in 2011.

For more information on the Eugene Marathon weekend events, check out www.eugenemarathon.com.