Mandi Zemba Will Run Ekiden Relay

Team USA Minnesota's Mandi Zemba will run a 5K leg for the US team at the 26th annual Yokohama International Women's Ekiden Marathon Relay in Japan on February 24. Hers is the first leg of the 42K marathon relay. Last year defending champion Russia won the team title at the event with a combined time of 2:14:48 with a strong US team led by Athens Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor taking second in 2:16:04, just in front of Japan(2:16:07). Last year's time was the fastest ever in the event for the US team. Team USA's Katie McGregor was on the team in 2007. She ran one of the two 10K legs, recording a time of 32:59, the fastest for the 5th leg of the relay. This year she will be running the 3K indoors at the USATF Indoor National Championships in Boston this weekend.

US team members are:

Leg 1 (5 km):	Zemba
Leg 2 (10 km):	Stephanie Rothstein
Leg 3 (6 km):	Delilah DiCrescenzo
Leg 4 (6 km):	Allison Grace
Leg 5 (10 km):	Alvina Begay
Leg 6 (5.195 km):	Stephanie Bylander

For music fans, leg three runner, Delialah DiCrescenzo, is the Delialah sung about in the Plain White T's song "Hey There Delialah."

Zemba finished 19th at last Saturday's USATF XC Championships in San Diego, running 24:28.03 for 8K.


Photo by Victor Sailer http://www.photorun.net/.