April 16, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jonathan Rossing wins Indianapolis 500 Festival training series 15K; Gabriela Hnilkova-Jenks places 8th at Powerman Alabama Duathlon 

Indianapolis, IN - Jonathan Rossing, a Ph.D. candidate in communication and culture at Indiana University, took first place at the Indianapolis 500 Festival Training Series 15K on April 14th with a time of 52:44, an average pace of 5:40 per mile.  The race was the final race of the tune-up series for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon. 

“I didn’t feel like any of it was hard until midway through mile 8.  That’s when I started to feel the effort shift, but not in a way that I felt the pace was in jeopardy,” said Jonathan.  “I’m quite sure I could have held 5:35s if needed and undoubtedly with a few other people to pull me along I could have done it.  In the context of a more competitive race, I feel good about what I can pull off.”  Rossing’s next race will be May 5th at the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon, the largest half-marathon in the U.S.

For complete results of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Training Series 15K, go to http://www.onlineraceresults.com/race/view_race.php?race_id=5135.

Irondale, AL - Gabriela Hnilkova-Jenks, a professional triathlete and duathlete originally from the Czech Republic now living and training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, fought off rain and heavy winds to place 8th at the Powerman Alabama Duathlon on April 15th in Irondale, Alabama.  The race, which served as the qualifier for the 2007 World Short Course Duathlon Championships, consisted of an 8-kilometer run, 53-kilometer bike, and another 8-kilometer run.  Her time was 2:50:21 (31:16, 1:44:43, & 32:43, respectively).

“Powerman Alabama is the number one duathlon in the country that always attracts a very competitive field from around the world,” said Gabriela.  “The course and distances are challenging, but it was even harder this weekend because of the wet, cold, and windy conditions.  I nearly fell off the bike a couple of times on the downhill when the gusty winds pushed me over.  I lost most of my bike time going downhill.  I felt very good on both runs, which were pretty hilly.  And I’m happy that my transition times are right up there.” 

“Gabriela did a great job, only 6 minutes from third place and qualifying for the world championships,” said Coach Jason Karp, who has been consulting with Hnilkova-Jenks since January, 2007.  “She’s a very talented athlete who works very hard.  It’s impressive that she’s capable of performing at such a high level despite working full-time as a middle-school teacher and being the mother of a toddler.”

For more information on the Powerman Alabama Duathlon, go to http://www.team-magic.com/pm99/pma.htm.  For complete results, go to http://www.team-magic.com/results/PMA07_AG.htm.

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