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WASHINGTON, DC, June 4, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This year's 10K races features a new elite division with an international field. Athletes from Chad, Ethiopia and Kenya, along with incredible talent from the United States, will look to break course records and win a share of the $20,000 in prize money. The 10K race is USATF certified and Pacers serves as the official race timer.
"We are thrilled that Lawyers Have Heart will be a stage for athletes from all over the world, and all walks of life, to compete for this year's titles," said Emily Wang Murphy, 2018 LHH Co-Chair and Partner at Thompson Coburn LLP. "I am honored to be a part of the 28th year of the event, where over 6,500 runners and walkers will cross the finish line and rally around the mission of the American Heart Association."
The new 10K elite division will have their sights set on the existing event records – for the men, 30:18 and for the women, 34:32. "Often called the premiere athletic philanthropic event, specifically led by the greater DC legal community, it is exciting to see this race grow," said 2018 LHH Co-Chair Eric D. Reicin, VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of MorganFranklin Consulting, LLC. "Given some of the seed times, there is a decent chance that we will see our event records fall," Reicin added.
The 10K elite division will feature 47 men and 27 women including:
•Demssew Tsegg Abebe, 32, from Ethiopia and running out of Washington, DC, completed the Reims Marathon in just over 2 hours. •Temesgen Habtermariam Bekele, 27 from Ethiopia and running out of New York, NY, placed 1st in Anthem Marathon in Virginia and 5th in Broad Street 10 Mile Run. •Tadesse Yae Dabi, 29, of Washington, DC, who recently placed 1st in the Japan 4 Mile Race and 4th in the Brooklyn Half Marathon. •Rebekah Hernandez, 22, of Silver Spring, MD, with a PR of 38:30 for 10K. •Luke Janic, 21 of Hampton Falls, NH, who recently completed Pike's Peek 10K in 32:28. •Sarah Loerch, 32, of Ashburn, VA, who recently placed 2nd in the Pike's Peek 10K in Rockville, MD with a time of 35:31. •Maegan Krifchin, 29, of Washington, DC is a distance runner for Mizuno who won the 2017 Kobe Marathon women's division in 2:33:14 and has run a 33:22 10K in sanctioned competition. 33:22 is more than a minute faster than the Lawyers Have Heart event record. •Desta Beriso Morkama, of Ethiopia, is the 2017 defending champion (32:03) of the 27th Lawyers Have Heart 10K, and the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon winner in 2:25:14.
"We expect an extremely competitive race this year, across all of our divisions," said George Banker, American Heart Association volunteer and elite athlete coordinator. "The closing pace along K Street will be quite fast."
The general 10K divisions – open and open masters, will be hotly contested as well. Runners will be competing for both the course records and prize money. Lawyers Have Heart event records currently are held by:
•Wilson Komen, hailing from Kenya, will be competing in the open masters. He won the open men's race previously in 2005 with a time of 30:27. •Philippe Rolly has the potential to become the second person to win both the masters division and open division. Rolly took first in the following years: 1999 - 32:22; 2000 - 31:34; 2001 - 30:49; and 2004-31:23. Notably, Rolly is the only person to hold titles in the 5K and 10K. He holds the 5K master record 15:53 from 2017 and is the only master runner thus far to go under 16 minutes. •Michael Wardian is running the 10K again and is arguably the world's best ultra marathoner and a hometown hero. He works in Georgetown as a ship broker.
Since 1991, Lawyers Have Heart has raised over $12 million for AHA and each year is one of the largest 10K races in the Washington D.C. area. The event brings together more than 300 organizations and over 6,500 runners and walkers in support of the American Heart Association and seeks to raise $1.2M this year.
Race day events include the 10K Race, 5K Run and Fun Walk, all starting at 7:00 am. There will be a Post-Race Festival in Georgetown's Washington Harbor following the race. Runners and spectators can enjoy refreshments, music, giveaways and prizes provided by friends and sponsors of Lawyers Have Heart. To register and donate, visit: http://www.lawyershaveheartdc.org.
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About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org.
SOURCE American Heart Association
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"We are thrilled that Lawyers Have Heart will be a stage for athletes from all over the world, and all walks of life, to compete for this year's titles," said Emily Wang Murphy, 2018 LHH Co-Chair and Partner at Thompson Coburn LLP. "I am honored to be a part of the 28th year of the event, where over 6,500 runners and walkers will cross the finish line and rally around the mission of the American Heart Association."
The new 10K elite division will have their sights set on the existing event records – for the men, 30:18 and for the women, 34:32. "Often called the premiere athletic philanthropic event, specifically led by the greater DC legal community, it is exciting to see this race grow," said 2018 LHH Co-Chair Eric D. Reicin, VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of MorganFranklin Consulting, LLC. "Given some of the seed times, there is a decent chance that we will see our event records fall," Reicin added.
The 10K elite division will feature 47 men and 27 women including:
•Demssew Tsegg Abebe, 32, from Ethiopia and running out of Washington, DC, completed the Reims Marathon in just over 2 hours. •Temesgen Habtermariam Bekele, 27 from Ethiopia and running out of New York, NY, placed 1st in Anthem Marathon in Virginia and 5th in Broad Street 10 Mile Run. •Tadesse Yae Dabi, 29, of Washington, DC, who recently placed 1st in the Japan 4 Mile Race and 4th in the Brooklyn Half Marathon. •Rebekah Hernandez, 22, of Silver Spring, MD, with a PR of 38:30 for 10K. •Luke Janic, 21 of Hampton Falls, NH, who recently completed Pike's Peek 10K in 32:28. •Sarah Loerch, 32, of Ashburn, VA, who recently placed 2nd in the Pike's Peek 10K in Rockville, MD with a time of 35:31. •Maegan Krifchin, 29, of Washington, DC is a distance runner for Mizuno who won the 2017 Kobe Marathon women's division in 2:33:14 and has run a 33:22 10K in sanctioned competition. 33:22 is more than a minute faster than the Lawyers Have Heart event record. •Desta Beriso Morkama, of Ethiopia, is the 2017 defending champion (32:03) of the 27th Lawyers Have Heart 10K, and the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon winner in 2:25:14.
"We expect an extremely competitive race this year, across all of our divisions," said George Banker, American Heart Association volunteer and elite athlete coordinator. "The closing pace along K Street will be quite fast."
The general 10K divisions – open and open masters, will be hotly contested as well. Runners will be competing for both the course records and prize money. Lawyers Have Heart event records currently are held by:
- Jerry Lawson - 27 - Open Men, 2004 - 30:18 of Falls Church, VA
- Jim Hage - 44 – Masters Men, 2002 - 32:56 of Lanham, MD
- Susanna Sullivan - 24 - Open Women, 2014 - 34:32 of Falls Church, VA
- Alisa Harvey - 40 – Masters Women, 2006 - 36:50 of Manassas, VA
•Wilson Komen, hailing from Kenya, will be competing in the open masters. He won the open men's race previously in 2005 with a time of 30:27. •Philippe Rolly has the potential to become the second person to win both the masters division and open division. Rolly took first in the following years: 1999 - 32:22; 2000 - 31:34; 2001 - 30:49; and 2004-31:23. Notably, Rolly is the only person to hold titles in the 5K and 10K. He holds the 5K master record 15:53 from 2017 and is the only master runner thus far to go under 16 minutes. •Michael Wardian is running the 10K again and is arguably the world's best ultra marathoner and a hometown hero. He works in Georgetown as a ship broker.
Since 1991, Lawyers Have Heart has raised over $12 million for AHA and each year is one of the largest 10K races in the Washington D.C. area. The event brings together more than 300 organizations and over 6,500 runners and walkers in support of the American Heart Association and seeks to raise $1.2M this year.
Race day events include the 10K Race, 5K Run and Fun Walk, all starting at 7:00 am. There will be a Post-Race Festival in Georgetown's Washington Harbor following the race. Runners and spectators can enjoy refreshments, music, giveaways and prizes provided by friends and sponsors of Lawyers Have Heart. To register and donate, visit: http://www.lawyershaveheartdc.org.
-###-
About the American Heart Association The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org.
SOURCE American Heart Association
