Record field - over 17,000 - celebrate the Bay area event From Mark Winitz

SAN FRANCISCO - (July 29, 2007) - Running in San Francisco's natural mid-summer air conditioning, Andrew Cook of Denton, Texas and Yolanda Flamino of Rochester Hills, Mich. won convincing titles at The San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, as more than 17,000 runners celebrated the 30th birthday of the venerable race. The 26.2-mile run, which included two companion half-marathons and a 5K run / walk, made history as the largest marathon event ever held in San Francisco.

Cook, 26, successfully defended his 2006 SFM title in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 57 seconds, while Flamino, 30, scored a first victory on the hilly SFM course in 2:43:41.

Both victors ran away from their competitors early in the race. Cook was accompanied by Michael Wardian (Arlington, Va.) for the first nine miles, but could not match Cook's strong pace on the return leg of an out-and-back tour of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"After I got the lead, I tried to stay calm, and just maintain 5:20 to 5:30 (per mile) pace," said Cook. "I tried to conserve my energy at the end and not push too hard. My dad was here watching. He said 'you're bib number one; you better go out there and perform.' I'm happy it worked out for me today."

In overcast and relatively cool conditions, Cook bettered his winning time from last year by 49 seconds. He has a personal best of 2:19:48, set last year, which qualified him for the upcoming U.S. Men's Olympic Marathon Trials in New York City on November 3.

Wardian, 33, finished second in 2:28:50. He is also headed to New York City to compete in his second Olympic Marathon Trials. Justin Zanotti, 23 (East Lansing, Mich.) was third in 2:32:18. Zanotti, a 2006 conference 10,000 meter champion at Michigan State, was competing in his first marathon.

Competing in her second marathon, Flamino won the women's race wire-to-wire. The Hansons-Brooks athlete recorded a personal record, bettering her previous best of 2:45:19 set at last year's LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

"My strategy was to use the flat over the first two miles to get on pace," said Flamino. "Then I tried to keep it up in the hills. We did a lot of hill work leading up to this race. My goal was to try to get a little more marathon experience before the Olympic Marathon Trials."

Chloe Glare (Menlo Park, Calif.) was the women's runner-up for the second consecutive year. Glare's finishing time was 2:57:21 and Alyssa Shaw (Coeur d' Alene, Idaho) placed third in 3:08:14.

The masters winners (40 and over) were Mike Moore, 44, of Walnut Creek, Calif. and Carolyn Koszalka, 43, of Collierville, Tenn. in 2:32:49 and 3:13:44 respectively.

Linda Somers Smith, age 46, (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) won the accompanying "elite" half-marathon, which covers the second half of the full marathon course in 1:18:21. Kelly Fermoyle, 21, (St. Paul, Minn.) was the male half-marathon victor in 1:08:08.

Somers Smith, a 1996 U.S. Olympian, used the race as a tune-up for October's Chicago Marathon, where she hopes to qualify for her sixth Olympic Marathon Trials with the Trials "A" standard (2:39:00).

30th San Francisco Marathon
San Francisco, CA, Sunday, July 29, 2007

MEN
1) Andrew Cook (TX), 2:25:57
2) Michael Wardian (VA), 2:28:50
3) Justin Zanotti (MI), 2:32:18

WOMEN
1) Yolanda Flamino (MI), 2:43:41
2) Chloe Glare (CA), 2:57:21
3) Alyssa Shaw (ID), 3:08:14