Zazzle Bay To Breakers Elite Runners Press Conference

This is the only full video of the entire Friday Zazzle Bay To Breakers Elite Runners Press Conference. It's 50 minutes long, and not only includes the introductions of each of the Bay To Breakers Elite Runners, but interviews with sponsor representatives, including Zazzle Founder and CEO Jeff Beaver.

But who are the "elite runners?"

According to the press info, here are some highlights about them:

- American Meb Keflezighi is fresh off a 3rd place finish over 10k in Madrid. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon, and 2009 NYC marathon champ. Meb looks to add to his stellar running resume in his Bay to Breakers debut.

- Lineth Chepkurui from Kenya, defending Battle to the Breakers Champion from 2010, is 23 and is looking to capture her third Bay to Breakers title. Her 2011 campaign includes a victory at the BAA 5k, a runner-up finish at the Crescent City Classic, and a team gold medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

- Also making his B2B debut is 2009 Boston Marathon champ Direba Merga. The 28 year old Ethiopian is the 2011 RAK ½ marathon and Yangzhou ½ marathon champion.

- At 25, Misiker Mekonnin Demisse is coming off a big win at Lilac Bloomsday 12k where she surprised the field to become the race’s first Ethiopian female champion. She looks to continue her success in the streets of San Francisco.

- From Oakland, CA, Magdalena Lewy-Boulet is the fifth fastest American woman of all time in the marathon, setting the mark in the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon. Magda is also a 2008 Olympian for the US in the marathon.

Also, Katilin Gregg, from UC Davis, is running the Bay to Breakers for the first time as an elite runner. And Gregg and Neil McDonagh claim the "home field" advantage, where Gregg can walk home as she lives two-blocks from Golden Gate Park, and McDonagh grew up in the Sunset District.

Well, bed awaits. This damn thing starts at 7 AM this time around! That's the only part of the deail I'm not jazzed about.

Plus, it's starting to rain!

Oh, bring your Talking Dog:



Stay tuned.

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