1st Women Marathoner Found

After an exhaustive search by a very determined Genealogist, Arlene Pieper,
the first women to complete a marathon 50 years ago, has been located! She
is now Arlene Stine and lives in Fresno California. After reading about our
search, for Arlene as a result of our press release of August 3rd, contained
below, Linda Vixie, a local Genealogist doggedly searched for Arlene. After
many dead-ends, she was able to locate both Arlene and her daughter Kathy.
Kathy, then 10 years-old, ran the Ascent to the summit with her mother in
1959, Arlene continued back down to complete the marathon. With a few days
left before this years Pikes Peak Marathon, the Race Committee was able to
make special arrangements for both Arlene and Kathy to attend this year's
race. Linda will be awarded the $250.00 reward for her successful efforts.

Arlene is the first official women to have completed a marathon in the U.S.
The Pikes Peak Marathon will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of this
special accomplishment with a reception on Thursday, Aug 13, and a program
on Saturday, Aug 15. Both will be held at Memorial Hall in Manitou Springs.
Arlene and Kathy will not be able to make the Thursday reception but will be
the quests of honor at the Saturday program and will start the race on
Sunday.

Press coverage is welcome during the celebration and program events. For
more information, contact Ron Ilgen at raceinfo@pikespeakmarathon.org
or (719) 963-9014.

For race day press coverage, please come to the Packet Pickup booth on race
mornings for a press pass. See http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/ for
details.

======================================================================

Press Release: August 3, 2009

Pikes Peak Marathon, Inc.
A Colorado Non-profit Corporation
441 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(719) 473-2625
raceinfo@pikespeakmarathon.org
www.pikespeakmarathon.org

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pikes Peak Marathon Committee Seeks 1st Woman Marathoner

In 1959, Arlene Grundmann Pieper became the first woman to finish a
sanctioned Marathon in the United States. She did it by tackling one of the
most harrowing courses in the world, on a dirt trail up the side of Pikes
Peak. The course not only covers the required 26.22 miles, but tasks
runners with a mile and a half altitude gain along the way.

The Pike Peak Marathon is celebrating the anniversary of that run this year.
They would like to honor not only Arlene, but all of the women who came
after.

The Marathon Committee has been searching for Arlene Pieper, hoping that
they could bring her to Colorado Springs this year to be an honored guest of
the Committee. So far, the search has been in vain. Even the efforts of a
private detective have not yielded any clues to her whereabouts.

The information known about Arlene is sketchy. She lived in Colorado
Springs and was 29 years old at the time of the race. She had a
ten-year-old daughter, Kathy, who ran with her to the top on the first leg
of her race.

If anyone has information, please contact the Pikes Peak Marathon Committee
at raceinfo@pikespeakmarathon.org . If you
are the first to provide information allowing the Committee to locate
Arlene, you will receive $250.