The 14th Annual Giant Race Announces Historic All-Female Running Team

July 12, 2023

San Francisco, CA /SPORTSWIRE WOMEN/ – The Giant Race presented by Alaska Airlines today announces the first-ever all-female running team to participate in the event – the Alaska Airlines All-Stars. Captained by three-time Olympian Shannon Rowbury, the team of nine (9) female Bay Area athletes signifies the importance of representation in sports.

The Alaska Airlines All-Stars include:

• Alexi Pappas – Olympian, two-time All-American
• Alysia Montano – Olympian and World Champion
• Anna Kacius – Olympic Trials Qualifier, Team USA Gold Medalist 100km
• Clara Peterson – Five-time All-American
• Dena Evans – Eight-time Team USA Coach, D1 Cross Country Coach of the Year
• Kim Conley – Two-time Olympian, Pan Am Games Bronze Medalist
• Leslie Osborne – Three-time All-American athlete, former USWNT midfielder
• Shannon Rowbury – Three-time Olympian, World Championship bronze medalist
• Vanessa Fraser – Seven-time All-American

“Growing up in the 1980s, I remember watching major sports on television – never seeing women play,” said Shannon Rowbury. “This is why the idea of pursuing a career as a professional athlete never occurred to me. Now as I see my own children grow, I am struck by the profound impact of female representation in sports, which is why it is important for girls and women to always be imagining more.”

For decades, the San Francisco Giants have empowered girls and women in sports. In 2000, during the Giants’ inaugural season at Oracle Park, then Pacific Bell Park, Alexis Busch became the first bat girl in Major League Baseball history. In 2010, Renel Brooks-Moon became the first female public address announcer of a championship game in any professional sport. And last year, Giants Assistant Coach Alyssa Nakken made major league history as the first female coach on the field in a regular season game.

To continue building upon its long-standing commitment, the Giants are partnering with Rowbury’s Imagining More Foundation and Girls on the Run to remove barriers and provide greater access to female athletics and mental health services. Oracle Park hosted Girls Day on Sunday, July 9 when the Giants hosted the Colorado Rockies to showcase the need for and impact of female representation in sports.

As part of the Girls Day activations, Alaska Airlines All-Star, Olympian and author of “Bravey”, Alexi Pappas threw out the first pitch and the Giants honored the Nike San Francisco Women’s Miler Club – a team of 100 women who recently set a new world record for the fastest 100 x 1-mile relay, while raising more than $7,000 for Girls on the Run Bay Area.

To celebrate this year’s historic all-female Giant Race team, Alaska Airlines is awarding free flights to four (4) winnersof a social media contest to travel to a San Francisco Giants away game. Follow @giantrace on Instagram to participate. Terms and conditions apply.

The 2023 Giant Race will be held at Oracle Park on Saturday, September 2 and Sunday, September 3 – featuring 5K, 10K and kids live races, with the introduction of the new Team Challenge that provides entrants the opportunity to form groups of nine or more participants. A virtual option is available for those who cannot participate in person. All contestants will receive an exclusive bobblehead, finishers medal, race shirt and commemorative race bib. For more information about the 2023 Giant Race, visit giantrace.com.