Pyunic – Armenian Association for the Disabled
6606 Cantaloupe Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91405
818.785.3468

NEWS RELEASE

March 11, 2005

Contact: Sarkis Ghazarian
818.785.3468

DISABLED ARMENIAN ATHLETE COMPLETES LA MARATHON

Glendale, CA (March 11) – Pyunic, the Armenian Association for the
Disabled, is proud to announce that Greta Khandzrtyan, an above the
knee double amputee from Armenia, completed the 26-mile wheelchair
division of the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, March 6, 2005 in 3
hours and 19 minutes.

`I am thrilled to have finished my second Los Angeles Marathon and
proud to be able to show that a person can accomplish any goal
regardless of their physical disabilities,’ said Khandzrtyan, 18.

Khandzrtyan’s determination was put to the test upon passing the
5-mile marker. She fell out of her racing wheelchair when her waist
strap came apart. After recovering from the fall, she was assisted
back into her wheelchair by spectators. However, Khandzrtyan was not
able to race at full speed as part of her chair’s wheel frame had
bent.

At the 22nd mile mark, Lorig Sivazlian, a Pyunic-LA member, briefly
joined the race. Upon seeing Khandzrtyan approach, Sivazlian moved
from the sidewalk and ran alongside the racer shouting words of
encouragement. `I received an extra burst of energy by seeing Lorig
and the three other Pyunic supporters,’ add Khandzrtyan.

Founded in 1989 to help the disabled children of the 1988 earthquake
in Armenia, Pyunic is the leading non-governmental organization
shaping public awareness for the disabled. Pyunic provides
humanitarian aid, social services, career training and summer/winter
teaching camps. Pyunic athletes have competed in numerous worldwide
athletic competitions, including the Los Angeles Marathon and both
summer and winter Paralympics since 1994.

For more information about Pyunic, please contact Sarkis Ghazarian at
818.785.3468 or visit

Pyunic, the Armenian Association for the Disabled, is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization dedicated to assisting, supporting and shaping
public awareness for the disabled in the Republic of Armenia.

###