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Parade set for S.J. Olympian bound for Beijing

Haddonfield native Erin Donohue will receive a star-spangled send-off in South Jersey before she heads to China to compete in the Summer Olympics.

Haddonfield native Erin Donohue will receive a star-spangled send-off in South Jersey before she heads to China to compete in the Summer Olympics.

Donahue, 25, earned her place on the U.S. Olympic track team last week when she finished second in the women's 1,500-meter final.

Officials in Haddonfield yesterday announced they will honor their hometown girl July 31 with a parade down Kings Highway to Haddonfield Memorial High School. After the parade, well-wishers can "Run with Erin" at the high school's stadium. The festivities will begin at 7 p.m., said Mayor Tish Colombi.

With a personal best of 4:05.55 in the 1,500 meters, Donohue will need all the encouragement Haddonfield can shower on her if she is to win an Olympic medal.

At the 2004 games in Athens, Kelly Holmes of Great Britain took the gold in 3:57.90. The winner of the bronze, Maria Cioncan of Romania, finished in 3:58.39.

Donohue, who now works for Nike in Oregon, ran the streets of Haddonfield daily as a young girl. She entered races sponsored by local organizations and routinely finishing well ahead of most adult and teenage entrants. At Haddonfield Memorial High School, she excelled not just on the track, as a distance runner, but on the field as well, where she threw the javelin.