Friday, September 17, 2010

Huddle, Braun lead fields for USA 5 km Championships

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INDIANAPOLIS – American record holder Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) and Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) lead the field of entrants for the USA 5 km Championships Sunday in Providence, R.I.).

Huddle, who set the American record for 5,000 meters this summer at the Belgacom Memorial van Damme, will be the overwhelming hometown favorite but could see challenges from the likes of Sara Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) and Renee Metivier Baillie (Boulder, Colo.).

Braun, who finished fourth in the men’s 5,000 meters at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, will be in search of his first U.S. title. Challengers for the crown will include Braun’s adidas McMillan Elite teammate Jordan Horn (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.).

Video highlights

The USA 5 km Championships will be streamed live beginning at 11:05 a.m. EST in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About the USARC

The USA 5 km Championships is the ninth stop for men and the seventh for women on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will pay $30,000 in U.S. prize money with $5,000 going to the respective men’s and women’s champions. The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The circuit features ten events each for men and women. Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) leads the men’s standings with 44 points, while Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) leads the women with 31 points.

The 2010 USARC will once again see a record amount of circuit prize money for a non-Olympic year with total prize purse of $623,850 offered by host events. U.S. athletes will also have the opportunity to qualify for various Team USA events, including the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the Chiba International Ekiden.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support, and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2010 USA 5 km Championships visit www.USARunningCircuit.com.

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