Thursday, December 09, 2010

American record holder Solinsky to meet and greet Junior Olympians

INDIANAPOLIS - Team USA star Chris Solinsky will be the special guest at the 2010 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships this weekend in Hoover, Ala. Solinsky, who this summer set the American record over 10,000m, will be on hand to sign autographs, cheer the runners on, and participate in the opening ceremonies.

More than 2,000 athletes, between the ages of 10-18, will compete at the Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, to be held on Saturday, December 11, at Veterans Park.

At the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., on May 2, 2010, Solinksy, in his debut performance, became the first American to run under 27 minutes in the men's 10,000m, winning the race in an American record 26:59.60. His effort shattered the previous American record 27:13.98 set by Meb Keflezighi in 2001 by more than 14 seconds. His performance was the second-fastest time in the world in 2010. Solinsky also ran 12:55.53 for the 5,000m this summer, which is the 2nd fastest time ever by an American.

“I'm really excited to see the kids run their hearts out on Saturday,” said Solinsky. “This is such a great age to watch because the kids are putting it all out there for themselves, to see how hard they can push their bodies to the limit for the pure passion of the sport. I am excited to be surrounded by such passion this weekend as I'm preparing for the next few years and I’m hoping that some of their passion rubs off on me to help me in my preparations for Worlds in 2011, and London in 2012. Hopefully I can help motivate them to dream big, to set goals, and to work hard to achieve those dreams in the future.”

For more information on the 2010 USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, visit www.usatf.org.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.

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