Mack Named USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INDIANAPOLIS - Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.) has been named USA Track & Field’s Athlete of the Week after winning the senior men’s 8 km in 24:27 at the Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country race on Jan. 5.

After finishing as the runner-up at this race last year, Mack was able to take the top spot as he edged out Ayad Lamdassam of Spain by one second to record his first international win. Mack’s victory led Team USA’s senior men’s team to win gold.

“It was a really neat experience to be the team captain,” Mack said. “Based on my experience on the course before, I told the guys this course rewards those who are patient and move up at the end with a strong kick.

“It is great to go into 2013 having ran well in a big cross country race, especially in a year with the world cross country championships coming up in Poland. With the USA Cross Country Championships only four weeks away, it is also reaffirming to know that all of my training is on the right track.”

Mack won the USA Cross Country Championships in 2012 and will return to the same course in St. Louis on Feb. 2 to defend his title.

Now in its 12th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.

2013 Winners: January 9: Bobby Mack



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.