FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Olympians Highlight Field Set for USA Half Marathon Championships
National Titles, World Championship Spots at Stake
(Duluth, Minn.) A pair of Olympians bound for the 2012 Summer Games in
London head the list of athletes set to race in Saturday's USA Half
Marathon Championships.
Kara Goucher and Abdi Abdirahman will among those competing for national
titles and a share of an $82,000 prize purse, including first place awards
of $12,000.
Also at stake, USA Track & Field has announced that two women and two men
finishing in the top five in this year's championships will be eligible to
represent Team USA in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in
Kavarna, Bulgaria on October 6.
Goucher has a personal best half-marathon time of 1:06:57 (2007) and
Abdirahman 1:00:29 (2007). Both earned spots on the 2012 Team USA marathon
squad by placing in the top three at the Olympic Marathon Trials Jan. 14 in
Houston. Both placed third – Goucher in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 6 seconds and
Abdirahman in 2:09:47, his fastest marathon since a 2006 personal best of
2:08:56.
For a complete list of those in the USA Half Marathon Championships field,
click here: http://bit.ly/KWnn8A
Duluth's history of hosting national championship road racing events
includes the 2003 and 2004 USA Women's Half Marathon Championships. The
2003 race was won by Colleen De Reuck in a course record one hour, ten
minutes – a mark that remains the fastest women's time on the Garry
Bjorklund Half Marathon course.
The city also hosted the 1987, 1990 and 1994 USA Women's Marathon
Championships as part of Grandma's Marathon, which is currently the
country's 13th largest marathon.
Grandma's Marathon
Defending champions Christopher Kipyego and Yihunlish Delelecha are
returning to Duluth with hopes of claiming back-to-back victories in the
36th Grandma's Marathon, also scheduled for Saturday. Kipyego, 38, of
Kenya, and Delelecha, 30, of Ethiopia, set personal bests on the Grandma's
course a year ago – Kipyego (2:12:17) and Delelecha (2:30:39). Both will
wear bib number one as defending champions.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
6:15 a.m. - USA Men's Half Marathon Championship
6:25 a.m. - USA Women's Half Marathon Championship
6:45 a.m. - Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon
7:45 a.m. - Grandma's Marathon (Wheelchair Start 7:40 a.m.)
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