FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hall, Koll take USA 7 Mile Championships
DAVENPORT - As midsummer thunderstorms blew through the Quad Cities, 2008
Olympic Trials Marathon champion Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) stormed
past early race leader Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) at five miles to
take the men's title at the USA 7 Mile Championships, running 32:55. In her
professional road racing debut, Lisa Koll (Ames, Iowa) easily took the
women's title in 37:52. The championships were hosted Saturday for the
second consecutive year by the Quad-City Times Bix 7.
After passing the first mile in 5:04, Vega, Scott Bauhs (Chico, Calif.) and
James Carney (Boulder, Colo.), separated from the pack that included Hall,
Ed Moran (Williamsburg, Va.) and Sean Quigley (Philadelphia, Pa.). As the
leading trio approached the turnaround point, Vega held a small lead over
Bauhs.
Shortly before four miles, Vega began to pull away from Bauhs and looked to
be on his way to his second USA title of the year but Hall, Moran and
Quigley were working together to pass Carney and were closing in on Bauhs.
Shortly after passing five miles in 23:42, Vega was caught and passed by
Hall, who quickly opened a five meter gap. From there, Hall cruised down
the Brady street hill for his first U.S. title since the 2008 Olympic
Trials. Moran and Quigley also overtook Vega to finish second and third in
33:00 and 33:05 respectively. Vega held on for fourth in 33:08, while
Carney took fifth in 33:21.
In the women's race, local favorite Koll, became the first woman from Iowa
to win the Bix 7 since 1981 as she cruised to a decisive win for her first
U.S. road title. Amy Hastings (Flagstaff, Ariz.) took the runner-up
position in 38:33 with Andrea Walkonen taking third in 38:43. Rounding out
the top-five were Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.) and Lindsay Allen
(Flagstaff, Ariz.) in 39:23 and 39:57 respectively.
About the USARC
The USA 7 Mile Championships was the sixth stop for men and the fifth for
women on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and offered $45,000 in U.S.
prize money with Hall and Koll taking home $10,000 each.
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.
Vega has retaken the lead in the men's standings with 32 points and Katie
McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.) leads the women with 30 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 7 Mile Championships visit
www.USARunningCircuit.com.
About USA Track & Field
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and
field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF
encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched
events of Olympic broadcasts, the #1 high school and junior high school
participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United
States.
For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org
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