FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flanagan, McGregor Lead Field at USA Women's Marathon Championship
INDIANAPOLIS - American record holder Shalane Flanagan (Portland, Ore.)
will be making her much anticipated marathon debut Sunday in New York at
the USA Women's Marathon Championships, hosted by the ING New York City
Marathon.
Bringing the credentials of an American record at 10,000 meters and an
Olympic Bronze medal from that event in the Beijing Games, Flanagan could
produce one of the fastest debut marathons ever for an American woman. The
New York course is home to the top-three U.S. women's marathon debuts with
Kara Goucher (2:25:53 in 2008), Deena Kastor (2:26:58 in 2001), and Marla
Runyan (2:27:10 in 2002).
Joining Flanagan on the line will be current USA 15 km, 25 km and 10 mile
champion Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.). Making her third
appearance in New York, McGregor's previous experience could be to her
advantage as she seeks her fourth U.S. title of 2010.
Adding to the depth of the U.S. women's field will be Serena Burla
(Ellisville, Mo.), who took the runner-up spot behind Flanagan at this
year's USA Half Marathon Championships in January; Sally Meyerhoff (Tempe,
Ariz.), the 2009 USA 25 km champion; and Linda Somers Smith (Arroyo Grande,
Calif.), who at 49 just set a pending 45-49 year-old half marathon record
of 1:13:31 last month.
Video highlights
Pre-race and post-race interviews from the USA Women's Marathon
Championship are available in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at
www.USARunningCircuit.com.
About the USARC
The USA Women's Marathon Championship is the final stop for women on the
2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC).
McGregor currently leads the women's standings with 55 points, while her
Team USA Minnesota teammate Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished the
year on top of the men's standings with 44 points.
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.
The 2010 USARC will once again see a record amount of circuit prize money
for a non-Olympic year with a 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 Running Circuit, visit
www.USARunningCircuit.com.
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.
###
|
