INDIANAPOLIS - Former Olympians Blake Russell (Monterey, Calif.) and Jen Rhines (Mammoth, Calif.) are expected to lead the women's field and  2010 USA Half Marathon Champion Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) is among the favorites in the men's field for the USA 15 km Championships, hosted by the Gate River Run this Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. 

 

Also contending for the men's title will be 2009 runner-up Tim Nelson (Portland, Ore.), 2004 Olympian and 2000 15 km champion Dan Browne (Beaverton, Ore.) and Vega's Team USA Minnesota teammates Patrick Smyth (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis, Minn.).  

 

Russell, the 2006 USA 15 km champion and Rhines, a two-time 15 km titlist (2005,1998) will face a women's field that features former Olympians including 2008 Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), 2004 Olympian in the marathon Colleen De Reuck (Boulder, Colo.), two-time Olympian at 5,000 meters Amy Rudolph (Providence, R.I.). 

 

Also in the chase for the title will be 2009 runner-up Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.), Renee Metivier Baillie (Boulder, Colo.), who recently won the 3,000 meter title at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships; and McGregor's Team USA Minnesota teammate Emily Brown (Minneapolis, Minn.).

 

2010 marks the 17th year that the championships have been hosted by the Gate River Run and will see athletes competing for a total prize purse of $58,000, with the men's and women's USA Champion earning $12,000 each.

 

This year's race will once again feature the Equalizer Bonus, awarding $5,000 to the first male or female to cross the finish line, with the top-seeded women beginning 5 minutes before the men. The 5 minute "head start" is based on the time differential of the U.S. 15 km records: 42:22 for the men (Todd Williams, 1995) and 47:15 for the women (Deena Drossin, 2003), both set on the Gate River Run course. 

 

Additional bonuses of $10,000 will be offered for a World record (41:29 - men; 46:57 - women); $5,000 for a U.S. record (42:22 - men; 47:15 - women); and $3,000 for a course record (42:22 - men; 47:15 - women).

 

Video highlights

 

Video highlights of the USA 15 km Championships and pre- and post-race video interviews with top athletes will be made available throughout race weekend in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com. 

 

About the USARC

 

The USA 15 km Championships will be the second stop on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC).  The 2010 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 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 15 km Championships visit www.usatf.org.

 

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