U.S. men and women matchup for USA 10 mile championships

MINNEAPOLIS – In the final combined men’s and women’s U.S. championship before the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon, Sunday’s USA 10 Mile Championships will see a unique matchup between many of the contenders looking to make the Olympic marathon squad this coming January.

Using a handicap format that will see the women start ahead of the men, the first U.S. athlete to cross the finish line – woman or man – will earn an additional $10,000 in an exciting new feature for the 2011 edition of the Medtronic TC 10 Mile.

Among the men’s contenders will be four-time 10-mile champion Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.) but he’ll have to face 2011 USA 10 km and 5 km champion Ben True (Hanover, N.H.), 2011 USA Half Marathon champion Mohamed Trafeh (Duarte, Calif.), 2-time USA 25 km champion Fernando Cabada (Nederland, Colo.), and 2011 5 km and 8 km runner-up Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.).

Leading the women’s field will be defending champion and hometown favorite Katie McGregor but, like Abdirahman, she will face a strong field that includes 2008 Olympic marathoner Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.), 2011 USA Half Marathon runner-up Serena Burla (Falls Church, Va.), 2011 USA 25 km champion Molly Pritz (Williamsport, Pa.), 2011 USA 5 km champion Julie Culley (Lebanon, N.J.), and 2011 NCAA Division II 10,0000m champion Sarah Porter (Blowing Rock, N.C.).

Video highlights
Live streaming of the USA 10 Mile Championships will be available in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com beginning at 7:00 a.m. CDT Sunday at http://www.USARunningCircuit.com 

About the USARC
The USA 10 Mile Championships are the tenth stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will pay $60,000 in U.S. prize money with the men’s and women’s champions earning $12,000 each.

The final stop on the men’s circuit, the 10 mile championships will see a battle for the circuit title with True going into Sunday with a one-point lead with 48 points to Braun’s 47.

With two races remaining on the women’s circuit, Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) leads the women’s standings with 30 points.

The 2011 USARC is part of the USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best distance runners in the U.S. The circuit features ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

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 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.