06-05-2004
   
Contact:
Ryan Lamppa
Media Coordinator
USA Track & Field Road Running Information Center
805-696-6232

KANSAS CITY - (June 3, 2004) - Ryan Shay of East Jordan, Mich. is set to defend his USA Half-Marathon title at the Carondelet Heart Institute Hospital Hill Run on Saturday morning, June 5. Shay, 25, also the defending USA Running Circuit Grand Prix champion, will face a strong U.S. field that includes Teren Jameson (4th last year), Teddy Mitchell (5th last year), Josh Cox, Kevin Collins, Chris Lundstrom, Scott Larson and Jeff Campbell (9th last year).

"We are excited to host the USA Men's Half-Marathon Championship for the third consecutive year. The Hospital Hill race is a beautiful and challenging course through the streets of Kansas City and its surrounding boroughs. With defending champion Ryan Shay and 12 other athletes who competed in the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, the national championship should be very competitive," said Terry Drake, the race's athlete coordinator.

Saturday's weather forecast for Kansas City is mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms with lows in the mid-60s and highs in the low-80s.

Last year, Shay, a Team Running USA athlete, surged up and over Trinity Hill in the final mile to pull away from Phillimon Hanneck and defending champion Peter DeLaCerda for the win in 1:04:13 and his second USA national road crown.

Hospital Hill offers $10,100 in USA Championship prize money with $4000 for the national champion, and the purse goes ten deep ($4000, $2000, $1200, $950, $550, $450, $350, $300, $200 and $100).

The national championship also serves as a selection race for the World Half-Marathon Championship on October 3, 2004 in New Delhi, India. The top 7 finishers at the race will be eligible for two team slots.

In addition, Hospital Hill is the sixth stop on the 2004 Men's USA Running Circuit and thus, valuable USARC points will be at stake as the first ten U.S. runners earn points (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1). With top performances, Shay, Larson and Mitchell can move up in the standings and into grand prix contention. Current Circuit leaders are Olympians Meb Keflezighi and Colleen De Reuck.

The 2004 USARC, a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon, offers over $810,000 in championship prize money plus a $25,000 grand prix purse. Visit www.usatf.org for

USARC standings and more.

The 31st Carondelet Heart Institute Hospital Hill Run is the oldest road race in Kansas City. With a half-marathon, 12K, 5K and Family Fun Run, the Hospital Hill Run has a distance for everybody, and over 3,000 are expected for the event. In addition, the race will be broadcast five times by local TV station Metro Sports of Kansas City.

For more information, visit the race website at: http://www.hospitalhillrun.com