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.