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.