INDIANAPOLIS
- 2008 Olympic marathoner Brian Sell will lead the men of
Hansons-Brooks as they seek their fifth team title, while the women of
the Run Ohio Racing Team hope to win a second consecutive team crown
Saturday, December 13 at the 2008 USATF National Club Cross Country
Championships at Plantes Ferry Recreation Park in Spokane, Washington.
In
what could be one of the most competitive team competitions in the
history of the event, the four-time team champions (2001-03, 2005) of
Hansons-Brooks Distance Project from Rochester Hills, Mich., will face
several of the nation's top club teams including Eugene, Ore.-based
Oregon Track Club Elite, led by Will Leer, who was fourth in the 1,500
meters at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Also in the
fray for the team title will be McMillan Elite from Flagstaff, Ariz.,
led by 2008 USA 15 km champion Andrew Carlson; and the Bowerman
Athletic Club, which will be led by Max King, a two-time member of the
Team USA World Cross Country squad. Due to recent injuries, defending
champions ZAP Fitness are not expected to field a scoring team.
Challenging
for the individual title will be recent NCAA Division II Cross Country
Champion Scott Bauhs, who will represent the TRANSPORTS adidas Racing
Team.
On the women's side, 2007 World
Championships marathoner Ann Alyanak will lead the women's squad from
the Run Ohio - Second Sole Racing Team as they defend their national
title. Alyanak will be joined by last year's scoring members Leigh
Daniel,
Tara Storage, Kara Storage and Melissa Converse, along with newcomer Carmen Baxter.
The
main challenges for the women's team title are expected to come from
the women of New Balance Boston, led by the fourth-place finisher at
this year's USA Women's 10 km Championship Rebecca Donoghue. The women
of the Boston Athletic Association will also be on hand to seek their
fourth team title at the event.
Masters action
More
than 45 club teams will be represented in the masters events in
Spokane. Among the leading teams will be the men of the Fluffy Bunny
Track Club, led by defending individual 45-49 year-old champion Peter
Magill, as they seek their second 40+ team title. The women's team race
will see the the Impala Racing Team face-off with See Jane Run for the
40+ title.
The 11th annual USATF
National Club Cross Country Championships features America's top
post-collegiate club teams from across the United States vying for top
honors and bragging rights as the nation's top cross country team.
Close to 1,100 competitors are expected at the event, which features a
10-kilometer men's race and a 6-kilometer women's race. Clubs will
compete for a total prize purse of $24,000, with $19,000 going to the
top open teams.
Action at Plantes Ferry Recreation
Park gets underway at 9:30 am with the community 6 km run. The masters
women's 6 km starts at 10:30 am, followed by the masters men's 10 km at
11:30 am. The open women's 6 km begins at 12:45 pm, with the open men's
10 km concluding the day's activities at 1:30 pm.
For more information about the USATF National Club Cross Country Championships, please visit www.usatf.org.
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