Twin Cities Marathon Set to Host Championships: USA Men's Marathon, Masters Marathon and Women's 10 Miles
Posted Friday, 3 October, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Twin Cities is the place to be for U.S. long distance runners this Sunday as the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon plays host to the championships for the USA Men's Marathon, Masters Marathon and Women's 10 Miles.
The men's 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC) concludes with the USA Men's Marathon Championship. 2004 Olympian Dan Browne (Beaverton, Ore.) leads a field of 20 men with personal bests of 2:20 or faster as a field of more than 50 men are also set to compete with the goal of taking advantage of the first opportunity to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon.
The 2002 Twin Cities Marathon champion, Browne set his personal best of 2:11:35 in his debut on this course but he will have plenty of company in the race for the championship with a list of challengers that includes American Record holder at 25 km Fernando Cabada (Boulder, Colo.). Cabada brings a personal best of 2:12:27 to the race. Not to be overlooked are sub-2:15 runners Justin Young (Boulder, Colo.), Matt Downin (Madison, Wis.) and Simon Sawe (Santa Fe, N.M.), who could pose a challenge to Browne and Cabada.
Also adding to the depth of the field will be three Hansons-Brooks athletes from Rochester Hills, Mich. 2001 USA 25 km champion Chad Johnson leads the trio with a personal best of 2:15:03 while Mike Morgan, the 12th-place finisher at the Olympic Trials marathon last year brings a best of 2:15:11. Though teammate Ryan Sheehan will be making his debut at the distance, he is expected to be among the challengers for the title.
The Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon will offer a prize purse for the 2008 USA Men's Marathon Championship of $72,500 with $25,000 going to the champion. Additional incentives include a $2,000 bonus for any U.S. male that meets the 2012 Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:19:00 or faster.
Masters Marathon
For the 18th consecutive year, the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon hosts the USA Masters Marathon Championship which will feature the return of defending men's champion Tracy Lokken (Marquette, Mich.). Also returning is 2006 open and masters champion Mbarak Hussein (Albuquerque, N.M.), who could also challenge for a top-ten finish in the open men's championship.
Leading the masters women will be defending champion Susan Loken (Phoenix, Ariz.). Loken's main rivals for the championship will be Meghan Arbogast (Corvallis, Ore.) Susan Empey (Mercer Island, Wash.) and Doreen McCourbrie (Malvern, Pa.), who competed in this year's women's Olympic Trials Marathon with Loken. Also a contender for the championship will be Jody Hawkins (Frisco, Texas), who will be making her marathon debut.
The USA Masters Marathon Championships will feature over $50,000 in prize money with the overall men's and women's masters champions earning $7,500 each.
Women's 10 Mile Championship
The day begins with the USA Women's 10 Mile Championships and will feature 2008 Olympian 2007 and World Outdoor 10,000m bronze medalist Kara Goucher (Portland, Ore.) and hometown favorite and two-time USA 10 km champion Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.).
The women's field also will feature the third-place finisher from the 2008 USA 20 km Championships, Ilsa Paulson (Flagstaff, Ariz.). Also vying for top-ten finishes will be Melissa Christian (Dallas, Texas), Sopagna Eap (Johns Island, S.C.), and Stephanie Bylander (Alamosa, Colo.).
The women's race offers $25,000 in prize money with $10,000 going to first-place.
About the USARC
The USA Men's Marathon Championship, hosted by the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon is the final stop for men and USA Women's 10 Mile Championships is the eighth for women on the 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC).
The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series that features USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The thirteenth edition for the men and twelfth for the women, the 2008 circuit has nine events for men and seven events for women. Browne currently leads the men's circuit with 44 points and Deena Kastor leads the women with 45.
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 $4 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.
For more information on the 2008 USARC visit www.usatf.org.
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