Olympians Dryer, Riley Headline Inaugural Strands 5K
$13,000 U.S.-only prize purse; race proceeds benefit Childhelp

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Posted Friday, 23 October, 2009

From Ryan Lamppa, Running USA

CORVALLIS, Ore. - (October 20, 2009) - Olympians Elva Dyer and Jonathon Riley and 5000 meter specialist Lauren Fleshman headline professional fields at the inaugural Strands 5K on Saturday, October 24. Athletes will compete for a $13,000 U.S.-only prize purse in Corvallis.

Dryer was an Olympian in the 5000 meters at the 2000 Olympic Games and has a personal record of 15:03.56 from the 2001 Bislett Games. She also represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics in the 10,000 meters. Earlier this year, Dryer was 4th at the USA 15K Championships, running a 50:43, before shifting her focus to the marathon for the bulk of the 2009 road season.

Also expected in the women's field is 5-time NCAA champion and 15-time All-American Lauren Fleshman (Eugene, Ore.), Team Strands athlete Meghan Armstrong (Minneapolis, Minn.) and newly minted USA 25K champion Sally Meyerhoff of Eugene.

In the men's field, 2004 Olympian Jonathon Riley is the man to beat. He has a personal best of 13:19.92 in the 5000 meters - a mark he set in 2007. Riley, a teammate of Fleshman at Stanford, graduated with all-time Top 5 honors in eight different events for the Cardinals, including the anchor leg of a DMR World Indoor Record (9:28.83). He is a 3-time USA Indoor champion (2003-05) and was a 2008 World Indoor Championships finalist in the 3000 meters, where he owns a best of 7:46.84.

Joining Riley on the start line will be fellow OTC athlete and 8:26.08 steepler Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.), 2-time University of Portland All-American Michael Kilburg (Seattle, Wash.) with a 5000 best of 13:49.88, Team Strands athlete Josh Glaab (Boulder, Colo.) and Carlos Trujillo (Eugene, Ore.).

In addition to hosting the professional field, the race will feature a community 5K, a children's race and a post-race party in Central Park. All race proceeds benefit Childhelp, an organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Childhelp's mission is to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children through advocacy, prevention, treatment and community outreach. Find more ways to get involved or information on how to donate directly through the Childhelp.org website.

The 5K race will begin at 9:00am PST on October 24. The children's race will begin at 10:00am, followed by an awards ceremony and post-race party outside Strands headquarters at Central Park in Corvallis. For more information and a race registration link, visit www.strands5k.com, call the race hotline at (541) 740-5306 or email at strands5k@strands.com.

Strands.com is an online training log and social networking site where athletes share their training, connect with friends and teammates and streamline their online activities. The site is operated by Strands Labs, Inc. For more information, go to: http://corp.strands.com

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