USA ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS COMING TO JACKSONVILLE, ATLANTA By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved (used by permission)

The United States has a robust series of national road running championships, from 5 km to 100 km.  Through USA Track & Field, individual event organizers bid to hold national championships, resulting in a dozens of events held throughout the nation held using various formats.

While the next national road running championship is the 50-K, scheduled for March 7, in Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., the next major contest will be the 15-K in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 13, hosted by the 33rd annual Gate River Run.  Elite athlete coordinator Richard Fannin reported that some of America's best distance runners will take part, competing for more than $85,000 in prize money.

On the men's side Tim Nelson, second at last year's Gate River Run, headlines the field.  He'll be chased by Olympians Jorge Torres and Dan Browne.  Torres is making his debut at the 15-K distance, while Browne won the 15-K title in 2000.  Fasil Bizuneh, who has enjoyed four top-10 finishes at the Gate River Run, will also compete, as will former Notre Dame star, Patrick Smyth, who just finished second at the USA Cross Country Championships, and 2010 USA half-marathon champion Antonio Vega.

Seven of last year's top-10 women will compete in Jacksonville, including six Olympians and three former champions.  Three-time Olympian Jen Rhines was the 1998 15-K champion, and she leads the field, according to Fannin.  She'll be facing a deep field including Blake Russell, Katie McGregor, Amy Rudolph, Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Amy Hastings, Rebecca Donaghue, Renee Metivier-Baillie and Colleen De Reuck.

The Gate River Run gives the elite women a 5 minute headstart over the elite men and the main field.  A $5000 bonus is added to the $12,000 first prize for the man or woman who reaches the finish line first.

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Separately, the Atlanta Track Club announced today that they will be hosting the USA Men's 10-K road running championship in conjunction with the Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race on Sunday, July 4, in Atlanta.  This will be the third time in the last four years that the Peachtree will host this championship.

"We are proud to once again host the USA Men's 10 km Championship at the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race," said Tracey Russell, executive director of the Atlanta Track Club, through a media release.  "The USA Running Circuit does an incredible job showcasing and promoting U.S. running talent, and it's great to have the opportunity to host America's best male distance runners at our Fourth of July event."

The total Peachtree prize money purse is $111,300, the largest of any 10-K in the United States, with $30,000 reserved for the USA Championship.  American athletes can win both open and USA championship prize money.  Indeed, in last year's race six American men, including national champion Abdi Abdirahman, "double-dipped" on their prize money.