03-08-2006
   
Contact:
Jim Estes
LDR Programs Manager
USA Track & Field
317-713-4661

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Six 2004 U.S. Olympians, three of whom are past champions, will line up on Saturday, March 11, to compete for the title of national champion at the 2006 USA 15 km Championships. This marks the 13th year that the USA 15 km Championships has been hosted by the Gate River Run.

The women's field features 2004 Olympians and former Gate River Run champions Colleen De Reuck (2004 champion, 2005 USA cross country champion) and Jen Rhines (1998 Champion). De Reuck and Rhines will be challenged for the title by Athens teammate Elva Dryer, 2006 USA Cross Country 8 km Champion Blake Russell and 2005 USA Women's 10 km champion Katie McGregor.

The men's race will feature a similarly strong field with defending champion Ryan Shay taking on four-time USA 15 km champion and Olympic marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi. Shay and Keflezighi will be joined at the front by two-time Olympians Alan Culpepper (2004 Olympic Marathon Trials champion) and Abdi Abdirahman (2004, 2003 and 2002 USA 15 km Championships runner-up) as they compete for a total prize purse of $58,000, with the USA Champion earning $10,000.

Additional contenders for the titles will include 2005 USA 10 km Championships runner-up Matt Gonzales, 2003 USA 10-mile champ Chris Graff, 2005 World Championships marathon team member Turena Johnson-Lane and 2005 USA marathon champion Nicole Aish.

This year's running will feature the third offering of the Equalizer Bonus, awarding $5,000 to the first male or female to cross the finish line, with the top-seeded women beginning 5 minutes before the men. The 5 minute "head start" is based on the time differential of the U.S. 15K records: 42:22 for the men (Todd Williams, 1995) and 47:15 for the women (Deena Drossin, 2003), both set on the Gate River Run course.

In 2005, Ryan Shay overtook Jen Rhines coming off the Hart Bridge to win the bonus, and in 2004, Keflezighi, passed De Reuck at the 8 mile mark and cruised to his fourth consecutive USA 15 km title and to claim the Equalizer Bonus.

USA Running Circuit

The 2006 USA 15 km Championship kicks off the women's edition of USA Track & Field's 2006 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and is the second event of the year for men. The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezighi, Colleen DeReuck and Dan Browne. The twelfth edition for the men and tenth for the women, the 2005 circuit has eight events for men and seven events for women.

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 ($6000, $4000, and $2500) 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 2006 USA 15 km Championships and the 2006 USARC, visit www.usatf.org.