America’s Best Back on the Roads at the USATF 15 km Championships

USATF Release

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – One week after the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon shined a spotlight on the very best of American distance running, some of the nation’s top runners are set to square off at the USATF 15 km Championships on Saturday morning in Jacksonville, hosted by the Gate River Run.

The USATF 15 km Championships are the third stop on the 2020 USATF Running Circuit. Race videos will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com and can be viewed with a +PLUS subscription. Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #USARC.

While a trio of Olympians are entered in the women’s field, it’s defending champion Erika Kemp who leads the way. After winning in 2019 by 14 seconds, Kemp is back in Jacksonville looking to repeat.

The 25-year old is coming off an impressive indoor campaign, which saw her set big personal bests in the 3000m and 5000m. Her 5000m shined the brightest, running 15:14.76 last month at the BU Last Chance meet, placing seventh overall and setting her best in the event by 14 seconds.

While Kemp is clearly fit, she’ll be challenged by the Olympic trio of Marielle Hall, Kim Conley and Gwen Jorgensen. Hall, who placed fifth in the both the 5000m and 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships last summer, placed ninth at the BU Last Chance meet, finishing in 15:20.73.

Jorgensen finished fifth overall at the BU Last Chance meet, besting both Kemp and Hall, on her way to a fifth place finish in 15:10.98. Jorgensen, who won Olympic gold in the triathlon in 2016, continues to challenge herself over a variety of distances, and along with her Bowerman Track Club teammate Hall, should push for victory Saturday.

For Conley, Saturday’s race looks to be a step towards becoming one of America’s best distance runners once again. Conley earned a 13th place finish in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships last summer, while earning bronze at the Pan American Games in the same event. The two-time Olympian has high hopes Saturday.

Not to be overlooked, Natosha Rogers is having a terrific start to her 2020 campaign. Rogers won the USATF Cross Country Championships in January, beating a strong field, while earning her second USATF Running Circuit title. The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project runner looks to use her experience from her fifth place finish at the USATF 15 km Championships in 2017 to her advantage.

Paige Stoner is another top contender, having placed second to Rogers at the USATF Cross Country Championships. Stoner earned a seventh place finish last summer at the USATF Outdoor Championships, showing her versatility in the 3000m steeplechase. Stoner has raced twice indoors in 2020, setting a personal best in the 3000m and an indoor personal best in the 5000m.

Hannah Everson and Elaina Tabb are also eyeing top three finishes. Everson finished as the 11th fastest American at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, running to a 1:10:28. Tabb finished as the 15th fastest American on the day in 1:11:04. Both earned top ten finishes (7th for Everson and 9th for Tabb) in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships last summer.

Rounding out the field, Rogers’ Hansons-Brooks teammate Anne-Marie Blaney is one to keep an eye on, not able to finish last weekend in Atlanta at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, but having potential to challenge for a top five finish after placing 12th in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. She’s joined by Jessica Watychowicz, Olivia Pratt, 2019 USATF 20 km Championship third place finisher Karis Jochen, and Belainesh Gebre.

On the men’s side, with no top ten finishers from 2019 entered in Saturday’s race, a new batch of competitors will line up and challenge for the title, looking to pick up some big points on the USATF Running Circuit.

Leading the way are Futsum Zienasellassie and Reid Buchanan. The two young pros finished as the fourth and fifth Americans at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon in January, with Zienasellassie edging Buchanan by one second, crossing the line in 1:01:44.

The duo continue to build momentum from terrific 2019 campaigns. Zienasellassie won the USATF 10 Mile Championships, while Buchanan placed seventh in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships and earned silver in the same event at the Pan American Games.

Another top entry is Nicholas Hauger. The HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite runner placed fifth at the USATF Cross Country Championships at the start of the USATF Running Circuit season, which earned him a spot on the Pan-Am XC Cup team, where he placed ninth overall last weekend. Hauger is clearly fit and ready to prove himself on the roads.

Jacob Thomson and Zach Panning are two other competitors worth watching. Both men competed in the 5000m and 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships last summer, scoring strong finishes.

Thomson placed 11th in the 5000m, while Panning took home 15th, but the tides were turned in the 10,000m, where Panning claimed 9th and Thompson 14th. Both men are fully capable of coming away victorious in Jacksonville.

Other notable entries include Paul Hogan, who finished 12th in the 10,000m at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships, 2018 USATF 15 km Championship tenth place finisher Andy Wacker, 2019 DIII 5000m and 10,000m champion Dhruvil Patel and 13:22 5000m runner Josef Tessema.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $53,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 15 km Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 15 km Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush