Posted: August 9, 2005

Athletics: USATF Long Distance Running Notes - August 6-7, 2005

Former USA Marathon champions Wells, Browne to run 2005 USA Marathon Championships

Dan Browne and Sara Wells are set to run the 2005 USA Marathon Championships, hosted by the Twin Cities Marathon October 2. Both should feel quite at home, Wells is a member of the local Team USA Minnesota and Browne will return to the city where he won his first USA marathon title.

After starting off the year with a win at the USA Half-Marathon Championships at Houston in January, Browne has spent most of 2005 recovering from two knee surgeries and an emergency appendectomy.

On the women's side, Wells will be looking to win her second USA Marathon Championship. Wells won the championship, running 2:35:37 in her debut at the distance at the 2003 championships in St. Louis.

The Twin Cities Marathon will be the eighth stop for men and the sixth for women on the 2005 USA Running Circuit (USARC) a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2005 circuit has nine 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. Currently Abdi Abirahman leads the men's circuit with 33 points and Jen Rhines leads the women's with 27.

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 USA Marathon Championships and the 2005 USARC visit USATF.org

PRRO Championship Circuit Events to Introduce Drug Testing; Circuit Prize Money Rules Revised

The Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO) circuit events will initiate in-competition drug testing at its events beginning in 2006. The events include the World's Best 10k in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Feb. 26), Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC (Apr. 2), Lilac Bloomsday 12k in Spokane, WA (May 7), Peachtree Road Race 10k, site of the PRRO Championship, in Atlanta, GA (July 4), and the Boilermaker 15k in Utica, NY on July 9.

"We heard the concerns of elite athletes about wanting a level playing field in the sport of long distance running. This action brings that goal closer," said PRRO President Julia Emmons after the organization's Board Meeting in July. "We encourage other events to join us in being pro-active in this area."

PRRO will engage the United States Anti-doping Agency (USADA) to test selected athletes who earn prize money. PRRO event organizers are funding the testing program themselves but will be contracting USADA to conduct testing in accordance with the International Standards of Doping Control.

The PRRO Board also announced a restructuring of its circuit bonus over the next two years. For 2006, any athlete winning the World's Best 10k, Credit Union Cherry Blossom, Lilac Bloomsday 12k and the Peachtree Road Race will earn a $19,000 bonus (split if a man and a woman win all four races in the same year). In 2005, Kenyan John Korir won the first three races before missing a chance to collect the bonus when visa problems kept him from competing at Peachtree.

For more information contact: Elizabeth Unislawski: 404-231-9064 x 11 or unislaw@atlantatrackclub.org.

Mike Morgan joins Hansons-Brooks Distance Project

Mike Morgan is the newest addition to the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project.

A member of USATF Elite Development Club, Team Nebraska-Brooks, Morgan has continued to make his presence known on the USA Running Circuit with top-10 finishes in the USA Half-Marathon and 25 km Championships this year.

"I am very excited about this opportunity to join the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project," said Morgan. "From the beginning, Will Lindgren had a goal to give me opportunities through Team Nebraska that would lead me to a higher level of running. I know that Will is very excited to see this plan fall in place and we both feel that the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project is the right place for me."

"Our program operates with the primary goal of creating an opportunity for successful post-collegiate athletes to continue training beyond their college years, and we feel that Mike is a great fit for our team environment." said Kevin Hanson, who co-founded the center with his brother and business partner Keith.

The Hansons-Brooks Distance Project is one of the premier distance training centers in the U.S., and was formed in 2000 as part of the USA Distance Project. The USA Distance Centers and The USA Distance project are devoted to sustaining the long-term development of elite USA distance athletes so that they can compete successfully in both domestic and international competitions, including major championship events.

USATF Elite Development Club link of the week - Team Nebraska/Brooks

Team Nebraska Brooks is a USATF Elite Development Club dedicated to providing post collegiate, developing, and otherwise competitive road and track racers an opportunity to refine their skills in the fields of running and racing.

Athletes meeting the qualifying standards are provided with coaching assistance, competitive opportunities designed to offset the expense of travel to national championship events, and the opportunity to train and race both individually and as a team.

The goal of Team Nebraska is to be competitive in USATF local, regional, and National Championships and Association Club events.

For more information visit www.teamnebraska.com.

Long Distance Running Calendar

Upcoming Association Grand Prix Events

2005 USATF Georgia Association LDR Grand Prix Series
usatfgeorgia.org

2005 USATF Pacific Association Road Race Grand Prix Schedule
/www.pausatf.org

2005 USATF New Jersey Grand Prix Schedule
www.usatfnj.org

2005 USATF Oregon Grand Prix Schedule
www.usatf-oregon.org

Upcoming USARC Events 
September 5, 2005 - USA 20 km Championships, New Haven, CT
September 11, 2005 - USA 5 km Championships, Providence, R.I. 
October 2, 2005 - USA Marathon Championships Minneapolis, MN
October 10, 2005 - USA Women's 10 km Championship Boston, MA 
November 5, 2005 - USA Men's 10 km Championship Mobile, AL 

Upcoming USA Masters Championships 
August 7, 2005 - USA Masters 8 km Championships, Honolulu, HI
September 25, 2005 - USA Masters 10 km Championships, Paso Robles, CA 
October 2, 2005 - USA Masters Marathon Championships Minneapolis, MN 

Upcoming Mountain/Ultra/Trail Events 
August 27, 2005 - USA 50 km Trail Championships, San Francisco, CA 
October 15, 2005 - USA 50 Mile Championships, Boalsburg, PA 

Upcoming USATF Association Championships
September 18, 2005 - USATF Inland Northwest Assoc. 5 km Championships, Medical Lake, WA
October 2, 2005 - USATF New England Association 5 Mile Championship Boston, MA
October 8, 2005 - USATF Alaska Association Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Anchorage, AK
October 23, 2005 - USATF New Jersey Association 5 km Cross Country Championships Holmdel, NJ
October 30, 2005 - 2005 USATF New England Association Marathon Championship, Falmouth, MA
October 30, 2005 - USATF New Jersey Association 8 km Cross Country Championships, Readington, NJ
November 6, 2005 - USATF North Carolina Association Junior Olympic XC Championships, Pleasant Garden, NC
November 12, 2005 - USATF Inland Northwest Assoc. Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Spokane, WA
November 19, 2005 - USATF New England Association Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Smithfield, RI
November 20, 2005 - USATF Region 2 Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Holmdel, NJ
December 10, 2005 USATF Georgia Association 10 Mile Championship, Dalton, GA

For more information on USATF Long Distance Running events and news visitUSATF.org.