Posted: November 14, 2005

Athletics: Team USA Set for Chiba Ekiden Road Relay in Japan

INDIANAPOLIS - USA Track & Field has announced the U.S. team for the 2005 International Chiba Ekiden, to be held in Chiba, Japan on Wednesday, November 23. In addition to Team USA, the marathon relay will feature teams from Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, France and Great Britain.

"We feel that both the men's and women's teams will improve on last year's finishes," said Fred Finke, USATF Long Distance Running Division Chair. "We have several athletes who are just out of college and are eager to compete in such a prestigious international event." At the 2004 edition, the U.S. men finished seventh and the women finished tenth.

The fastest U.S. men's time at Chiba is 2:01:40 by the 1991 team and the best place, 4th by the 1999 team, while for the U.S. women, the 1988 team ran 2:17:09 and earned the silver medal.

The road relay will consist of six legs each, ranging in distance from 5K to 10K.

Team USA is as follows:
MEN

Ian Dobson, 23, Palo Alto, CA - Dobson qualified for the Team USA World Championships roster with his runner-up finish in the 5000m at the 2005 USA Outdoor Championships in Carson, CA, where he established a new personal record of 13:15.33. He went on to finish 10th in opening round at the World Outdoor Championships (13:27.16). Former Stanford and current Team Running USA teammate Ryan Hall also joins him on the Chiba squad.

Ryan Hall, 23, Palo Alto, CA - Hall capped off his collegiate career with an NCAA title and school record at 5000 meters, just out-kicking his Stanford teammate Ian Dobson, 13:22.32 to 13:22.54. Just two weeks later, the duo would again find themselves running personal records as they finished second and third (Dobson 13:15.33, Hall 13:16.03) at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, also earning their places on the U.S. team for Helsinki, where Hall finished 16th in the opening round (13:59.86).

Brian Sell, 27, Rochester Hills, MI - This past May, Sell won his first USA title at the USA 25K Championships in Grand Rapids, Mich., (1:15:27), the seventh fastest 25K time ever for a U.S. man. He also has numerous top ten finishes in USA Championships and international races, including a ninth-place finish at this summer's IAAF World Championships Marathon.

Josh Moen, 23, Rochester Hills, MI - A teammate of Brian Sell at the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and graduate of Wartburg College, Moen is a five-time NCAA Division II national champion and ten-time All-American. Moen recently finished fourth at the USA Men's 10K Championships in Mobile, running a personal record of 29:13.

Matt Gonzales, 24, Santa Fe, NM - A two-time cross country All-American and an All-American in the 10,000 meters on the track, Gonzales placed sixth in the 5000m finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials running 13:41.25. He recently was national runner-up at the USA Men's 10K Championships ahead of Moen and Sell, running 28:39.

Fernando Cabada, 23, Bristol, VA - The 2005 NAIA 5000 and 10,000 meter champion, Cabada has earned numerous All-American honors at Virginia Intermont College. He was a member of the U.S. team that won the inaugural NACAC Cross Country Championships in March. Cabada was fifth at the recent USA Men's 10K Championships in 29:16.

Ryan Kirkpatrick, 27, Colorado Springs, CO - The 2002 USA Men's 10K champion and graduate of West Point, Kirkpatrick was ninth in the 10,000 meters at the 2005 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 28:43.44. His recent sixth place finish at the USA Men's 10K Championships earned him a spot as the alternate for the Chiba squad.

WOMEN
Laura Turner, 26, Tacoma, WA - A member of the 2005 Team USA Cross Country and World Half-Marathon squads. Turner finished 7th at the USA Women's 10K Championships, earning a spot on the U.S. team for Chiba.

Alicia Craig, 23, Palo Alto, CA - A two-time NCAA 10,000 meter champion while at Stanford, Craig is the collegiate record holder for the 10,000 meters at 32:19.97. The Team Running USA athlete was 11th at this year's USA Women's 10K Championships in 34:27.

Sara Bei, 22, Palo Alto, CA - A seven-time All-American at Stanford, Bei, also a Team Running USA member, was the runner-up in the 2004 NCAA 5000 meters and the Pac-10 champion at 5000 meters. Bei's sixth-place finish at the USA 5K Championships in 16:32 earned her a spot on the Chiba team.

Sara Slattery, 24, Boulder, CO - Slattery won the NCAA 10,000 meter championship in only her second attempt at the distance; it was her second NCAA individual title and 10th All-American honor. Slattery has won multiple Big 12 championships in both indoor and outdoor track.

Bethany Brewster, 25, Madison, WI - An All-American at the University of Wisconsin, Brewster is the head women's cross country coach at Edgewood College. Brewster finished seventh at the 2005 USA 5K Championships running 16:42.

Missy Buttry, 22, Shenandoah, IA - A three-time NCAA Division III Cross Country champion at Wartburg College, Buttry, a Team Running USA athlete, was a member of the U.S. World Cross Country 4K bronze medal winning squad earlier this year.

Casey Owens, 23, Des Moines, IA - An All-American at Missouri State University, Owens was a multiple Missouri Valley Conference champion with titles in cross country, the mile, 3000 and 5000 meters. Owens finished 12th at the 2005 USA Women's 10K Championships, running 34:30.

For more information on the 2005 International Chiba Ekiden, visit: USATF.org.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Services Director
385 Oak View Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

(805) 696-6232, fax (805) 967-5958
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.runningusa.org.