Posted: January 13, 2006

Athletics: Aramco Half Marathon Opens 2006 USA Running Circuit

Sell Leads USA Half-Marathon Championship Field

HOUSTON - (January 11, 2006) - Brian Sell, the 2005 USA 25K champion, leads the U.S. contingent at this Sunday's USA Men's Half-Marathon Championship in Houston, Texas. The national championship, hosted by the Aramco Houston Half Marathon, also marks the start of the 2006 USA Running Circuit (USARC).

The top U.S. finisher at last summer's IAAF World Championships Marathon, Sell from Rochester Hills, Mich. leads a U.S. field that includes Hansons-Brooks Distance Project and World Championship teammates Clint Verran and Chad Johnson.

The field also includes 2005 national runner-up Matt Gabrielson, along with his Team USA Minnesota teammate Jason Lehmkuhle, who was fourth in last year's championship. Chris Graff will be looking to add to his 2003 USA 10 mile title, and Jason Hartmann, who along with Lehmkuhle was a member of last year's U.S. team at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton, Canada, should contend as well. For the latest list of U.S. athletes, CLICK HERE.

"This is the deepest elite field that we have ever had," said Elite Athlete Coordinator David Chester. "Thanks to continued support from Aramco, we were able to accommodate over 60 elite athletes for the championship. And with three of the top-five finishers from last year and the addition of athletes like Sell, Hartmann and Graff we expect to see some very fast performances."

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon, which includes Open athletes, offers a purse of $21,000 to the top ten U.S. athletes with $7000 going to the national champion. The race also will be used to select two athletes for the 2006 IAAF World Road Running Championships to be held October 8 in Debrecen, Hungary.

The event's main races - the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon - have both sold out with 15,000 combined entrants. With a total prize purse exceeding $170,000, a top international field is expected for both races. Visit the race website for more news at: ChevronHoustonMarathon.com

The 2006 USA Men's Half-Marathon Championship kicks off USA Track & Field's 2006 USA Running Circuit (USARC), a road racing series featuring USA Championships from 5K to the marathon and attracting the best U.S. distance runners, including Olympians Deena Kastor, Meb Keflezighi, Colleen De Reuck, Dathan Ritzenhein, Jen Rhines and Dan Browne. The twelfth edition for the men and eleventh for the women, the 2006 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 $5.6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2006 USA Men's Half-Marathon Championship and the USARC, 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.