Posted: February 16, 2006

Athletics: Team Running USA Athletes Ready for USA Cross Country Championships in the Big Apple

National titles, $50,000 record purse and World Championships berths at stake

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - (February 16, 2006) - Seven Team Running USA athletes are headed for New York City to compete at the USA Cross Country Championships this weekend February 18-19 and vie for spots on the U.S. team for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Fukuoka, Japan on April 1-2. The national championships - presented by Gleukos and hosted by the New York Road Runners - will be contested at storied Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

After a fall high altitude training stint in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., the Team Running USA training group prepared for the national XC championships at sea level Palo Alto. Below are the seven team members with respective race distance.

MEN
Ian Dobson (adidas), 4K
Ryan Hall (ASICS), 4K & 12K
Gabe Jennings, 4K

WOMEN
Missy Buttry (Reebok), 4K
Lauren Fleshman (Nike), 4K
Sara Hall (ASICS), 4K
Kate O'Neill (Nike), 8K

Dobson and Jennings may double back in the 12K on Sunday.

Other top entrants at the national XC championships include:
4K
MEN: Anthony Famiglietti, 2004 Olympian; Adam Goucher, 2000 USA 4K and 12K XC champion; Daniel Lincoln, 2004 Olympian; Christopher Lukezic; Jason Lunn and Dathan Ritzenhein, 2004 Olympian
WOMEN: Amy Mortimer; Blake Russell, 2005 USA 20K champion and Carrie Tollefson, 2004 Olympian

8K
Colleen De Reuck, two-time defending champion; Katie McGregor, 2005 USA 10,000m and 10K champion and Blake Russell

12K
Abdi Abdirahman, two-time Olympian; Matt Gabrielson; Daniel Lincoln; Joshua McDougal and Dathan Ritzenhein, defending champion

2004 Olympian and mile ace Alan Webb recently withdrew from the 12K because of bronchitis.

The Presidents' Weekend schedule features the men's Open 4K and women's Open 8K national championship races on Saturday, February 18, and the women's Open 4K and men's Open 12K events on Sunday, February 19. For the complete list of entered athletes, CLICK here.

The national cross country championships traditionally attract the nation's best distance runners. This year's total prize money purse of $50,000 is the largest prize purse in USA Cross Country Championships history and is three times larger than last year's $16,000 purse.

This year, the competition could be particularly interesting due to the record 27 inches of snow that fell on the New York City area last Sunday in the blizzard of '06. Early this week, NYRR officials mobilized a small "army" to get the Van Cortlandt Park race course in shape for the USA Cross Country Championships.

Highlights from the 2006 USA Cross Country Championships presented by Gleukos will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 on February 20, 2006 (midnight - 1:00am ET).

For more information on Team Running USA, contact: Ryan Lamppa, (805) 696-6232 or ryan@runningusa.org or visit: RunningUSA.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.

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