Posted: June 21, 2007

Athletics: USA Cross Country Documentary set for release

INDIANAPOLIS - "Showdown", a 72-minute documentary profiling five elite runners at the 2007 USA Cross Country Championships, will be released at the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week in Indianapolis. "Showdown" takes fans behind the scenes with Abdi Abdirahman, Alan Culpepper, Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Jorge Torres as they train and race in locations such as Eugene, Ore., Houston, San Diego, Tucson, and the UK as they prepare for the USA Cross Country Championships, held in Boulder, Colorado, this past February. The DVD includes six minutes of bonus features and will be available to the public for the first time exclusively at the USA Track & Field (USATF) merchandise store located at Mike Carroll Stadium during the Championships. "American distance running is back, and USATF supports efforts like 'Showdown' that tell the story behind the story," said Craig Masback, CEO of USA Track & Field. "Our runners are great personalities in addition to great talents, and they deserve the spotlight as we head into the 2007 AT&T USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and IAAF World Championships and beyond to the 2008 Olympic year." Created by the same Seattle-based team that made the hit triathlon documentary "What It Takes", "Showdown" will be sold online at www.usatf.org and www.ShowdownRace.com. The documentary features a richly cinematic "look and feel." It will show in 16:9 widescreen format, with high-definition footage rarely seen before in the sport. A 2-minute trailer can be previewed at: www.showdownrace.com/promo/videos/showdown-trailer-sm.mov. For more information visit www.usatf.org. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest