Posted: September 13, 2005

Athletics: USATF Long Distance Running Notes - September 13,2005

Team USA announced for 14th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships

The men's and women's Long Distance Running Committees have announced the 2005 U.S. team for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. This year's event will be hosted in Edmonton, Canada on October 1. The championships will offer a total of $192,500 in prize money.

Each team will consist of five athletes with the top three athletes scoring. The athletes were selected based on performances at the USA championships for the half marathon, 20 km and 25 km.

Men:

Ryan Shay, 26, East Jordan, Mich. - The three-time defending USA Running Circuit (USARC) Champion, Shay has won five USA road titles, including this year's USA 15 km Championships. Shay recently finished second at the USA 20 km Championships and third at the USA 5 km Championships. He was also the third American finisher at the 2005 B.A.A. Boston Marathon.

Jason Hartman, 24, Boulder, Colo. - The third-place finisher at the 2005 USA 20 km Championships, Hartman is a former high school team-mate of American standout Dathan Ritzenhein. Hartman moved to Boulder earlier this year to train with Ritzenhein under his coach Brad Hudson.

Matt Downin, 28, Norwood, N.J. - A two-time Big 10 Cross Country champion, Downin finished fourth at this year's USA 20 km Championships. He has also turned in top-ten finishes at the USA 15 km and 10 Mile Championships.

Jason Lehmkuhle, 27, Minneapolis, Minn. - This will be Lehmkuhle's third Team USA in 2005. He recently finished 40th at the IAAF World Championships marathon, running 2:22:46. Hr also competed at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, where he finished as the fifth man for the U.S. team.

Mike Morgan, 25, Rochester Hills, Mich. -The newest addition to the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, Morgan has turned in top-ten 10 at three USA Championships in 2005, including eighth-place finishes at both the USA 20 km and Half Marathon Championships.

Women:

Jenny Spangler,42, Lake Villa, Ill. - The 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon champion, Spangler also holds the U.S. Masters marathon record of 2:32:38, set at the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. She was fourth at the USA 25 km Championships held in Grand Rapids, Mich. in May.

Laura Turner, 26, Tacoma, Wash. - A member of the 2005 Team USA Cross Country squad, Turner made her road racing debut this summer with a fourth-place finish at the USA 20 km Championships, earning her a spot on the U.S. team for Edmonton.

Michelle La Fleur, 33, Savannah, Ga. -A past member of two U.S. Ekiden relay teams, La Fleur finished tenth at the USA 20 km Championships. She is a two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier and five-time NCAA Division III All-American.

Stephanie Bylander, 22, Alamosa, Colo. - A 10-time NCAA Div. II All-American at Adams State, Bylander was seventh at the USA 20 km Championships on Labor Day before coming back to place eighth at the USA 5 km Championships the following weekend.

Dot McMahan, 28, Rochester Hills, Mich. - A runner for 19 years, McMahan represented the U.S. at the 2004 Niigata Ekiden Relay. A former 800 meter and 1500 meter specialist, she recently finished ninth at the USA 20 km Championships.

Team Leaders: Allan Steinfeld and Joy Smith

For more information on the 14th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships visit USATF.org.

$10,000 Bonus Announced for 2005 Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile Record Breakers

New York Road Runners have announced that a $10,000 bonus will be awarded for a men's or women's course record at the 2005 Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile Powered by "Four Minutes," an ESPN2 Film, on Saturday, September 24. In addition, the men's professional race will air live on ESPN News, returning the race to national television for the first time in more than a decade.

The current men's record of 3:47.52 was set in 1981 by Sydney Maree and is one of road running's longest-standing records. The women's record of 4:16.68 was set by PattiSue Plumer in 1990. Premier American miler and Olympian Alan Webb and Craig Mottram of Australia, the bronze medalist in the 5000 meters at the 2005 IAAF World Championships, are the top contenders to break Maree's record and take home the bonus.

Joining Webb and Mottram on the starting line will be Rui Silva of Portugal, the bronze medalist in the 1500 meters at the 2004 Olympics and the 2005 IAAF World Championships. The women's field will be headlined by 2004 U.S. Olympian Carrie Tollefson of St. Paul, Minnesota, former NCAA All American Amy Mortimer of West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and two-time Olympian Amy Rudolph of Providence, Rhode Island.

The total prize purse for the race is $30,000 with the men's and women's champions each winning $5,000. In addition to the professional races, which start at 1:35 p.m. for the women and 1:45 p.m. for the men, there will be wheelchair and age-group races for the general public beginning at 10:00 a.m.

For more information visit www.nyrr.org.

USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships

The USATF Adirondack and the Adirondack Athletic Club will be hosting the 2005 USA Masters 5 km Cross Country Championships on October 16 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Athletes from several USATF Associations and Clubs are expected to compete.

Please visit www.usatf.org/events/2005/USAMasters5kmXCChampionships/ for event information and entry procedures.

2005 GVH Cross Country Invitational

The Genesee Valley Harriers will be hosting the 2005 GVH Cross Country Invitational on Sunday, October 9, 2005 (Columbus Day Weekend) and is billed as a Pre-USATF Club National Championship tune-up.

The 2005 USATF National Club Cross Country Championships: "The Feast in the East" which will be held at Genesee Valley Park on Saturday,November 19.

2005 GVH Invite race schedule:
10:15am: Women's 6k (Open & Masters)
11:00am: Men's 8k (Open & Masters)

Awards:
$500.00 for winning Men's & Women's Teams. 
GVH Invite t-shirts to top 10 Men & Women.
Trophies for top Male & Female Masters (40-49) and Veteran (50+) finishers.

USATF National Club Co-Ed 10 km Team Challenge

The USATF National Club Co-Ed 10 km Team Challenge, hosted by the Race for the Taste 10K, October 9, 2005 is being held in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival in Orlando, Fla.

Athletes have the opportunity to compete for a minimum of $14,000 in prize money as a part of the USATF Club Co-Ed 10 km Team Challenge.

In order to enter, co-ed team runners must be a currently registered Club Team with USATF. The USATF Club Co-ed 10 km Team Challenge will consist of USATF registered club teams, for more information on registering your club through your local association, visit www.usatf.org.

Prize money:

A minimum of $14,000 in prize money will be awarded, as follows:

Open
1- $4000
2- $3000
3- $1500
4- $1000
5- $500
40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ 
1- $750 
2- $250 

Each team will consist of a maximum of five (5) athletes, and must be made up of a maximum of three men and a minimum of two women. For scoring purposes, three athletes will score, one of which must be a female. Team finish order will be based on the lowest combined team time.

For entry information visit USATF.org.

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 
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 
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 
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
September 24, 2005 - USATF Southern California Association 10 km Championships, Los Angeles, CA
October 1, 2005 - USATF Colorado Association Cross Country Championships, Boulder, CO
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 29, 2005 - USATF Wyoming Association Open Cross Country Championships, Casper, WY
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 5, 2005 - USATF Montana Association Open & Masters Cross Country Championships, Bozeman, MT
November 6, 2005 - USATF North Carolina Association Junior Olympic XC Championships, Pleasant Garden, NC
November 6, 2005 - USATF Adirondack Association Cross Country Championships, Saratoga Springs, NY
November 6, 2005 - USATF New England Assoc. Cross Country Championships, Boston, MA
November 6, 2005 - USATF West Region & Pacific Assoc. Cross Country Championships, San Francisco, CA
November 6, 2005 - USATF Wisconsin Association Open & Masters Cross Country Championships, Madison, WI
November 12, 2005 - USATF Inland Northwest Assoc. Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Spokane, WA
November 12, 2005 - USATF Minnesota Association Cross Country Championships, Apple Valley, MN
November 12, 2005 - USATF New Mexico Association Open and Masters Cross Country Championships, Cuba, NM
November 12, 2005 - USATF Ohio Association Open & Masters Cross Country Champs, Springfield, OH
November 12, 2005 - USATF San Diego Association Cross Country Championships, San Diego, CA
November 19, 2005 - USATF New England Association Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, Smithfield, RI
November 19, 2005 - USATF Florida Association Cross Country Championships, Clermont, FL
November 19, 2005 - USATF Missouri Valley Assoc. Open & Masters Cross Country Championships, Lawrence, KS
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.