Boulet, Browne lead USA 25 km Championships fields

INDIANAPOLIS - 2008 Olympian Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) will be looking for her first USA 25 km title, while 2004 Olympian Dan Browne (Beaverton, Ore.) will be looking for his third as they lead the fields for the USA 25 km Championships Saturday in Grand Rapids, Mich.  This marks the 16th time that the championships have been hosted by the Fifth Third River Bank Run.

Browne will face a competitive men's field that also features 2006 25 km champion and American Record holder Fernando Cabada (Boulder, Colo.).  Browne and Cabada can expect to be challenged for the title by Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.), Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and  Jason Lehmkhule (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Boulet is the overwhelming favorite in the women's race but could see challenges from Sally Meyerhoff (Tempe, Ariz.), Samia Akbar (Herndon, Va.), Michelle Lilienthal (Minneapolis, Minn.), and Tera Moody (Boulder, Colo.).

Masters Championships on tap

This year's event will once again host the USA Masters 25 km Championships featuring top masters (40 and over) athletes Liz Wilson (Bothell, Wash.) and Paul Aufdemberge (Redford, Mich.).

The USA 25 km Championships features more than $45,000 in prize money with the men's and women's champions earning $4,000 each, and the men's and women's masters champions earning $1,500 each.

About the USARC

The USA 25 km Championship is the fourth stop on the 2009 USA Running Circuit (USARC).  The 2009 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2009 USARC has ten events each for men and 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 ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) 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 $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information and video highlights from the 2009 USA 25 km Championships visitwww.usatf.org.