Olympians lead fields at USA 5 km Championships

INDIANAPOLIS - U.S. Olympians Anthony Famiglietti (Knoxville, Tenn.), Matt Tegenkamp (Portland, Ore.) and Amy Yoder Begley (Beaverton, Ore.) will headline the entries for the 2009 USA 5 km Championships Sunday in Providence, R.I.

Defending men's champion Famiglietti will be going for his second U.S. road title of 2009, but will face fierce competition from Tegenkamp who just became the fourth American ever to break 13 minutes for 5,000 meters. Also in the mix for the title will be 2004 Olympian Jonathan Riley (Portland, Ore.) and Bolota Asmerom (Oakland, Calif.), the fourth-place finisher at this year's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships 5,000 meters.

Begley, the 2009 USA Outdoor 10,000 meter champion, leads the women's field that also includes local favorite Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.), the 2009 champion at 7 and 10 miles. Also in the mix for the title will be Renee Metivier-Baillie (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.).

About the USARC

The USA 5 km Championships is the eighth stop on the 2009 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will pay $30,000 in U.S. prize money with $5,000 going to the respective champions.

The 2009 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon, which attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2009 USARC has ten events each for men and women. Magdalena Lewy Boulet currently leads the women's standings with 49 points, while Anthony Famiglietti leads the men with 39 points.

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 on the 2009 USA 5 km Championships visit www.usatf.org.