The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5K Championships features a wide variety of competitors with Olympic medals and American records on their resume. Check out the storylines for the championship in the preview below. 

Men's Race

Who: Paul Chelimo, Lenny Korir, Hassan Mead, Ben True, Shadrack Kipchirchir, Donn Cabral, Thomas Curtin, Reid Buchanan, Emmanuel Bor, Craig Lutz, Kirubel Erassa, Joe Stilin, Biya Simbassa
When: Saturday, 8:30 AM ET
Why: A showdown between Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo, fellow Army teammates Lenny Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir, Olympian Hassan Mead, and American road 5K record-holder Ben True puts this race on the must-see list. 

Chelimo is returning from another impressive showing at the IAAF World Championships in London in which he kicked for bronze in the 5K, nearly edging out 10-time global champion Mo Farah and world champion Muktar Edris. 

Although Chelimo admits he is not as experienced on the roads, he still draws tremendous confidence from that kick and his championship performances which have earned him two global championship medals so far. And with Farah's move to the roads after this past track season, Chelimo says he is ready to assume the position at the top. 

"Now that Mo Farah has moved to the roads, you know what that means. Someone has to take over and it's not going to be a Kenyan this year, it's not going to be an Ethiopian taking over. We want an American to take over, and I'm ready for it," Chelimo told FloTrack. "I'm ready to go for it. I want to take the mantle. It's not going to be an easy task, you know, but actions speak louder than words so I just have to go and do my best and be on top of the world."

His Army teammates Korir and Kipchirchir are returning from another standout track season which saw both compete in the 10K final at the IAAF World Championships for the United States. Heading into the 5K on Saturday, Korir says that he feels right at home competing on the roads after several solid performances already this year. 



After taking a shorter training break following the world championships, Mead says his goal is to get more accustomed to racing on the roads. During the track season, Mead posted a new 10K personal best of 27:32 when he finished 15th at the IAAF World Championships. 



5K road master True says that he might not be the most fit heading into Saturday's race, but his heart is definitely in the competition. In April, True broke his own American record in the 5K when he won the BAA 5K road race in a blistering time of 13:20. The New York course is hillier than the Boston course and unlikely to produce a record, but True will definitely be a top competitor up front. 

Women's Race

Who: Molly Huddle, Brenda Martinez, Desi Linden, Lauren Paquette, Natosha Rogers, Molly Seidel, Shalaya Kipp, Erin Finn, Amy Van Alstine, Rochelle Kanuho, Maddie Van Beek
When: Saturday, 8:30 AM ET
Why: Molly Huddle, the American record-holder in the road 5K, matches up against the strength of marathon star Desi Linden and the speed of 800m silver medalist Brenda Martinez in a highly anticipated battle. 

Huddle was a welcomed late addition to the field after ending a track season which included an eighth-place finish in the 10K at the IAAF World Championships in London. She has proven herself time and time again in the road 5K with USATF titles from 2012-2015 and the American record of 14:50 from 2015. Although Huddle admits she isn't fully fit heading into Saturday, she wanted to "feel that hurt again" in an early season race. 

"It's kind of an awkward time of the year for a lot of us athletes coming off of track season. Some people took breaks earlier or later than others, but I thought if I had a glimmer of fitness I would jump in," Huddle said. "I had a couple decent workouts over the last three weeks so we'll see where that puts me. It's always good to get an early season race in and feel that hurt again."



Linden wanted to compete in Saturday's 5K to work on her speed for the marathon. While working on her speed, Linden says that she has lowered her mileage and is doing shorter, quicker reps in order to improve her speed for a faster consistent pace in a marathon. She even jumped in the Mayor's Cup cross country race on October 22, her first cross country race since 2010. 

The desire to work on her speed stems from the experience of the 2017 Boston Marathon, when Edna Kiplagat broke the race open and Linden felt that she couldn't respond to the move. She's hoping that the adjustment in training will help her cover moves better for a spring marathon next year. 

"If you want to be a contender, you have to be able to cover those moves," Linden said. 



Martinez is approaching the 5K with the mindset of gaining strength for her transition to the 1500m on the track next year. The Olympian bid farewell to the 800m this year after dedicating the majority of her professional career to the distance, but feels ready to move up and attack a new event. 



Along with Huddle, Linden, and Martinez, Lauren Paquette, Natosha Rogers, Molly Seidel, Shalaya Kipp, Erin Finn, Amy Van Alstine, Rochelle Kanuho, Maddie Van Beek will be standouts to watch up front.