FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2008 OLYMPIAN KARA GOUCHER RETURNS TO MINNESOTA
IN SEARCH OF THE USA WOMEN'S 10 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE
October 5 USA Women's 10 Mile Championship is part of
10th Anniversary Medtronic TC 10 Mile
(Minneapolis) – Duluth-native, Kara Goucher, will return to Minnesota in
pursuit of the USA Women's 10 Mile Championship, Sunday, October 5, to
compete against the top professional women for $25,000.
Goucher, a Duluth East graduate, ran as Kara Grgas-Wheeler in high school.
The 2007 World Championship bronze medalist at 10,000m in Osaka, Japan also
represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in both the
5000m and 10,000m, placing 9th and 10th, respectively. Now she sets her
sights on her first national championship on the roads. While this will be
her inaugural ten-mile race, last year she ran 50:59 during her 1:06:57
half marathon victory over Paula Radcliffe at the BUPA Great North Run.
Goucher will be joined by her husband, Adam Goucher, and her coach, Olympic
marathon great Alberto Salazar, who will both also run the Medtronic TC 10
Mile.
"We are pleased to welcome Kara to a highly competitive field on October
5," said executive director of Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. Virginia Brophy
Achman. "The opportunity for us to host the championship this year furthers
our efforts to support long distance running throughout the United States,
including our silver level support of Team USA Minnesota and the USATF
Distance Project."
Goucher's stiffest competition is likely to come from a couple of other
Minnesotan's, Team USA Minnesota's Katie McGregor and Emily Brown. McGregor
is a four-time winner of the event and owns the course record of 53:51.
Brown's best time for the distance is 56:40. Other top competitors include:
Early USA Women's 10 Mile Championship Top Ten Seeding List (P.R.'s related
to 10 Mile or closest distance)
First Name Last Name Age Residence P.R. Event
Kara Goucher 30 Portland, OR 1:06:57 2007 BUPA Great North Half Marathon
Katie McGregor 31 St. Louis Park, MN 53:51 2006 Medtronic TC 10 Mile
Emily Brown 24 Minneapolis, MN 56:40 2007 Women Run the Cities 10 Mile
Melissa White 27 Royal Oaks, MI 51:48 2006 Utica Boilermaker 15K
Nicole Kulikov-Hagobian 33 Hadley, MA 56:48 2006 Cherry Blossom 10 Mile
Sopagna Eap 27 Eugene, OR 58:40 2006 Pear Blossom 10 Mile
Alissa McKaig 22 Fort Wayne, IN 34:10 2008 Standford 10K
Kara Roy 28 Fort Collins, CO 1:15:49 2008 Shamrock Half Marathon
McKale Davis 24 Stillwater, OK 54:47 2007 Tulsa Run 15K
Melissa Todd 33 Kansas City, MO 58:54 2006 Medtronic TC 10 Mile
The USA Women's 10 Mile Championship prize purse is $25,000. The Women's
event starts ahead of the rest of the Medtronic TC 10 Mile field with a
7:05 a.m. start, Sunday, October 5. Also known as "The Shortcut to the
Capitol" the race starts near the HHH Metrodome, returning to its original
course, after the I-35W Bridge collapse last year forced a temporary
route-change. The course follows the last seven miles of the Medtronic Twin
Cities Marathon route before finishing in front of the State Capitol.
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