FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. Named Host of
USATF National Championship Events
USA Women's, Men's and Masters' Marathon Championships, USA Men's and
Women's 10 Mile Championships and Inaugural USA 1 Mile Road Championships
part of Award
(Minneapolis, MN) – USA Track & Field has named Twin Cities Marathon, Inc.
host of the inaugural 2009 Men's and Women's USA 1 Mile Road Championships
through 2012 with an annual prize purse of $20,000. Also awarded were the
2009 USA Women's Marathon Championship and the 2009 USA Men's 10 Mile
Championship. Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. will also host the 2010 USA Men's
Marathon Championship and the 2010 USA Women's 10 Mile Championship. The
current USA Masters Marathon Championships are held at Medtronic Twin
Cities Marathon through 2010, and will now continue through 2015. The
announcements were made during the 30th USA Track & Field Annual Meeting.
Championship events offer professional runners the chance to compete for
the national title and a significant prize purse.
"USATF is delighted to work with Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. in presenting
these championship events," said Fred Finke, Interim High Performance
Division Chair and Long Distance Running Chair, USATF. "Twin Cities
Marathon, Inc. has a long history of support for American athletes and the
development of distance running in this country. Their quality events and
attention to the athletes reflects the mission of USATF and makes the Twin
Cities a natural choice for hosting national championships."
The 5th annual 2009 Medtronic TC 1 Mile, which will serve as the Inaugural
USA 1 Mile Road Championships, takes place on Thursday, May 7 along the
Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. Race officials expect a very competitive
field in what has become the second largest one mile road race in the
nation. "This will be the first time for a road mile championship in USATF
history and we're excited and honored to have the opportunity to showcase
Minneapolis in this way," said Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. race director
Brian Mastel.
The Twin Cities will host the 28th annual Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
and 11th annual Medtronic TC 10 Mile on Sunday, October 4, 2009. As host
to the USA Women's Marathon Championship, and the USA Masters Marathon
Championships, and USA Men's 10 Mile Championship, Twin Cities Marathon,
Inc. will welcome top-named athletes from across the nation, who will
compete for a USA Women's Marathon Championship prize purse of $72,500 and
a USA Men's 10 Mile Championship prize purse of $25,000.
"The timing of hosting these championships on October 4 means top athletes
from all over the United States will comprise our professional fields, as
the women compete for the national title and as the men prepare for the
2008 USA Men's Marathon Championship later in the year," said Twin Cities
Marathon, Inc. executive director Virginia Brophy Achman. "As we saw in
2007 when we hosted the Men's 10 Mile Championship, this race draws a very
competitive field because the distance ties in closely with training for a
final long distance event like the marathon championship. It will be an
exciting year for us and we are proud to have been selected as host of all
of these events."
Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. hosted the 2008 USA Women's 10 Mile Championship
and the 2008 USA Men's Marathon and Masters Marathon Championships on
October 5.
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