Team Running USA Athletes Ready for Olympic Trials in Eugene – National titles and Beijing berths at stake in return to Track Town USA

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field open on Friday, June 27 in Eugene, Ore. and with national titles and coveted Beijing Olympic U.S. team berths at stake, America's best distance runners including nine Team Running USA athletes – Olympians Meb Keflezighi, Dan Browne and Jen Rhines and Steve Slattery, Sara Slattery, Sara Hall, Ian Dobson, Julia Lucas and Jacques Sallberg – will be peaking for the competition which returns to venerated Hayward Field and Track Town USA after a 28 year hiatus.

Team Running USA already has put two athletes – Olympic Marathon Trials champions Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor – on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, and if all goes well, several more teammates will join Hall and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Kastor in Beijing, China.

The training group's coaches – Terrence Mahon and Bob Larsen – are confident that their charges "who are excited for the competition to start are ready to make a run at the Olympic team in their respective events."

On opening day, the women's 10,000 meters is the first Trials final, and Team Running USA's Sara Slattery will likely face U.S. record holder and 2004 Olympian Shalane Flanagan, 2007 World Championship bronze medalist Kara Goucher, rising star Molly Huddle, 2008 NCAA 10,000m champion Lisa Koll and 2005 USA 10,000 meter champion Katie McGregor.

The next distance final – the men's 5000 meters – on Monday, June 30 will be perhaps the most competitive at the Trials with 12 Olympic "A" qualifiers including 2007 World champion Bernard Lagat, Matt Tegenkamp, Chris Solinsky, Bolota Asmerom, Brent Vaughn and Team Running USA's Ian Dobson.

On July 4 in the evening, the women's 5000 meter and men's 10,000 meter finals will be contested. Two-time Olympian Jen Rhines leads the Team Running USA contingent against other sub-15 minute qualifiers Flanagan, Goucher and Lauren Fleshman, while teammates 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist and defending Trials champion Meb Keflezighi, Dan Browne and Dobson square off for 25 laps against two-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2006 USA 10,000m champion Jorge Torres, Ed Moran, James Carney and emerging star Scott Bauhs.

In the men's 3000 meter steeplechase, Team Running USA's Steve Slattery, who has the top qualifying time (8:15.69), and Jacques Sallberg should make the final on Saturday, July 5 for their Beijing opportunity.

Sara Hall, wife of Ryan, will run the 1500 meters which is also a stacked Trials event with 13 women including Team Running USA's Hall, favorite Shannon Rowbury, 2007 national champion Treniere Clement, Christin Wurth, Erin Donohue and Amy Mortimer with qualifying times under 4:10. The women's 1500m final is on the last day of Trials competition, Sunday, July 6.

Below is the Team Running USA athlete race schedule at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene:

WOMEN
1500 meters
Thursday, July 3, 7:30pm (quarterfinal); Friday, July 4, 8:25pm (semi) and Sunday, July 6, 4:05pm (final)
Sara Hall (ASICS), 4:08.99, qualifying time

5000 meters
Monday, June 30, 8:50pm (semi) and Friday, July 4, 8:55pm (final)
Jen Rhines (adidas), 14:54.29
Sara Slattery (adidas), 15:18.18
Julia Lucas (Reebok), 15:33.05

10,000 meters
Friday, June 27, 9:20pm (final)
Sara Slattery (adidas), 32:54.41

MEN
3000m steeplechase
Thursday, July 3, 9:10pm (semi) and Saturday, July 5, 2:45pm (final)
Steve Slattery (Nike), 8:15.69
Jacques Sallberg, 8:32.47

5000 meters
Friday, June 27, 8:40pm (semi) and Monday, June 30, 9:40pm (final)
Ian Dobson (adidas), 13:18.87
Dan Browne (Nike), 13:38.35

10,000 meters
Friday, July 4, 9:20pm (final)
Meb Keflezighi (Nike), 27:41.36
Dan Browne (Nike), 28:05.49
Ian Dobson (adidas), 28:16.47

TV Schedule for the 2008 Olympic Trials
All times are Eastern; subject to change; check local listings

June 28
12:00-1:00am, USA
June 28
8:00-9:00pm, NBC
June 29
7:00-8:00pm, NBC
June 30
11:00pm-1:00am, USA
July 3
11:00pm-1:00am, USA
July 4
11:00pm-1:00am, USA
July 5
5:00-6:00pm, NBC
July 6
7:00-9:00pm, NBC

For more Olympic Trials information including complete entrant list and event schedule, go to: www.usatf.org/events/2008/OlympicTrials-TF/

About Team Running USA
Team Running USA is a national athlete development program created by Running USA, a national industry organization. The mission of Team Running USA is to support, promote and assist the development of U.S. distance runners.

Since 2001, Team Running USA athletes have won two Olympic medals, 12 World Cross Country Championship medals and four major marathons, set one world road record, 23 national records and numerous personal records, earned 60 national titles and five USARC Grand Prix titles and added to world and U.S. all-time lists. In short, they are the most accomplished distance training group in the United States.

Supported by the New York Road Runners, Running USA, the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Atlanta Track Club, the program's athletes utilize the resources at Mammoth Lakes for high / low altitude training and the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista for sea level training throughout the year. Renowned and Olympic coaches Joe Vigil and Bob Larsen and coach Terrence Mahon coordinate this elite group.

For more information on Team Running USA including sponsorship opportunities or to make a donation,

contact: Ryan Lamppa, (805) 696-6232, ryan@runningusa.org or visit: RunningUSA.org