USA Track & Field – News – Quigley and Boulet return to New Haven to defend USA 20 km crowns

INDIANAPOLIS – Sean Quigley (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) return to the 34th running of the Stratton Faxon New Haven 20K to defend their USA 20 km titles Monday in New Haven, Conn.

On the men's side, Quigley will face a strong field that includes past USA 20 km champions Brett Gotcher (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Abdi Abdirahman (Tucson, Ariz.). Gotcher will be looking to reclaim the title he won here in 2008 while Abdirahman will be looking to repeat his success of 2005.

Also in the mix for the men's title will be 2008 15 km and 2010 25 km champion Andrew Carlson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and his Team USA Minnesota teammate Jason Lehmkuhle (Minneapolis, Minn.), who will look to improve on his third-place finish from 2009.

In the women's race, Boulet, who won last month's Falmouth Road Race will face her 2008 Olympic Marathon teammate Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.) and six-time USA road champion Katie McGregor (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Video highlights

The USA 20 km Championships will be streamed live beginning at 8:40 a.m. EST in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About the USARC

The USA 20 km Championships are the eighth stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will feature over $40,000 in prize money with the men's and women's champions earning $8,000 each. The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The circuit features ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

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 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 2011 USA 20 km Championships visit www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About USA Track & Field

USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track & field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, the World's #1 Track & Field Team, the most-watched events at the Olympics, the #1 high school and junior high school participatory sport, and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States: www.usatf.org.

Jim Estes
USA Track & Field
Associate Director, Marketing & LDR Programs
317-713-4661
Jim.Estes@usatf.org