01-28-2008
   
Contact:
Jim Estes
Senior Manager of LDR and Marketing
USA Track & Field
317-713-4661

INDIANAPOLIS - USA Track & Field has announced that the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k will host the 2008 edition of the USA Men's 10 km Championship on April 5, in Richmond, Va.

The fourth-largest 10 km in the U.S., the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K had more than 25,000 runners in 2007 and will feature a total of $25,000 in prize money with $7,500 for the champion. Top U.S. men. including Olympian Dan Browne, are expected to join the 2008 field.

"We welcome the addition of the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k to our USA Men's Championship circuit," said Glenn Latimer, Chair of Men's Long distance Running for USATF. "In an Olympic year this is a chance for our top distance runners to race on the roads in a quality event, before their focus turns to track racing."

The 2008 event is hosted and organized by the Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers, which organizes more than 35 different events in the Richmond area with 79,000 participants and 262,000 spectators including: the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k, USATF Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships, USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships, SunTrust Richmond Marathon, Capital One Adventure Games and McDonald's X-Country Festival.

The Sports Backers also help motivate thousands of area youth to be more active on a regular basis through the Fit For Life youth running program.

About the USARC

The USA Men's 10 km Championship will be the fourth race on the 2008 USA Running Circuit (USARC). The USARC is a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from 5 km to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The fourteenth edition for the men and thirteenth for the women, the 2008 USARC has eight events for men and nine events for women.

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 USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

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 $4 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2008 USA Men's 10 km Championships visit www.usatf.org.