The Napa-to-Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon has attracted some of the best names in running for the July 19-20 event. The event, produced by Destination Races and presented by Newton Running, is part of a nationwide event series. Headlining the flagship Napa-to-Sonoma race weekend will be Olympic Silver Medalist, 2014 Boston Marathon Champion and 2009 New York City Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi. He will be the guest speaker at the race expo and race dinner.  Keflezighi will also lead the race on an ElliptiGO bike next to running legendMary Decker Slaney, who will lead the female runners.

Highlighting the elite field is Ryan Hall, the American Half Marathon course record holder in 59:43, and US Olympian in the marathon at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic games.  Hall will be running in his first Wine Country Half Marathon at Napa-to-Sonoma. Tesfaye Alemayehu, the 4-time defending champion and Napa-to-Sonoma course record holder (1:02:38) returns, as doesSergio Reyes, winner of the 2014 Flying Pig Marathon and 2014 Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon.  Ben Bruce and Craig Leon, who finished 13th and 27th respectively in the USA Half Marathon Championships earlier this year, will also challenge. 

Not to be overshadowed, the women’s elite field includes Lauren Fleshman, two-time USA champion in the 5,000. Fleshman is a profound elite runner, writer and entrepreneur. She is a regular columnist to The Fast Life in Runners World Magazine and RunnersWorld.com. She will be a guest speaker at the race expo along with competing in the race.  Fleshman makes her half-marathon debut at Napa-to-Sonoma against former Stanford teammate Sara Hall, who broke the course record (1:14:33) in her first half marathon at the 2013 Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon.  Laurie Knowles, Jane Kibii, and Rowan Torckler are also in contention for the coveted women’s title.