2009 USA 7 Mile Championships
TOP AMERICANS TO COMPETE AT BIX 7 TOMORROW
By David Monti
(c) 2009 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission
It may be an odd distance, but it is undoubtedly one terrific race.
For
the 35th time, the Quad-City Times Bix 7 Mile will be held tomorrow in
Davenport, Ia., and for the second time the event will hold a USA road
racing championship for the seven mile distance, just .728 kilometers
short of 12 km. USA titles will be awarded to both men and women, and
a $45,000 prize money purse will be distributed.
"This is just
what we needed to help us celebrate our 35th anniversary," said race
director Ed Froehlich when the championship was announced back in
January. "We will strive to get all of the top American runners to
come and compete."
He's been mostly successful in achieving that
goal. The men's race is shaping up to be a three-way battle between
top stars Meb Keflezighi, Anthony Famiglietti and James Carney, all of
whom would love to cash the winner's $10,000 check. Keflezighi, the
2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist, was the Bix champion in 2002,
the last time the race was a national championship. He's already won
the national half-marathon and cross country titles so far this year.
Famiglietti, a two-time Olympian in the steeplechase, won the national
15-K title back in March, and was second at the USA 10-K championships
on July 4th. Carney was most recently fourth at the USA Outdoor
Championships at 10,000m, missing a berth on the national team for the
IAAF World Championships by just one place.
The women's field is
well-balanced, but veteran Magdalena Lewy Boulet has to be considered
the favorite. An Olympic marathoner last year, Lewy Boulet won her
first USA title last January over the half-marathon distance in
Houston. Her key challengers will be former Notre Dame star Molly
Huddle, 2009 NYRR New York Mini 10-K runner-up Serena Burla, national
25-K champion Sally Meyerhoff, and lawyer turned distance runner Kelly
Jaske.
Getting a fast time at the Bix isn't easy. Runners have
to negotiate the infamous Brady Street Hill (7 to 9% grade for
one-third of a mile) just after the start, and the weather is typically
warm and very humid. The course records are 31:52 by five-time winner
John Korir of Kenya set in 1998, and 35:24 by two-time winner Susan
Chepkemei, also of Kenya, set in 2004.
The Bix is also a big
event; last year's race had 10,565 finishers and there were more in the
two-mile "Quick Bix" and "Jr. Bix" for children.
ENDS
Status of Entries
Men |
|
|
|
Mebrahtom Keflezighi |
San Diego |
CA |
Nike |
Anthony Famiglietti |
Knoxville |
TN |
Saucony |
Dan Browne |
San Diego |
CA |
WCAP |
James Carney |
Boulder |
CO |
New Balance |
Ian Burrell |
Flagstaff |
AZ |
Adidas |
Michael Kilburg |
Rochester Hills |
MI |
Hansons-Brooks |
Jason Lehmkuhle |
Minneapolis |
MN |
Team USA Minnesota |
Josh Moen |
St. Louis Park |
MN |
Team USA Minnesota/Strands |
Brian Sell |
Rochester Hills |
MI |
Hansons-Brooks |
Forest Braden |
Spokane |
WA |
Unattached |
Celedonio Rodriquez |
Alamosa |
CO |
Strands |
Bret Schoolmeester |
Portland |
OR |
Nike |
Jason Hartmann |
Boulder |
CO |
Strands |
Antonio Vega |
Saint Paul |
MN |
Mizuno |
Stephen Furst |
Raleigh |
NC |
Adidas Raleigh Track Club |
Nick Arciniaga |
Rochester Hills |
MI |
Hansons-Brooks |
Brian Olinger |
Columbus |
OH |
Reebok |
Jeffrey Eggleston |
Flagstaff |
AZ |
Brooks |
Dale Dexter |
Olathe |
KS |
Unattached |
Bill Rodgers |
Sherborn |
MA |
Unattached |
|
|
|
|
|
Women |
|
|
|
|
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet |
Oakland |
CA |
35 |
Saucony |
Serena Burla |
Ellisville |
MO |
26 |
Riadha |
Sally Meyerhoff |
Eugene |
OR |
25 |
Unattached |
Kelly Jaske |
Portland |
OR |
33 |
Nike |
Elva Dryer |
Gunnison |
CO |
37 |
Strands |
Molly Huddle |
Providence |
RI |
24 |
Saucony |
Zoila Gomez |
Alamosa |
CO |
30 |
Strands |
Meghan Armstrong |
Minneapolis |
MN |
23 |
Team USA Minnesota/ Strands |
Kathy Newberry |
Williamsburg |
VA |
30 |
NYAC |
Jill Steffens |
Athens |
GA |
23 |
New Balance |
Racheal Marchand |
|
|
23 |
Asics |
Michelle Lilienthal |
Minneapolis |
MN |
27 |
Team USA Minnesota |
Kristen Fryburg |
Boulder |
CO |
28 |
Unattached |
Kristen Lehmkuhle |
Minneapolis |
MN |
31 |
Team USA Minnesota |
Caroline White |
Colorado Springs |
CO |
24 |
USAF |
Melisa Christian |
Dallas |
TX |
35 |
Unattached |
Joan Samuelson |
Freeport |
ME |
52 |
Nike |
Ilsa Paulson |
New York |
NY |
20 |
Unattached |