Keflezighi, Huddle take USA 7 Mile titles in Davenport

DAVENPORT - 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist Meb Keflezighi (San Diego, Calif.) took his third U.S. title of 2009, running 32:25 at the USA 7 Mile Championships Saturday in Davenport, Iowa. Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) bested the women's field as she won her second career U.S. road title in 37:39. The championships were hosted by the Quad-Cities Times Bix 7.

Opening with a 5:01 uphill mile, Keflezighi, the 2009 half marathon and cross country champion led wire to wire as he out-paced 2009 15 km champion Anthony Famiglietti (Knoxville, Tenn.). Into the downhill second mile, Keflezighi unleashed a 4:08 that left him clear of the field as he cruised to the 31 second win over Famiglietti.

James Carney (Boulder, Colo.) took third in 33:17, while Brian Olinger (Columbus, Ohio) and Antonio Vega (Saint Paul, Minn.) rounded out the top-five in 33:30 and 33:35 respectively.

The women's race saw 2008 USA 10 km champion Huddle battle with Serena Burla (Ellisville, Mo.) and 2008 Olympic marathoner Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) through six miles. Going up the final hill Huddle made her move and pulled away from the pair and ran to a five second win over Burla. Boulet held on for third, running 37:46 as Ilsa Paulson (New York, N.Y.) and Sally Meyerhoff rounded out the top-five in 37:54 and 38:04 respectively.

About the USARC

The USA 7 Mile Championships was the sixth stop for men and the fifth for women on the 2009 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and paid $45,000 in U.S. prize money with Keflezighi and Huddle picking up $10,000 each for the respective men's and women's titles. The 2009 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 2009 USARC has ten events each for men and women.

Famiglietti currently leads the men's circuit with 39 points and Boulet leads the women with 37 points. 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 $6 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.

For more information on the 2009 USA 7 Mile Championships visit www.usatf.org.