USA MEN'S 8-K CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE REVIVED FOR 2011
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

After a two-year hiatus, the USA Men's 8-K Championship will be revived for 2011, USA Track & Field announced yesterday.  The championship will be held for the first time since 2008 in Carmel, Ind., on Saturday, June 11, part of a larger and new race festival called the Carmel Marathon Championship Weekend.  A total prize money purse of $20,000 will be on offer, and the race will be part of the 2011 USA Road Circuit.

"Having a championship in our back yard gives USATF an opportunity to connect with our local community," said USATF CEO Doug Logan in a statement, referring to the 15 mile (24 km) distance between USATF's Indianapolis headquarters and Carmel.  "With the growth of long distance running as a social movement and the array of events offered in Carmel, this country's top distance runners will have the chance to be center stage on a day that will celebrate the best our sport has to offer."

But the date for the championship may be problematic for athletes and coaches.  The race date is just two weeks before the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., where the best American distance runners must compete in order to be selected for the national team for the 2011 IAAF World Championships in athletics (top-3 finishers in each event with the relevant global time standard make the team).  While some coaches may see the 8-K as a good tune-up opportunity for the national track championships, others may view it as a risky outing which may depress performance at the national track meet.

The event most recently had been held in the early spring.  From 2002 through 2005, then from 2007 through 2008, the championship was held in New York City and hosted by the New York Road Runners (the championship had not been held since 1993 before the Road Runners resurrected it).  The event was timed to capitalize on the fitness of athletes who had pointed for the IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in the same, late-March timeframe.  Top athletes supported the championship in large numbers (typically over 40 entrants).  Every winner in that series was, or became, an Olympian (Tim Broe, 2002; Meb Keflezighi, 2003 and 2004; Jorge Torres, 2005 and 2008; and Anthony Famiglietti, 2007).  The NYRR discontinued the championship after 2008 to shift their support to the USA Marathon Championship for men in 2009, and women in 2010.

Here is a list of the top-5 finishers from the most recent USA Men's 8-K Championship races.  The championship has been held 14 times since 1986.


2002 (New York City/Central Park):
1. Tim Broe, 24, ADID, MI                        22:26
2. Dan Browne, 26, NIKE, OR                      22:29
3. Anthony Famiglietti, 23, ADIDAS, TN            22:30 
4. Abdi Abdirahman, 25, NIKE, AZ                  22:42
5. Matt Downin, 25, NEWB, NH                      22:53

2003 (New York City/Central Park):
1. Meb Keflezighi, 27, Mammoth Lakes, CA          22:27.3
2. Chad Johnson, 26, Portland, OR                22:38.7
3. Abdi Abdirahman, 26, Tucson, AZ                22:41.4
4. Tim Broe, 25, Ann Arbor, MI                    22:46.3
5. Dave Davis, 24, Portland, OR                  22:48.5

2004 (New York City/Central Park):
1. Meb Keflezighi, 28, CA (Nike)                  22:15.5
2. Anthony Famiglietti, 25, TN (adidas)          22:25.3
3. Bolota Asmerom, 25, CA (Nike)                  22:28.3
4. Ryan Kirkpatrick, 25, CO (U.S. Army)          22:31.4
5. Chad Johnson, 27, OR (Nike)                    22:32.5

2005 (New York City/Randall's Island):
1. Jorge Torres, 24, CO (Reebok)                  22:46.8
2. Abdi Abdirahman, 28, AZ (Nike)                22:55.5
3. Anthony Famiglietti, 26, NY (adidas)          23:01.2
4. Ryan Shay, 25, MI (Nike)                      23:04.2
5. Max King, 25, OR (Team XO)                    23:06.1

2006 (not held)

2007 (New York City/Central Park):
1. Anthony Famiglietti, 28, New York, NY, adidas, 22:34.4
2. Abdi Abdirahman, 30, Tucson, AZ, Nike          22:40.1
3. Bolota Asmerom, 28, Oakland, CA, Nike          22:47.9
4. Dan Browne, 31, Portland, OR, Nike            22:51.9
5. Ed Moran, 25, Williamsburg, VA, Nike          22:53.1

2008 (New York City/Central Park):
1. Jorge Torres, 27, Boulder, CO, Reebok          22:41.2
2. Andrew Carlson, 25, Bloomington, MN, adidas    22:41.9
3. Jason Hartmann, 26, Eugene, OR, Nike          22:47.7
4. James Carney, 29, Boulder, CO, New Balance    22:52.5
5. Fasil Bizuneh, 27, Flagstaff, AZ, New Balance  23:02.1 

2009 (not held)

2010 (not scheduled)

ENDS