Jim Estes
USA Track & Field
Associate Director, Marketing & LDR Programs
317-713-4661
[email protected]

Braun, Carlson lead field for USA Men's 8 km Championship 

INDIANAPOLIS - Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Andrew Carlson (Minneapolis, Minn.) are among the favorites for the USA Men's 8 km Championships in Carmel, Ind. The championships will be hosted by the Carmel Marathon Championship Weekend this Saturday.

Braun, who finished as runner-up in the USA 1 Mile Road Championships last month, will be looking for his first USA road title, while Carlson, the 2010 25 km and 2008 15 km champion will be looking for his third crown.

Braun's McMillan Elite teammate Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.), a member of the U.S. marathon squad for this summer's World Championships, will be among the leading challengers, along with Carlson's Team USA Minnesota teammate Josh Moen (Minneapolis, Minn.), the runner-up at this year's 25 km championships.

Also in the chase for the title will be 2010 USA 20 km champion Sean Quigley (Philadelphia, Pa.); two-time Team USA Cross Country team member Patrick Smyth (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.); and home state favorite Stephen Haas (Bloomington, Ind.).

Live coverage

The USA 8 km Championships will be streamed live in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com beginning at 8:30 Saturday at www.USARunningCircuit.com. 

About the USARC

The USA Men's 8 km Championship is the sixth stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will feature $20,000 in prize money with the champion earning $5,000. The 2011 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 circuit features ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC is a USA Track & Field road series, featuring USA long distance running championships and for the first time will include the USA Cross Country Championships. The USARC attracts the best U.S. distance runners and has ten events for men and nine for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

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 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 2011 USA Men's 8 km Championships visit www.usatf.org.