USA 15K Championship to be Held in Jacksonville | Sports Destination Management
 

USA 15K Championship to be Held in Jacksonville

Share
Mar 10, 2014
Elite Field Includes Five Olympians, Four Past Race Champions, and Many Major Road Racing Names

The 37th running of the GATE River Run 15K, host of the USA 15K Championship, will be held on Saturday, Mar. 15 in Jacksonville, FL.

The event is shaping up with another record year for participation, and the men’s and women’s elite fields are on pace to be among the strongest ever.

“So far 2014 is on pace with near record growth with more than 15,000 entries to date, and our elite field is star-studded with the top American distance runners,” said Race Director Doug Alred.

The elite field in the USA 15K Championship includes:

  • 5 Olympians

  • 4 past Gate River Run Champions including 2013 defending champions Ben True and Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (2012 and 2013)

  • Shalane Flanagan, Olympic bronze medalist and current American Record holder at 10,000 meters

  • Both 2014 US Cross-Country champions Chris Derrick and Amy Van Alstine

  • 6 of the top 7 men from 2013

  • 6 of the top 8 women from 2013

  • 15 competitive teams from 8 states vying for the TenBroeck Cup

Alred also announced a new finish line for the 2014 race due to construction at EverBank Stadium.  The race will finish at the Tailgate Zone on the south end of the Stadium in parking lot D. He also announced a new Wheelchair Division.

 Race day enhancements include live streaming results at jacksonville.com and on WJXT’s news4jax.com, and the addition of the RaceJoy mobile app with access to key race information, instant results, and live tracking.

Last year more than 23,000 runners and walkers participated in the day’s five events, making the event Jacksonville’s largest participatory sporting event.  This popular Jacksonville tradition starts and finishes at the Jacksonville Sports Complex.  The event is hosted by JTC Running.

The top 5,000 runners will be seeded again this year to start in the front. The Equalizer Bonus will again award $5000 to either the first male or female finisher to cross the finish line.  The Gate River Run is the site of both the men’s and women’s U.S. 15K records and is a Runner’s World ‘Top 100 Event.’  A large post-race party will be held at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds.

For more information, visit this site.

(Click to Expand)