29-08-2013, 09:39 AM
The 2013 USA 20K Championships will be held on Monday, Sept. 2 at the 36thStratton Faxon New Haven Road Race in Connecticut. Two-time Olympian Matt Tegenkamp returns to defend his title, while 2012 national runner-up Molly Pritz will look to improve on her performance from last year.
To repeat, Tegenkamp, 31, will need to beat a top field including fellow U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2012 runner-up Luke Puskedra, marathoner Jason Hartmann,
Shadrack Biwott and Josphat Boit. Biwott was third at the USA 10K Championships in July. Boit was runner-up in the USA 25K Championships in May and fifth at the national half-marathon championships in June. Tegenkamp, who was fourth at the 25K nationals, is gearing up for his debut in the marathon that he will make in Chicago this October.
In the women's race, defending champion Renee Metivier Baillie will not compete. That may mean an opportunity for Pritz, 25, the 2011 USA 25K champion and also the top American woman at the ING NYC Marathon that year. Other women to watch include three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (5th, 2013 USA 10 Mile Championships), Mattie Suver (2nd, 2013 USA 25K Championships), Tara Erdmann (2nd, 2012 USA 10K Championships), Lindsey Scherf (2nd, 2012 USA 25K Championships) and Alisha Williams (2nd, 2013 USA 15K Championships).
To repeat, Tegenkamp, 31, will need to beat a top field including fellow U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2012 runner-up Luke Puskedra, marathoner Jason Hartmann,
Shadrack Biwott and Josphat Boit. Biwott was third at the USA 10K Championships in July. Boit was runner-up in the USA 25K Championships in May and fifth at the national half-marathon championships in June. Tegenkamp, who was fourth at the 25K nationals, is gearing up for his debut in the marathon that he will make in Chicago this October.
In the women's race, defending champion Renee Metivier Baillie will not compete. That may mean an opportunity for Pritz, 25, the 2011 USA 25K champion and also the top American woman at the ING NYC Marathon that year. Other women to watch include three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (5th, 2013 USA 10 Mile Championships), Mattie Suver (2nd, 2013 USA 25K Championships), Tara Erdmann (2nd, 2012 USA 10K Championships), Lindsey Scherf (2nd, 2012 USA 25K Championships) and Alisha Williams (2nd, 2013 USA 15K Championships).