RI’s Huddle Wins 3rd US 10K Title at Tufts

BOSTON – American record holder Molly Huddle
(Providence, R.I.) sprinted home in 32:00 at the Tuft’s Health Plan 10K
for Women to win her third consecutive USA Women’s 10 km title Monday.

A near record field of 6,725 women started the 34th edition of the Columbus Day race, with Huddle, Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.), Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and Genoveva Kigen of Kenya leading the field through the first mile in 5:08.

As the field raced along Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Huddle and Kigen
controlled the pace with Rhines and McGregor maintaining close contact.

After passing 5 kilometers in 16:14, McGregor began
to fall back from the leaders and as the race turned onto the
Massachusetts Avenue Bridge after four miles McGregor was 20 meters
down from the leaders, and by four and a half miles, Huddle and Kigen
pulled away from Rhines as they raced down Commonwealth Avenue.

Over the final mile, Huddle and Kigen were stride for stride and as
they made the final turn on to Charles Street, Huddle found one more
gear, pulling away from Kigen for a four second win.

Rhines held on for third overall, running 32:16 to claim the runner-up
position in the championship. McGregor rounded out the U.S. top- three,
taking fourth overall in 32:44.

Video highlights

Highlights of the USA Women’s 10 km Championship are available in
cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About the USARC

The USA Women’s 10 km Championship was the ninth stop for women on the 2010 USA Running Circuit (USARC).

McGregor currently leads the women’s standings with 55 points, while her Team USA Minnesota teammate Antonio Vega (Minneapolis, Minn.) finished the year on top of the men’s standings with 44 points.

The 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 each for men and
women.

The 2010 USARC will once again see a record
amount of circuit prize money for a non-Olympic year with total prize
purse of $623,850 offered by host events. U.S. athletes will also have
the opportunity to qualify for various Team USA events, including the
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and the Chiba International
Ekiden.

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 2010 USA Running Circuit, visit www.USARunningCircuit.com.