NE Runner dev site
Woonsocket, R.I. (September 10, 2012) ÛÒ
The 2012 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K announced today the lineup of
elite runners signed on to participate in this yearÛªs 5K race on
September 16. The elite field features Olympic runners, including
athletes who competed in this yearÛªs London Olympics, as well as a
number of nationally-ranked runners vying for championship honors.
ÛÏWeÛªre
so excited about the caliber of elite runners participating in this
yearÛªs CVS Caremark Downtown 5K,Û said Eileen Howard Boone, senior vice
president of corporate communications and community relations for CVS
Caremark. ÛÏEach year, we welcome some of the best runners from around
the world in this unique event which combines elite athletes with
recreational runners, walkers and plenty of fans to cheer everyone on.Û
CVS Caremark
Downtown 5K Race Director Charlie Breagy added, ÛÏThis is one of
the strongest fields of elite runners ever assembled for a U.S. 5K
Road Championship. We are fielding six athletes that have personal
records faster than 13 minutes and 21 seconds. Given this talent pool,
this yearÛªs race should be especially exciting!Û
David McNeill
citizen of Australia, McNeill competed for his country at the
Olympic games in London. He is in the best form of his life and has
run the third fastest time this year of the elite runners competing in
this yearÛªs CVS Caremark Downtown 5K. He ran a personal record of
13:18.60 at Heusden-Zolder in Belgium on July 7.
two national titles in 2011 ÛÒ the 5K championship at the
CVS Caremark Downtown 5K in Providence and the 10K championship at the
Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. A graduate of Dartmouth College in
N.H., he became the first athlete in the schoolÛªs history to run a sub
four-minute mile. True had high expectations of making the Olympic team
for London but was treated for suspected Lyme disease just before the
trials, which affected his performance. He finished in 6th place at the
trials and recovered well, going on to race in Europe where he recorded
personal record performances in both the 5k (13:20.53) and the 3k
(7:44.40).
Alan Webb
U.S. Record Holder for One Mile. USA Olympian/2004 Athens Olympics.
Considered by
many running experts as the most talented runner of his generation,
Webb has earned a number of running accolades. He set the U.S. mile
record of 3:46.91 in Brasschaat on July 21, 2007. In 2004, Webb ran in
two World Championships and the Olympic Games in Athens. As a high
school runner in 2001, he ran the mile in 3:53.43 (Prefonaine Classic
in Eugene, Ore.) ÛÒ breaking a high school record that had been held by
Jim Ryun for 36 years. His list of world-class times continues with
1:43.84 for the 800m; 13:10.86 for the 5000m; and 27:34.72 for the
10,000m.
Andrew Bumbalough
A graduate of Georgetown
University, Bumbalough placed fourth in the U.S. Olympic trials. He has
run the fastest 5K time (13:16.26) of any of the U.S. elite runners
slated to run in this yearÛªs CVS Caremark Downtown 5K. He has been
training in Portland, Ore. with Coach Jerry Schumacher.
Robert Cheseret Champion of the 2010 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K
the 2010 5K championship at the CVS Caremark Downtown 5K in Providence.
He competes for the U.S. Army racing team and is a member of the Army’s
World Class Athlete Program. He was a 3-time PAC-10 track athlete of
the year while attending the University of Arizona. Born in Kapsabet in
the Nandi district of Kenya, Cheseret is now a U.S. citizen. He is the
brother of U.S. champion and 3k, 5k record holder Bernard Lagat. His
personal records are 5k in 13:13 in Oslo 2005, and 10k in 28:20 in
Sacramento.
Ben Bruce
to Providence hoping to improve on his 2nd place finish of 2010. His
special event in track is the 3000m steeplechase where he holds
a personal record of 8:19.10, which he ran in Barcelona, Spain in July
2011. Top performances this year include 1st place at Murfreesboro
(8:26.08); 1st at Kingston (8:34.17); 2nd at Guadeloupe (8:39.21); and
4th at Jacksonville Gate River Run in the 15km (44:47). Despite being
one of the best steeplechasers in the country, Bruce didnÛªt compete
in track and field in high school.
3rd Place in 2010 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K
native of Uganda, Okuti won third place in the 2010 CVS Caremark
Downtown 5K. He graduated from Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y., in
2008.
A.J. Acosta Matched Olympic Gold Medalist Joaquim Cruz’ school record in the 1,500 meters. Acosta
graduated this spring from the University of Oregon where he equaled
the venerable 1500m school record of Olympic champion Joaquim Cruz
(3:36.48). He is an 8-time All American and a 2-time NCAA champion as
a member of the distance medley relay team.
Aaron Braun
3rd Place in 2011 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K
A graduate of Adams State College in Colorado, Braun was the
third place finisher in the 2011 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K. At Adams
State College, he won six NCAA Division 11 championships in track and
cross country. Braun finished a strong track season setting personal
records of 13:20.25 for the 5000m (Portland, Ore.) and 27:41.54 for the
10,000m (Eugene, Ore.).
Elliott Heath Successful Newcomer to Road Racing. A Recent
graduate of Stanford University, Heath is a celebrated newcomer to road
racing. He was NCAA champion in 2011 at the 3000m indoors. He has
personal records of 3:58.48 for the mile (Cork, Ireland); 7:45.26 for
the 3000m (Dublin, Ireland); and 13:26.14 for the 5000m (Palo
Alto, Calif.).
Leonard Korir
Two-Time NCAA Champion while at Iona College Korir
is a graduate of Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. He was NCAA
Champion on two occasions. He won the NCAA indoor 5000m title at
College Station, Texas in March 2011 and the NCAA 10,000m title in Des
Moines, Iowa in June 2011. He holds personal records of 13:19.54 for
the 5,000m and 27:29.40 for the 10,000m.
Some of the elite women runners slated to run in the 2012 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K include:
Molly Huddle
USA Olympian. 2012 London Olympics. A
resident of Providence, R.I., Huddle competed in the Olympic Games in
London, finishing first for the USA in 11th place in the final. She
holds the distinction of being the U.S. National record holder for
5000m with a time of 14:44.76, set in Brussels, Belgium in August 2010.
Huddle is the winner of the last three consecutive U.S. 10K road
championships. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame
where she was a record ten-time All American.
Gabriele Anderson
26-Year-Old Cancer Survivor. 4th Place in the 1500m at the 2012 Olympic Trials. Anderson
is a remarkable athlete who battled two bouts of cancer and then sprung
back into the best shape of her life to finish in 4th place at the 2012
Olympic trials in Eugene, Ore. Her personal record times are 4:04.84
for the 1500m; 8:43.52 for the 3000m; and 15:45.99 for the 5000m.
Katie McGregor Accomplished Runner on both Road & Track McGregor
has worked hard to build an impressive running career on both road
and track. She placed 2nd in the 2011 U.S. 10K Road Championship
circuit and 3rd in the 20K Championship. 2010 was a great year
for McGregor, putting her in the spotlight as U.S. Champion at three
distances: 10 miles, 15K and 25K.
Neely Spence
Eight-Time NCAA D2 Champion Spence
was an eight-time Division 2 champion who gave up her senior indoor and
outdoor track seasons to become a professional runner. She runs for the
Hansons-Brooks Team out of Rochester Hills, Mich., with a personal
record time of 15:27.72 for the 5000m. She has a strong family pedigree
given that her father and former coach Steve Spence won a Bronze medal
in the 1991 World Marathon Championship.
Meghan Peyton
Four-Time All American
Peyton
is a four-time All American and was a Big Ten 3000m indoor and 10000m
outdoor champion while at the University of Iowa. She runs for Team USA
Minnesota and has a 5000m best of 15:41.1.
Lindsey Scherf
Discovered Running to be Her Lifeline to Success Scherf
was a four-time All American at Harvard University. She ran for
the University of Oregon while at graduate school and for the USA in
the World Cross Country Championships. She holds a personal record of
15:42.81 for the 5000m. Despite graduating from Harvard and holding a
masterÛªs degree, success in the classroom did not come easily
to Scherf. She struggled with dyslexia when she was younger and credits
running ÛÒ which she discovered at the age of 10 ÛÒ for changing her
world and teaching her that she could achieve success in anything.
Kellyn Johnson
Strong Performance in Olympic Trials Johnson is
based in Flagstaff, Ariz., and runs for the Adidas McMillan Elite. Her
strong performance in the Olympic trials can be attributed to her
challenging spring racing program. Johnson set new personal records in
June of 15:31.66 for 5000m in Portland, Ore., and 32:30.40 for 10000m
in Eugene, Ore.
Elizabeth Maloy Participated in Olympic Trials
Maloy
is a graduate of Georgetown University where she was four time Big East
Champion and a four time All American. She finished 7th in the U.S.
Olympic Trials and has a 5K best of 15:15.34 set in Ligano, Sabbiadoro
in July 2012.
Tara Erdmann Recently Set Personal Records
Erdmann
is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University. Since becoming a
professional runner she has become the latest member of the elite Nike
Oregon Project. She had a great month in June 2012 where she set
personal records for the 5000m, which she ran in 15:33.92 in Portland,
Ore., and the 10,000m, which she ran in 32:09.15 in Eugene, Ore.
The
CVS Caremark Downtown 5K includes 21 different races for children,
pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, including the CVS Caremark All
Kids Can㢠Inspirational event for children with physical and
intellectual disabilities (youth races run from 8 a.m. ÛÒ 10:30 a.m.); a
3K Inspirational event for high school runners that incorporates a
costume contest and is sponsored by Tufts Health Plan (3K begins at
12:15 p.m.); and the 5K event, which draws elite athletes, as well
as amateur runners competing as individuals or on college, corporate
and gym teams. Walkers and wheelchair athletes are also welcome to
participate. The 5K event begins at 11:15 a.m.
Additional information about the 2012 CVS Caremark Downtown 5K is as follows:
Registration and Race Packet Pickup
Registration is available online ÛÒ at lower fees than mail-in and onsite registration ÛÒ from now through September 10 at www.cvsdowntown5k.com. Mail-in
forms, which can be accessed through the website, can be sent
in through September 6. Onsite registration and packet pickup will be
available on September 13 and 14 from noon to 6 p.m. and on September
15 (the day before the race) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Rhode Runner,
Rhode IslandÛªs premier running and walking retailer, located at 657
North Main Street in Providence. Registration and packet pickup will
also be available on race morning (starting at 7:15 a.m.) at Station
Park in Providence ÛÒ located at the corner of Francis Street and Gaspee
Street; adjacent to the Providence Place Mall and the Rhode Island
State House. All registrants will receive a CVS Caremark Downtown
5K T-shirt.
Parking
Approximately 1,000 free parking
spaces are available at the Rhode Island State House parking lots.
These spaces get filled quickly ÛÒ usually before 9:30 a.m. on race day
ÛÒ so plan to arrive early. Other parking options include the Providence
Place Mall garage and the Rhode Island Convention Center garage ÛÒ both
for a fee.
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