5 (more) Questions with the Gate River Run Elite Athlete Coordinator, Richard Fannin

Richard Fannin will be everywhere this weekend

Today we have five more with more questions with the man behind the elite fields at this weekend's Gate River Run 15k National Championship. Here's the first set of 5 Questions with Mr. Fannin (from 2012) and the 2013 edition is below! Follow the race this Saturday on Runnerspace.

5 (more) Questions with Richard Fannin

1. Writing About Running: The Gate River Run 15k kicks off the road racing season each year. Everyone is excited for a new beginning. How does that energy translate to your event?

Richard Fannin: Yes, it seems that after a long track season, and the big fall marathons, everyone is ready to rest and re-group over the holidays. Many of these runners train in cold winter locations and are excited about an early season fitness test in balmy Florida. There is usually a little element of mystery, as many runners haven't raced in a few months and this is often their first race of the year. The slate is clean on the USA Running Circuit - and it is open season !

2. Writing About Running: American distance running icon, Todd Williams, set the American Record here in 1995 with a scintillating 42:22. How has that record stood for 18 years?

Todd Williams in Adidas' "Runners, Yeah we're different" ad

Richard Fannin: Todd Williams' American (and course) record was the result of a great runner having one of those perfect days where it all clicked. The course was a little different that year, with a long downhill ramp coming off the Hart Bridge. But that was such a great performance, I think it would still be the American Record on the current course, just maybe 15-20 seconds slower.

3. Writing About Running: You fly a great deal of athletes in, put them up in a nice hotel, feed them and host a post-race party. What else is it that makes this weekend such a "can't miss" on the USA Running Circuit?

Richard Fannin: We really do try to pay attention to every last little detail for the runners, and we have assembled a great group of volunteers here from JTC Running that get it done! My belief is that the less they have to worry about logistics, and the more relaxed they are, the better they can perform on race day. And as mentioned earlier, Jacksonville in early March typically has lows in the fifties and highs in the seventies - and tons of sunshine - that makes this race an easy sell after often long cruel winters in Minneapolis, Mammoth, Flagstaff, Boulder, etc.

4. Writing About Running: You are very plugged in to the sport. What changes could be made, in your opinion, to move the sport forward?

Richard Fannin: I think the advent of the big teams and training groups is the best thing that has happened to US distance running in 20 years. It has allowed many more elites to forego the professional world for a few years and focus solely on their sport. The team competition we created five years ago was designed to really reward and encourage those teams that are making it happen. A lot of runners come here and - although they might not finish in Top 10, end up going home with some nice prize money. The team competition is something we hope will catch on around the USATF circuit. I know the 8k championships is having a team competition this year.

5. Writing About Running: What's new for the 2013 edition of the Gate River Run?

Richard Fannin: We have several new things we are excited about this year. The first is that The Equalizer bonus is going to be 6 minutes 35 seconds .. based on our new formula of using the exact split the prior 3 years, averaged to the second, which we think will make for a very close race.

Craig Virgin on multiple Track & Field News covers

As referenced earlier, the team race is not new, but this year is the largest and most robust it has ever been; with teams from Hansons Brooks, Asics Aggies, Adidas Boulder Running Company (ADP), Boulder Track Club, ASTF, New Balance Silicon Valley, Nike Team Run LA, Sacramento Elite, Team USA Minnesota, Team USA Arizona, and Zap Fitness.

We are excited about our guest speaker for Friday night, Craig Virgin. Between breaking Steve Prefontaine's high school record, winning an NCAA title, winning two World Cross Country Championships, and appearing in three Olympic Games, he has quite a resume and quite an inspirational story to tell.

And as always, we are excited about the parties we throw for the runners on Saturday night. After a couple of nervous days and a big race, it is fun to blow off steam and celebrate with the runners. The elite distance running crowd in the US is really a pretty small fraternity, and most of the runners know each other well and are good friends. We try to position our race as a fun, spring break "family" reunion weekend; where hey, there also happens to be an awesome 15k race!

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5 Questions with Janet Cherobon-Bawcom

Lisa Uhl, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom and Amy Hastings
comprise our 2012 Women's 10,000 Olympic Team
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

After an exciting Olympic Trials, 5 Questions with is back! Today we have the first of our interviews with a member of the 2012 London Olympic Team.  She overcame sickness in Eugene and made her way from roads star to Olympian in just over a year.

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom is happy to be here. She came to the United States to get her nursing degree, and slowly, but surely, has found out she's a pretty darn good runner too. She won the 2011 USA Running Circuit Title and then had her proper Marathon debut at the Olympic Trials in January, finishing fifth in 2:29:45. After last week, she is now a US Olympian at 10,000 meters. She has done all of this while continuing her studies. Follow her very funny commentary on Twitter @JanetRuns

5 Questions with Janet Cherobon-Bawcom

1. Writing About Running: First off, congrats on becoming an Olympian. What has your last week been like as a member of the 2012 US Olympic team that will be traveling to London next month?

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom: It's been super hectic.  I am taking a full load of classes this summer, and after a couple of days of excitement in Oregon, it was back to reality - and to being way behind on my work.  To make things worse, we got back to Georgia just in time for the heat wave to hit and decided to head back out to Flagstaff where there was less heat and less oxygen.  I've been here since the 1st, and I'm finally getting caught up on sleep, homework, and getting back into some good training.

2. Writing About Running: With the nature of the Women's 10,000, you were one of three women (excluding Shalane Flanagan, who will run the Olympic Marathon) who had the Olympic A-Standard. What was your strategy with that in mind?

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom: To be honest, I was so sick in Eugene that I can't even pretend that I had a strategy.  I'd been fighting a respiratory illness ever since Bolder Boulder, and it took a real turn for the worse when I got out to Oregon.  I wasn't going to publicize it before the race, but I knew that, if anyone made a successful run at the "A" standard there, I would be left off the team for sure.  There was no way I was going to keep up with them - I could barely breath during the race.  Of course, two miles in, I knew that the pace was too slow for anyone to hit the standard, and it was like a huge weight was off my shoulders.  It's not how anyone would want to make the team, but with the way I was feeling that night, I had to say a big prayer of thanks that I even made it through the race.

Running below the Olympic A-Standard
at Payton Jordan with a 31:33.50
(photo: TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Of course, the really ironic part for me was that I went into the Payton Jordan meet just shooting for the trials "A" standard.  I hadn't run on the track since 2006, my 10k PR on the road was 32:26, and I really didn't consider myself a contender for a spot on the team.  The Friday before that meet, I did a workout in Flagstaff that made me think, "you know, I might be able to break 32:00 if I get lucky."  Well, I got in the race, felt decent, and now here we are.

3. Writing About Running: You have had a whirlwind past few years with gaining your citizenship, winning the USA Running Circuit Championship and becoming an Olympian. Is this what you imagined when you heard the term "the American dream?"

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom: Again, I can't pretend that I had any idea or dream about being where I am.  I came to the US never having broken 20:00 for 5k.  My dream at that time was just to run well enough to keep my scholarship so that I could pursue my "American Dream" of getting my nursing degree.  I had zero aspirations of doing anything significant as an athlete.  I loved watching the Olympics as a kid - my favorite athlete was Maria Mutola back then - but I wasn't involved in the sport at the time, so I certainly didn't dream that I'd be where I am.

After college, I kept running just to give me something to do - even with 3 DII championships to my name, my PR's were not blazing fast (16:19 and 34:21), and I wasn't a US citizen - so I couldn't dream of running for the US.  When I started the citizenship process, I would've been crazy to think that one day I'd be representing the US - at that time my marathon PR was just under 3 hours.  I was hoping that I could become a citizen and one day work for the Center for Disease Control.  Needless to say, I think God had other things in mind because there's no other explanation for the way things in my life have worked out.

4. Writing About Running: What's it like training with the legendary coach, Jack Daniels?

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom: It's been great.  Jack is the perfect fit for me.  He's a true genius, but he is also someone who really respects the experience I have as an athlete and the knowledge I have about how my body responds to certain things.  I do some pretty crazy things from time to time - racing too much, etc. - but instead of trying to talk me out of things, Jack works hard to make the best plan for me, even if it seems crazy.  I really appreciate that he's committed to helping me reach my goals - not like some coaches who try so hard to force their ideas on the athletes.  He understands that my running is just that, my running, and he does a brilliant job of helping me get the most out of it.

Winning the USATF 20k Championship en route to
her 2011 USA Running Circuit title

5. Writing About Running: Your twitter profile says "Started running so I wouldn't have to keep milking cows. Still running and still not milking cows!!!!" When exactly is the last time you milked a cow? and what are your plans after the Olympics?

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom: Actually, I milked a cow in February when I was back in Kenya.  The weather in Flagstaff was killing my training, and I wanted to be at altitude to get ready for my spring season, so I decided that it would be an ideal time to go visit my family.  My little sisters started talking some trash about how I'd gone soft in America, and I had to defend myself, so I grabbed the old milking bucket and got to work.  It's pretty much like riding a bicycle - once you learn how....  Of course, I'm not so great on the bicycle, so who knows.

After the Olympics, I'm actually going for a long vacation with my husband's family, then back to training with my eye on doing a few USA Running Circuit events and a fall marathon.  I've been running pretty much non-stop since last August, so after the marathon, I plan to take a long break from running - and then we'll see what happens!

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5 Questions with the Gate River Run Elite Athlete Coordinator, Richard Fannin

Today we have 5 Questions with the brains behind the first big United States Road Race (save the Marathon Trials) of the year and it is this Saturday in Jacksonville, FL. The Gate River Run 15k has a long history of being a target race for many American Elites before the start of Marathon season. We'll do a race preview later in the week, but today we were lucky to do an interview with the Elite Athlete Coordinator of the Gate River Run, Mr. Richard Fannin.

Richard Fannin is a self-described "running junkie," father of 5, native of Jacksonvile, Florida and coordinator of elite athletes for The Gate River Run, the US 15k Championship Road Race. The race will celebrate it's 35th running this year. I met Richard at his excellent post-race party at the Marathon Trials and his passion for the sport and it's athletes runs deep. Whether you are an elite or a hobby jogger like myself, I highly recommend making the trip down to Jacksonville to run the Gate River Run at some point in your life.

5 Questions with Richard Fannin

1. Writing About Running: What is your role with the race - and how did you get involved?

Richard Fannin: Doug Alred and his wife Jane are the co-race directors - and since 2009, my specific job responsibity is the coordinator of the elite athletes for the race. My father, along with a small group from the Jacksonville Track Club, founded the race in 1978, and I have had a vested interest in continuing his legacy with my involvement. In the late 70's and early 80's, I used to sit down with my dad with a stack of Runner's World magazines and Track and Field News lists, and compile our recruiting lists for the race. 30 years later, I am still doing the same thing.

Photo of lead pack from inaugural Gate River Run
(then known as River Run 15,000) in 1978 ..
L to R .. Benji Durden, Bill Rodgers, Barry Brown,
Chris Stewart, Jerome Drayton and Ken Misner 

2. Writing About Running: What changes did you make when you took over?

Richard Fannin: I joke that I was "already starting on 3rd base" as we already had one of the greatest fields - if not the greatest - in American roadracing when I started. But one objective I had was to try to make the field even deeper. In 2009, we started our first competitive team competition - known as "The Tenbroeck Cup" - named after John Tenbroeck, a tireless volunteer for the track club who had passed away the previous year. Our team competition has a separate $20,000 prize structure - on top of the individual prize money. It has been successful beyond our wildest dreams, drawing teams such as Team USA Minnesota, McMillan Elite, Bay Area Track Club - and others. It has indeed made our fields deeper than ever ... in 2009, we had 13 women run under 52 minutes. Last year, we had 8 men under 44:00 and 21 under 45:00.

3. Writing About Running: Who are the top competitiors this year?

Richard Fannin: Mo Trafeh - who won in 2009, and 2010, is back - and going for the "threepeat". He has run exactly 42:58 each of the last 2 years - the 4th and 5th fastest times in the history of the race. He certainly looks to be the class of the field. We have another 15-16 men that could make it very interesting: Fasil Bizuneh, who always runs well here. Bobby Mack, who won the USATF cross country title last month. Scott Smith, who just ran a 63:18 half in Houston. Then another handful of young guys such as Nick Arciniaga, Sean Houseworth, Christo Landry, Jimmy Grabow, Matt Llano, Ben Bruce, and Tim Ritchie. Antonio Vega is also back from injury, running his first race in nearly 2 years. Rounding out the challengers are Sergio Reyes, Zach Hine, Mike Sayenko, Danny Mercado and Justin Young.

The women's race is very intruiging; former champions (and veterans) Katie McGregor and Blake Russell are running. Magdalena Lewy-Boulet is running as well. But some of the toughest challengers will be some women that are running our race for the first time. Molly Huddle, the American Record holder for 5,000 meters (14:44) is making a rare road appearance, and has to be considered a favorite. Janet Cherobon-Bawcom, who just was cleared as a US competitor in September, won all 3 races she ran on the circuit last fall, won the USATF road title for 2011, and just placed 5th - with a 2:29 - in The Olympic Trials Marathon. Adriana Nelson, another runner recently granted US citizenship, is running as well. There are a whole host of young challengers behind this group. Maegan Krifchin, who ran a brilliant 71:04 in the Philadelphia Half-Marathon last fall, 2:29 marathober Clara Grant, Meghan Peyton, Sarah Porter, Lindsey Scherf, Alisha Wiliams, Kathy Newberry, and Emily Brown round out a deep, deep women's field.

Richard Fannin (2nd from right) on the awards
stage with McMillan Elite in 2011

4. Writing About Running: What changes have you made to the "Equalizer Race"?

Richard Fannin: For the last 8 years, we have started the elite women with a head start over the men - with the overall winner receiving an extra $5,000. For the first 6 years, the "headstart" was 5 minutes - basically the split between the men's and women's American Records (both set on our course). We have changed the rules to the rolling average of the actual split the prior 3 years - rounded up or down to the nearest minute. This year, for the first time - the split will be 7 minutes. I feel the "bogey" for men is 43:00 and for the women it is 50:00. I think the real story this year is - can the women hold off the men ? It has only happened once in 8 years. If you look at the Twin Cities 10 mile championship last fall, which uses a similar format, the split was 46 seconds per mile (Mo Trafeh and Janet Cherobon). An equal split over 15k would be 6:53. So I think it will be very, very close.

5. Writing About Running: What differentiates your race from the other top US road races?

Richard Fannin: I think mother nature is really on our side. March in Florida is typically sunny and beautiful. Many of these runners - who train in often snowy winters in Minneapolis, Flagstaff, and Boulder, et al. - relish the opportunity to come to a "spring break" type of setting (Author's Note: I ran the GRR during my grad school spring break week in 2010). Also, the fact that we really showcase the Americans. Not to take anything away from some of the fine races that award prize money to foreigners, but we really go out of our way to showcase and put the spotlight on America's best every spring. Lastly, we really make it a point to show them all some good old-fashioned "southern hospitality" while they are here. We put them up in the host hotel for 3 nights, have a nice elite pasta dinner with a guest speaker on Friday night, and the race director hosts a dinner is his backyard on Saturday night. It really is a 4 day "happening". Tune in at 8:20am Saturday to watch live on RunnerSpace. It should be quite a show!

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The USA Cross Country Championships kick off a big weekend of competition

Huddle's 2012 return starts
 in St. Louis

There are three big track meets this weekend (Husky Classic, Millrose Games and the new USA Track and Field Classic), but there's also the 2012 USA Cross Country Championships, which will be held this Saturday, February 11th, at Forest Park in St. Louis, MO. There's no World Cross this year, but five slots for the NACAC team are up for grabs. The NACAC Championships will be held on St. Patrick's Day in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Not a bad paid vacation I'd say.

The favorite on the Women's side is American 5000 meter record holder, Molly Huddle. With the recent Olympic Marathon Trials and the aforementioned track meets in play this weekend, competition will be a little lacking on the top end. Sara Hall is registered (Ryan and Desi Davila are speaking at the Friday Panel Discussion), after a nice 3000 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where she was the top American finisher over the more heralded Shannon Rowbury and Jenny Simpson. Hall has consistently improved in the past few years and hopefully can find her way onto the Olympic team this summer in the steeple. Another podium contender this weekend will be the always strong Renee Metivier Baillie. Former high school phenom, Melody Fairchild, will be competing as well and one interesting entry is the newly pregnant, Julia Webb. Maybe she'll bring her husband and he'll run. Let the speculation begin.

Mack will aim for more
 Team USA gear

On the Men's side, the big news was that Dathan Ritzenhein was planning on bouncing back after a personally disappointing Olympic Trials Marathon and trying to keep the train rolling. That changed a few days ago when Ritz announced his decision to pull out. Some favorites on the Men's side are recent Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country Team Race runner-up (and Raleigh resident), Bobby Mack, McMillan Elite's Aaron Braun, Team USA Minnesota's Chris Rombough, road warrior Christo Landry, steepler Kyle Alcorn and USATF 10k Trail Champ, Joe Moore. A few other interesting entries are triathlete Jarrod Shoemaker and the University of Wisconsin's Elliot Krause.

Runnerspace will be broadcasting the event live at http://USARunningCircuit.com starting at 9:45 Central. Full field information (including juniors and masters races) is available here. Check out this page for Runnerspace's coverage leading up to the event.

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Road Rage: There's a new baller in town; Janet Cherobon-Bawcom is her name

Janet Cherobon-Bawcom will eat your bagels
(courtesy Facebook)

It looks like there may be a shake up in the predicted top three finishers at the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon in January. Why is that? There's a newcomer on the US scene that is staking her claim on that podium. Her name is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom. Today, Cherobon-Bawcom annihilated the field at the Tufts Health Plan 10K for Women by almost 30 seconds for the win in 32:47. The race served as the USATF Women's 10k Championship. The win also locked in the overall title for the Women's 2011 USA Running Circuit. Oh yeah, she won the BAA Half Marathon yesterday (by over 2:30 in 1:11:58). This all comes just 8 days after winning the USATF 10 mile Championship as well.

The biggest question on American distance running fans minds right now is "Who is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom?" and "Is she eligible to compete for an Olympic spot?" Well... the answer to the latter question seems to be yes, per the New York Road Runners' David Monti and her sponsor, MarathonGuide.com. Per the IAAF, her marathon PR is 2:37:27 from 2008 (in Albany, GA), but judging by her recent success, and her USATF 20k win in September, mid to high 2:20's seems more predictive of her current fitness. As who who is Janet Cherobon-Bawcom? She's from Kenya, has lived in the United States for years and got her citizenship this year. She currently lives and trains in Rome, GA and is finishing up a degree at Jacksonville State in 2012. Here's a link to her post-race interview today with Kevin Ullman from Runnerspace.

What does this mean for the Olympic Marathon Trials in January. If Cherobon-Bawcom can indeed run, it throws another big name in the mix with the three favorites; Shalane Flanagan, Kara Goucher and Desi Davila, along with Deena Kastor, Stephanie Rothstein and Amy Hastings and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet. Here's the list of all the qualifiers.

Congrats to Janet on her recent success and be on the lookout for her on January 14, 2012 in Houston!

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Road Rage: Ben True seals 2011 USA Running Circuit victory in Minneapolis

True wins in Providence

It's been quite a 2011 for Ben True. In 2010, True left Oregon Track Club Elite and headed back east, closer to home, to train with Tim Broe's new group, In The Arena. It has proved to be an excellent move, with True finishing second today at the USATF 10-Mile Championship in Minneapolis, MN, and more importantly, securing the overall 2011 Mens's USA Running Circuit Championship.

In 2011, True qualified for the USA World Cross Country team, was runner-up at the Gate River Run (15k Championship), won the BAA 5k, ran a 10,000 PR of 28:16 on the track (qualifying him for 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials and 2012 Track Trials), ran a 5,000 PR of 13:24, won the USATF 10k Road Championship at Peachtree, won the USATF 5k Road Championship in Providence and capped it off by securing the 2011 USA Running Circuit Championship today with the runner-up finish in the 10-Mile Championship to Mo Trafeh.

True ran a smart race, staying with his main competition, Aaron Braun, and then kicked when he needed to. For his efforts, True will pick up $20,000; $12,500 for the USA Running Circuit Championship and an additional $7,500 for his runner-up finish today. 

True's win also brings more attention to Tim Broe's "In the Arena" team. Broe spoke with Let's Run in June 2010 about the formation of the group (iTunes link here). True's success this year should bring even more talent into an already expanding group of talented male runners. They've got a nice, well-kept blog as well!

On the Women's side, Janet Cherobon-Bawcom ran away from the field early, and didn't see anyone else until about mile nine, when Mo Trafeh passed her to earn the $10,000 equalizer bonus. Cherobon-Bawcom's win makes her the front runner for the 2011 USA Running Circuit Championship, with the Women's finale in 8 days. New York New Jersey Track Club's Julie Culley ran a strong race for second, and former North Carolina Tar Heel, Blake Russell, rounded out the podium with a strong run in 54:44.

The Women's Championship will wrap up next Monday (October 10) in Boston with the 10k Championship, hosted by the Tuft's Health Plan 10k for Women. As usual, Runnerspace will provide live coverage.

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Road Rage: Anthony Famiglietti is back for the USATF Road 5k Champs in Providence

Have you seen this man?

It's been a while since Anthony Famiglietti has competed. What better place to return than one where he has won before? Fam won the 2008 USATF Road 5k Championships and will start his drive towards qualifying for a third consecutive Olympic team with another run through the streets of Providence, RI tomorrow, in search of another National Championship at the CVS Caremark Downtown 5k. He's written a blog post about his return as well.

Fam's recently been training in Davidson, NC (right outside of Charlotte) and recently returned to the roads with a tune-up win at the Sunset 5k in Salisbury. Fam also attended Appalachian State for two years (before transferring to Tennessee) and leads a charge of runners with NC ties at Providence. USATF 8k Champion, Bobby Mack, will be among the favorites as he continues to have a breakout season. My friend, Sandy Roberts, will be making his USA Running Circuit debut. Both Mack and Roberts run for The Athlete's Foot Racing, out of Raleigh, NC (my team). Also out of Raleigh is Duke Law student, Lauren Bonds. Bonds has had a great past few years and will be representing Adidas Raleigh TC. All will be skipping out on the Mag Mile tomorrow (NC USATF Road Mile Championship in which Mack is a multiple time winner). Finaly, Stephanie "Pezz" Pezzullo, trained in Charlotte for a while, before relocating to Flagstaff, AZ.

Robert Cheseret, who is Bernard Lagat's brother, will be defending on the Men's side, as he kicked down Ben Bruce last year in the final steps to take the National Championship. An excellent field will challenge for the win, as many have traveled to Providence for the shot at the $30,000 purse. Aaron Braun and Ben True will be favorites, along with Fam, Mack and Cheseret, as Braun is currently 1st in the overall USA Running Circuit standings with True a close second.

Conquering one barrier at a time
(TrackAndFieldPhoto)

Sara Hall will look to improve on her second place performance from 2010 on the Women's side, and has a Fam connection as well, as she's spent some time with him working on her steeplechase technique. She'll likely choose that event to try to qualify for the 2012 London team. Hall is currently ranked fifth in the USA Running Circuit standings and could make a big jump with a win in Providence. An injured Molly Huddle won't be defending her title, but Hall will get plenty of competition from the likes of Julie Culley, Emily Brown, Pezz, Bonds and a strong field from all over. If the Runnerspace race coverage team team remains the same, Chris Nickinson will have the call on the Women's side.

Runnerspace will be streaming the race live tomorrow at 11:05am eastern and more information and interviews are available at http://www.runnerspace.com/USA-5km

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Road Rage: Ryan Hall leads strong field at Peachtree

America #1!

This July 4th, Ryan Hall will make his return to the USA Running Circuit at one of the largest races in the United States, the Peachtree Road Race. Peachtree serves as the USATF Men's 10k National Championship and always attracts an excellent field. This year is no different. Lining up with Hall will be defending 10k road champ, Ed Moran, recent USATF 8k Champion Bobby Mack, recent track 10,000 bronze medalist Scotty Bauhs, and the always enigmatic Black Cactus (aka Abdi Abdirahman). Also fighting for the win will be the always strong group of James Carney, Fernando Cabada, Patrick Smyth, Ben True, Aaron Braun, USA Running Circuit vet Josh Moen and many others looking to take aim at the 15-deep prize money.

Peachtree always brings in a strong international field as well. Leading that group will be a trio of Kenyans, including the favorite, Sammy Kitwara, former Galen Rupp pacer, Matthew Kisorio and cross country specialist Joseph Ebuya. Expect them to push the pace and string out the Americans.

Runnerspace will be broadcasting the race live, starting at 7:30am eastern (on July 4). Go here for pre-race interviews and to view the live stream

Update: Sammy Kitwara takes the overall win in 28:05 over Matthew Kisorio. Here's the video replay of the race and below are the top 15 results for the Americans (click their names for their Runnerspace post-race interview):

1. Ben True 28:28 
2. Ed Moran 28:29 
3. Abdi Abdirahman 28:35 
4. Brian Olinger 28:35 
5. Christo Landry 28:52 
6. Patrick Smyth 29:06 
7. Scotty Bauhs 29:15 
8. Ian Burrell 29:16 
9. Ryan Hall 29:16 
10. Aaron Braun 29:17 
11. Josh Moen 29:20 
12. Justin Young 29:26 
13. James Carney 29:36 
14. Bobby Mack 29:43 
15. Lex Williams 29:54

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