Cheseret set to defend title, Hall looks for second women's crown at USA 5k Championships

INDIANAPOLIS – Robert Cheseret (Colorado Springs, Colo.) returns to the CVS Caremark Downtown 5km to defend his USA 5km title, while Sara Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) seeks to claim her second 5km crown Sunday in Providence, R.I.

Cheseret will be facing two-time USA 5km Champion Anthony Famiglietti (Davidson, N.C.) along with 2011 USA Men’s 10km champion Ben True (Hanover, N.H.) and reigning USA 8km champion Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.).  Also in the hunt for the title will be Aaron Braun (Flagstaff, Ariz.), the runner-up to Mack in the 8km.

In addition to a strong U.S. men’s field, the race will feature an international field that includes two-time NCAA Division I Cross Country champion Sam Chelanga of Kenya.

In the women’s race, Hall will face 2009 USA Cross Country champion Emily Brown (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Julie Culley (Lebanon, N.J.), who was fifth in the women’s 5,000m at this year’s USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Video highlights

The USA 5km Championships will be streamed live beginning at 11:05 a.m. EST in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com at www.USARunningCircuit.com.

About the USARC

The USA 5km Championships are the ninth stop on the 2011 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and will pay $30,000 in U.S. prize money with $5,000 going to the respective men’s and women’s champions. The 2011 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 for men and nine events for women.

The 2011 USARC will feature more than $450,000 in circuit prize money with U.S. athletes competing for the right to represent Team USA in various international competitions.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race with a final $12,500 grand prize purse ($6,000, $4,000, and $2,500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall.

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.