09-03-2012, 07:05 PM
American record holder Molly Huddle (Providence, R.I.) and two-time reigning 15 km champion Mo Trafeh (Duarte, Calif.) lead talent-filled fields at the USA 15 km Championships Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. This year marks the 19th consecutive year that the Gate River Run has hosted the championships.
Huddle, the 10,000m record holder, recently took second at the USA Cross Country Championships in a photo-finish with Sara Hall. Huddle will face Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (Rome, Ga.), who won the overall standing of the womenââ¬â¢s 2011 USA Running Circuit and recently finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon.
Other women to watch include Katie McGregor (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Olympians Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) and Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.). Also in the hunt is Clara Grandt (Morgantown, W.V.) who finished 7th in the Trials.
Trafeh has been victorious at the 15 km championships the past two years in identical times of 42:58. His top challenger will be Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.) who recently won the USA Cross Country Championships and sits in fourth in the USA Running Circuit standings.
Other notable men include Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Jimmy Grabow (Running Springs, Calif.) and Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.).
Huddle, the 10,000m record holder, recently took second at the USA Cross Country Championships in a photo-finish with Sara Hall. Huddle will face Janet Cherobon-Bawcom (Rome, Ga.), who won the overall standing of the womenââ¬â¢s 2011 USA Running Circuit and recently finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon.
Other women to watch include Katie McGregor (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Olympians Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) and Blake Russell (Pacific Grove, Calif.). Also in the hunt is Clara Grandt (Morgantown, W.V.) who finished 7th in the Trials.
Trafeh has been victorious at the 15 km championships the past two years in identical times of 42:58. His top challenger will be Bobby Mack (Raleigh, N.C.) who recently won the USA Cross Country Championships and sits in fourth in the USA Running Circuit standings.
Other notable men include Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.), Jimmy Grabow (Running Springs, Calif.) and Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.).