World Class Field Set for 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race

Kitwara, Chepkurui to defend Peachtree titles; Trafeh, Moran, Smyth top Americans for USA Men's 10K Championship; guaranteed prize purse exceeds $110,000 for 4th of July tradition

Running USA Wire
ATLANTA - (June 30, 2010) - Keeping with tradition, a world class men's and women's field will toe the line at the start of the 41st running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race on Sunday, July 4. For the third time in the past four years, the AJC Peachtree Road Race will also host the USA Men's 10K Championship as well as serve as the 2010 Professional Road Running Organization's (PRRO) Race of Champions. Athletes in the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race will be competing for a share of the $111,300 overall prize purse, which includes $30,000 for the U.S. men's national championship. In addition, three men and two women competing in the 2010 Peachtree are eligible to receive a $10,000 PRRO bonus. Eligible athletes must place first in the AJC Peachtree Road Race in order to take home the PRRO bonus*.

"Not only are we in for a very exciting race in the Open division, but with the strong field of American men competing for the USA Men's 10K Championship and five athletes in contention for the 2010 PRRO bonus, we are anticipating some strong performances on Sunday," stated Tracey Russell, Race Director for the AJC Peachtree Road Race and Executive Director of the Atlanta Track Club.

With well over 40 runners, this year's men's field is one of the deepest in the event's recent history. 2009 Peachtree champion (27:22), Sammy Kitwara (KEN), will return to Atlanta to defend his title. Kitwara, 23, is coming off of two wins this past May at the ING Bay to Breakers 12K (34:15) and Abraham Rosa International 10K (29:26). He currently boasts the sixth fastest 10K this year.

Challenging Kitwara will be the #2 seeded runner Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), who set a course record of 27:42 in his 10K road race debut at the Healthy Kidney 10K this May in New York City.

Three runners in this year's men's field are also contenders for the PRRO Circuit payout after placing first at one of the four races on the 2009-10 PRRO Circuit. Peter Kirui (KEN) qualified after winning the 2010 Lilac Bloomsday 12K (34:28), Stephen Tum (KEN) placed first at the 2010 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (45:43) and Ridouane Harroufi (MAR) took top honors at 2009's Utica Boilermaker 15K (43:56).

Top Americans competing for the USA Men's 10K title and the accompanying $10,000 include 2010 USA 15K champion Mohamed Trafeh who boasts a 10K personal best of 28:37, Ed Moran who placed sixth in last year's USA 10K Championship (28:50) and Patrick Smyth who made his 10K road race debut at last year's Championship (28:49). Also expected are 2008 U.S. Olympians Jorge Torres and Anthony Famiglietti, Andrew Carlson, James Carney, Fasil Bizuneh and Aaron Braun.

On the women's side, 2009 AJC Peachtree Road Race champion Lineth Chepkurui (KEN) will be the one to watch. Chepkurui, 22, brings impressive 2010 credentials with wins at Crescent City Classic 10K (30:45) and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile (51:51) plus world records at the 12K distance at Lilac Bloomsday (38:10) and ING Bay to Breakers (38:07). Chepkurui and fourth-seeded Alice Timbilili (KEN) are also both eligible for the 2010 PRRO Circuit bonus.

Other top runners in the 2010 women's field include Ethiopians Mamitu Daska and Dire Tune who will both be making their Peachtree debut. Daska won the 2010 Bolder Boulder 10K with a personal best of 32:28 and Tune's personal best of 31:40 run at this year's World's Best 10K is the 15th fastest women's 10K time this year.

The Masters men's field (40 and over) looks to be a strong one with Nikolay Kerimov (RUS) making his first AJC Peachtree Road Race appearance. Kerimov placed first Masters at the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K (30:15) and the Crescent City Classic 10K (31:56) earlier this year. Notable contenders for the 2010 Masters women's field include Anzhelika Averkova (UKR) with a 10K personal best of 33:38 and local favorite Stephanie Herbst-Lucke who took top American and female Masters honors at the 2008 Peachtree (33:55).

The 41st running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on Sunday, July 4, 2010. The race begins at 7:30am on Peachtree Road by Lenox Square Mall and finishes on 10th Street near Piedmont Park.

The AJC Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10K running event in the world with 55,000 participants, is perhaps most famous for the coveted Peachtree t-shirt, which is handed out to all the event finishers. For more information, visit: www.atlantatrackclub.org or www.ajc.com/peachtree

*If a PRRO eligible male and female runners both win the AJC Peachtree Road Race, the $10,000 will be divided in half between the two athletes.