The Atlanta Track Club today announced that the AJC Peachtree Road Race will host the 2013 USA Men’s and Women’s 10 km Championships. 2013 will mark the first time AJC Peachtree will host the USA Women’s 10 km Championship. The event hosted the USA Men’s 10 km Championship in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. The AJC Peachtree Road Race will also host both championships in 2014.
“The Atlanta Track Club, the AJC Peachtree Road Race and the City of Atlanta are looking forward to showing our support of the professional running community by hosting the USA 10 km Championships in 2013 and 2014,” said Tracey Russell, executive director of the Atlanta Track Club. “What better way to celebrate our nation’s birthday and add excitement to the AJC Peachtree Road Race than by showcasing top U.S. distance talent.”
The USA Men’s and Women’s 10 km Championships are part of the USA Running Circuit (USARC), a USA Track & Field road series that strives to showcase, support and promote U.S. distance running. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided more than $6 million to U.S. distance runners. As host of the USA Men’s and Women’s 10 km Championships, the 2013 and 2014 AJC Peachtree Road Race total prize purses will include an additional $60,000 ($30,000 for each championship). The 2013 AJC Peachtree Road Race has a total purse prize of $139,500 which includes the money for the championships.
Among the athletes participating in the USA 10 km Championships this year are Abdi Abdirahman and Lindsey Scherf. Abdirahman, from Tucson, AZ, is a three-time Olympian and a four-time USA Men’s 10 km Champion. Scherf, from Chapel Hill, NC, came in fourth overall at the 2012 AJC Peachtree Road Race and was the first American female to cross the finish.
The 44th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race will take place on Thursday, July 4, 2013. Additional details regarding the 2013 AJC Peachtree Road Race including registration information, start wave placement details and specifics on the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo are available at peachtreeroadrace.org.