Star-Studded Fields Ready to Compete at the USATF Cross Country Championships

USATF Release

RICHMOND, Va. – An incredible collection of talent comes together Saturday in Richmond, Virginia at the USATF Cross Country Championships, as the best in the sport eye Team USATF roster spots for the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst, Australia on February 18. 

The USATF Cross Country Championships are the first stop on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit. Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast beginning at 10:25am ET on USATF.TV with a +PLUS subscription. The women’s open race begins at 2:00pm ET, while the men’s open race gets underway at 2:50pm ET.

At the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships, Shadrack Kipchirchir pulled away in the final strides of the race in San Diego, edging Dillon Maggard for the victory by two points. In the women’s race, Alicia Monson ran away from the field to win by 17 seconds over runner-up Weini Kelati. While Kipchirchir and Monson won’t be in Richmond to defend their titles, Maggard and Kelati will be seeking to move up one spot this time around. 

Maggard, who recently signed with Brooks while joining the Brooks Beasts, is coming off a career year. The former Utah State standout set personal bests in the 3000m, 5000m, and 10,000m, while earning a fourth place finish at the USATF 10,000m Championships, just missing a spot on Team USATF for the World Outdoor Championships.

Similarly, Kelati is coming off a tremendous 2022 campaign. The Under Armour sponsored athlete won the USATF 5 km Road Championships, while earning a personal best in the 5000m on the track. Kelati placed fifth at the USATF 10,000m Championships, following that up a month later by placing fourth in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

Maggard finds competition from a very deep field of competitors, led by Hillary Bor and Leonard Korir. Bor, a 2016 Olympian, placed eighth at the World Athletics Outdoor Championships in the 3000m steeplechase, while winning the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships. Bor also placed third at the USATF 15 km Road Championships and second at the USATF 5 km Road Championships. 

Korir, who seeks his third USATF Cross Country Championship title after winning in 2017 and 2018, won the USATF Running Circuit in 2022. Korir started the year finishing fourth at the USATF Cross Country Championships, then placed second in three USATF Running Circuit races, while winning the USATF Half Marathon and USATF 25 km Championships. 

A number of top finishers at the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships are back seeking victory in Richmond. In addition to Maggard and Korir, third place finisher Sam Chelanga seeks his sixth USATF title and enters coming of a 2022 campaign where he finished third in the USATF Running Circuit standings with three third place finishes and a runner-up finish at the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships. 

Two other notable entries are Oklahoma State University senior Isai Rodriguez and Under Armour standout Abbabiya Simbassa. Rodriguez placed eighth at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships back in November and is the top collegiate entry in the field. Simbassa, who won the USATF 10 km Road Championships, also placed third at the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships, while finishing off his 2022 racing season with a new half marathon personal best of 1:00:37 at the Valencia Half Marathon.

Rounding out the top list of challengers, 2022 fifth place finisher Bernard Keter, 2022 sixth place finisher Benjamin Edienschink, and 2019 and 2020 runner-up Emmanuel Bor are eyeing victory in Richmond, as are veterans Kirubel Erassa, Reid Buchanan, Andrew Colley, Geoffrey Kipchumba, 2016 Olympian Jared Ward, and Eric Jenkins.

In the women’s race, Kelati is the pre-race favorite, but she’ll have plenty of competition, including 2022 USATF Cross Country Championship fourth place finisher Emily Durgin. Durgin placed second at the USATF 15 km Championships, as well as third at the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships, while earning a 10,000m personal best on the track.

Stephanie Bruce, who placed third at the 2018 USATF Cross Country Championships and fifth at the 2022 edition, brings one of the strongest resumes to Richmond. The HOKA Northern Arizona Elite standout placed seventh at the USATF 10,000m Championships last year, only to follow it up with a victory in the same event at the NACAC Championships. She closed out her 2022 season with a 13th place finish at the TCS New York City Marathon.

Reigning USATF 1 Mile Road Championship victor Emily Lipari is entered and ready to race, as well. Lipari had a stellar 2022 campaign, including an eighth place finish at the USATF 10,000m Championships, a runner-up finish in the 10,000m at the NACAC Championships in August, while earning new personal bests in the 5000m and 10,000m.

The trio of Makena Morley, Laura Thweatt, and Allie Buchalski are three others to keep an eye on. Morley placed tenth this past fall at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, while Thweatt finished a spot back in 11th. More recently, Buchalski placed tenth at The Cross Champs in Austin, Texas last month. All three will look to start their 2023 seasons off in a big way in Richmond.

USATF Running Circuit veterans Carrie Verdon and Susanna Sullivan, who placed ninth and tenth at the 2022 USATF Cross Country Championships are also entered and will no doubt eye top five finishes. In addition to her ninth place finish, Verdon placed third at the 2020 USATF Cross Country Championships.

Other top contenders include Bethany Hasz, Katie Izzo, Allie Ostrander, and Katrina Coogan.

Race videos, results, post-race interviews will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com.Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #USARC.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $26,200 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Cross Country Championships

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Cross Country Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush