April 10, 2015
For immediate release
Contact:
John Schumacher
schumacher@runsra.org
Biwott, Alemayehu return seeking Pacific Association championship
Past champions Shadrack Biwott and Tesfaye Alemayehu and California International Marathon runner-up Jane Kibii headline a strong elite field for Sunday’s Credit Union SACTOWN Five- and Ten-Mile Run.
The fifth annual event, which helps raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, including UC Davis Children’s Hospital, serves as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association 10-Mile Championship.
That race starts at 8:25 a.m. near the state Capitol, with the five-mile race beginning at 8 a.m. and a Miracle Mile for children and adults set for 7:30 a.m. The event is put on by the Sacramento Running Association and sponsored by local credit unions.
The 10-mile field looks loaded with strong contenders on the men’s and women’s side.
Biwott, from Mammoth Lakes, pulled away from Alemayehu in the final stretch to win the 2014 SACTOWN title by four seconds in 47:59. Alemayehu beat Biwott comfortably in the 2013 race (47:42-48:30) and won the 2012 title in 47:36.
Biwott, a Kenya native and former member of the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, won the 2013 USA Racing Circuit Championship and is considered a contender for a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team.
Alemayehu, an Ethiopian who lives in Antioch, finished second in the 2012 CIM.
Jordan Chipangama, a Zambian training in Flagstaff, Ariz., is coming off a strong runner-up effort at the 2014 CIM (2:13:50). American Josphat Boit, a Kenya native training in Mammoth Lakes, and Brendan Gregg, a former Davis High School and Stanford standout living in Rochester, Mich., also look like serious contenders.
Kibii, a Colfax resident who runs for the Sacramento Running Association’s Elite Team, appears to be the favorite in the women’s race. The Kenya native finished second to Olympian Kim Conley in the 2014 SACTOWN race with a 55:11 effort and delivered an impressive runner-up effort last December at the CIM, finishing in 2:32:24.
Kaitlin Gregg Goodman, Brendan’s sister and a former Davis High and UC Davis standout who lives in Providence, R.I., and Kristen Zaitz, from Broomfield, Colo., look like Kibii’s biggest competition.
“We are extremely excited about our elite field this year, as it is the deepest field we have ever had at this event with runners from all over the United States coming to Sacramento to compete,” Sacramento Running Association Executive Director Scott Abbott said.
“While this event has consistently been a showcase of great local and regional talent over the past four years, this year it will be an intriguing mix of local, regional, national, and even international talent that should make the fifth edition of the Credit Union SACTOWN 10 one of the nation’s top-notch professional road races in 2015.”
The Pacific Association Championship includes team competition. The Sacramento Running Association’s women’s team expects to challenge for honors with Kibii, Tori Tyler, Amy Schnittger, Molly Friel, Stephanie Artis, Jenny Hitchings and Courtney Green scheduled to compete.
Boundaries for the Pacific Association stretch from the California-Oregon border on the north to San Luis Obispo on the south. The east boundary is just beyond Reno.
The new SACTOWN course retains a start and finish near the state Capitol, goes through downtown Sacramento and crosses the Tower Bridge into West Sacramento before re-crossing the bridge back into Sacramento.
The SACTOWN event, which emulates the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run held in Washington, D.C. on the same day, has raised more than $400,000 in the last three years.
Credit Unions for Kids is the brand under which America’s credit unions and affiliated organizations fundraise for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. To date, credit unions have raised more than $140 million since the introduction of the CU4Kids program back in 1996.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is an affiliation of children’s hospitals throughout the country. Each year these non-profit hospitals provide state-of-the-art care, cutting edge research and preventative health education.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals treat more than 17 million patients each year, including 98 percent of all children needing heart or lung transplants and 88 percent of all children with cancer.
Registration is available at www.sactown10.org. Cost for the 10-miler is $60 through Saturday, April 11 and $65 on race day. The five-miler costs $50 through Saturday and $55 on race day.
The Miracle Mile is free to kids 12 and under until Saturday and $10 at packet pickup and on race day. The cost for adults is $10 until April 11 and $15 on race day. The five-mile race includes the Credit Union Team competition, with the lowest combined time for all three team members determining the winner.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.
Other SRA events include the Gold Rush 50k on May 9, the California International Marathon on Dec. 6 and the Super Sunday Run on Feb. 7.