Korir, D’Amato Lead Fields Into the USATF 25 km Championships

USATF Release

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Defending men’s champion Leonard Korir and 2022 women’s runner-up Keira D’Amato are ready to race in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Saturday morning, as the duo lead strong fields into the USATF 25 km Championships.

The USATF 25 km Championships, hosted by the Amway River Bank Run, are the sixth stop on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit. Fans can watch the live broadcast on USATF.TV beginning at 8:10am ET, with the women’s race starting at 8:19am ET and the men’s race starting at 8:30am ET, available with a +PLUS subscription.

At last year’s race, Korir ran away from the field, dominating the final stages of the race and capturing the title with a margin of victory of 36 seconds. Korir continues to shine on the roads, running an eye-opening 2:09:31 at the Paris Marathon last month, while already owning two second place finishes on the USATF Running Circuit this season at the USATF Half Marathon and 15 km Championships.

Korir will be tested by USATF Running Circuit regulars Jacob Thomson and Sam Chelanga. Thomson, who won his first USATF title earlier this season at the USATF Half Marathon Championships – where he edged Korir by one second for the victory – also placed third at the USATF 10 Mile Championships and fifth at the USATF 15 km Championships. 

Thomson and Korir are currently tied for second in the USATF Running Circuit overall standings with 31 points a piece, sitting just behind Hillary Bor’s circuit leading 33 points. As both athletes battle for victory Saturday morning in Grand Rapids, they’ll also be vying for moving into the top spot of the overall standings.

Chelanga, who won the 2018 USATF 25 km Championship title and placed third in 2021, is no stranger to the course in Grand Rapids. Chelanga is having a strong 2023 season thus far, having placed fifth at the USATF Cross Country Championships, only to follow up that performance with an inspired 21st place showing at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Chelanga also placed eighth at The TEN with a time of 27:38.02 and enters Saturday’s race having run to 13th place at the Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane, Washington last weekend.

Other notable entries in the men’s race include Matthew Llano, who placed 13th at the USATF 15 km Championships, Brendan Gregg, who earned 16th at the recent Lilac Bloomsday Run, USATF Running Circuit regular Joel Reichow, and two-time USATF 25 km champion Fernando Cabada, who placed tenth in Grand Rapids in 2022.

In the women’s race, marathon stars will lead the field to the start line Saturday morning, as Keira D’Amato, Nell Rojas, and Betsy Saina enter as pre-race favorites.

D’Amato, who finished runner-up to champion Aliphine Tuliamuk at last year’s USATF 25 km Championships, returns to Grand Rapids having placed an impressive fourth last weekend in Spokane at the Lilac Bloomsday Run. D’Amato is on the road back to being one of the premier road runners in American distance running and she has a shot to move up one more place on Saturday and claim the crown in Grand Rapids. 

Rojas and Saina are the two other marathon standouts to watch. Rojas placed 14th at the Boston Marathon last month, finishing as the third American in 2:24:51. She’s currently tied atop the overall standings in the USATF Running Circuit with 22 points – tied with Emma Hurley – after placing second at the USATF 10 Mile Championships and third at the USATF Half Marathon Championships.

Meanwhile, Saina ran an inspired race at the Tokyo Marathon in March, placing fifth overall in 2:21:40, showing she’s in great shape this year and ready to have a big 2023 campaign. Saina hasn’t raced since Tokyo, but she no doubt will be near the front of the 25 km race on Saturday.

Dakotah Lindwurm and Jessa Hanson are two others to keep an eye on. Lindwurm placed third at the 2022 USATF 25 km Championships, well back of Tuliamuk and D’Amato, but well ahead of the rest of the field. She’s already claimed a fourth place finish at the USATF 15 km Championships this season and is looking for another high finish in Grand Rapids. 

Hanson, who currently sits third in the USATF Running Circuit overall standings with 19 points and three behind Rojas, is ready to challenge for another top three finish. Hanson placed third at the USATF 15 km Championships, while taking fifth at the USATF Half Marathon Championships.

At those same USATF Half Marathon Championships, Lauren Paquette had a big-time runner-up performance, finishing only 15 seconds behind race winner Tuliamuk in 1:09:51. She bested both Rojas and Hanson in that race by over a minute and seems poised to challenge for top three once again.

Molly Grabill is another big name entered. The veteran claimed third at the 2021 USATF 25 km Championships and fourth at the 2019 USATF 25 km Championships, now hoping to use that course experience to her advantage on Saturday. Grabill also placed fourth at this year’s USATF Half Marathon Championships.

One of the most intriguing athletes in the women’s field is Grayson Murphy. The ultra and mountain runner is stepping down in distance as she readies herself for the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria next month. Murphy recently earned double victory at the USATF Mountain Running Championships, winning both the Vertical Mountain title and the Mountain Trail championship.

On demand race videos, results, and 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 $42,600 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 25 km Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 25 km 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