Rowbury, Famiglietti Headline TC 1 Mile

2008 Olympic 1500 meter finalist Shannon Rowbury and last year's Olympic Trials steeplechase champion Anthony Famiglietti headline next Thursdays' Medtronic TC 1 Mile, the inaugural USA Road Mile Championship.

The pair and two solid fields of elite competitors will race for a $4000 winner's check as well as a $10,000 "bounty" for sub-4:00 men's performance or a sub-4:28 women's time.

The races run up the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.

Rowbury, (pictured) a San Francisco resident and a Duke University graduate, is coming off a breakthrough year in 2008 where she established a new 1500m PR of 4:00.33, won the Olympic Trials 1500m title, and was highest finishing American woman ever at 1500m with her 7th-place 4:03.58 effort in Beijing.

Rowbury is coming off a 15:12.95 clocking over 5000m meters at last weekend's Brutus Hamilton meet.

Rowbury's primary challengers look to be a pair of fellow Californians and a handful of local favorites. Sarah Hall, who has clocked 4:25 for a road mile and who finished a place behind Rowbury at Brutus Hamilton and 2004 and 2008 Olympian Jen Rhines, both of Team Running USA, will compete. Team USA Minnesota athletes Carrie Tollefson, herself a 2004 Olympian, Emily Brown, 3rd in the TC 1 Mile last year, and Meghan Armstrong will be in the dozen runner elite field.

Minnesotan Jenelle Deatherage, a former TC 1 Mile champion, will also compete.

Men's favorite Famiglietti, has shown remarkable range in his long career. The 30-year-old new Yorker is a two-time USA steeplechase champion, a USA champ on the roads at 5K and 8K, and possessor of PRs of 3:55.71, 8:17.34, 13:11.93, and 27:37.74 in the mile, steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m, respectively.

Famiglietti comes to Minnesota and the mile distance off a 27:39.68 10,000m effort at the Brutus Hamilton meet.

"Fam" will face a field of ten fellow sub-4:00 milers, including 2000 Olympic finalist Gabe Jennings and 2007 Falmouth Mile champ Jon Rankin, who sports the fastest mile PR in the field at 3:54.24. Blake Boldon, who won the 2007 TC 1 Mile also competes.

While the men's field lacks a true local favorite, former Team USA Minnesota athletes Ryan Kleimenhagen and Brad Lowery return to Minnesota for the race.

A full evening of road miling gets underway at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday with the "Mass Wave" of the TC 1 Mile. Following that are races for masters, runners 30-39 years-old, runners under 29-years, corporate challenge competitors, and USATF-Minnesota Team Circuit squads.

The elite races commence at 7:53 (women) and 7:59 (men.)

Find the official Medtronic TC 1 Mile media release and complete elite field listing HERE.


Photo by Victor Sailer/Photo Run.