McGregor, Abdirahman to Return to TC 10 Mile

Some familiar faces will be racing one-another at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile this year.

Former Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champion Blake Russell and six-time Medtronic TC 10 Mile champ Katie McGregor headline the women’s portion of next month’s USA 10 Mile Championships to be held in conjunction with the Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 2.

The event will host both the men’s and women’s USA 10 Mile Championships this year and feature head-to-head competition between the genders.

Russell, who won the 2003 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon with an aggressive solo effort in her debut marathon, and McGregor, a fellow frontrunner who won the USA 10 Mile title and her sixth Medtronic TC 10 Mile crown in the race last year, will race for a winner’s check of $12,000.

They and the rest of the strong women’s field -- which includes NCAA 10,000-meter record-holder Lisa Koll, the 2010 USA 7 Mile champion, three-time Grandma’s Marathon victor Mary Akor, and Serena Burla, the runner-up at the 2011 USA Half Marathon Championships -- will also be racing for a $10,000 “Equalizer Bonus” set aside first USA Champion – woman or man -- to cross the finish line in St. Paul.

The women’s field will leave the race’s downtown Minneapolis starting line ahead of the men in a unique handicapped format.

The men’s field is packed with talent as well, boasting two-time Medtronic TC 10 Mile champ and three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2009 Medtronic TC 10 Mile runner-up Josh Moen of Team USA Minnesota, 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon champ Fernando Cabada, 2010 USA 10 Mile champion Fasil Bizune, and 2011 USA Half Marathon and 15K champion Mo Trafeh.

The Medtronic TC 10 Mile kicks off the action on the Sunday morning of Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon weekend. The Medtronic TC 10 Mile will be followed by the 30th Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The marathon will feature a strong field of U.S. and international runners -- including Team USA Minnesota's Andrew Carlson -- and again hosts the USA Masters Marathon Championships.