Team USA Runners to Join Turkey Day 5K

Five Team USA Minnesota runners – Jason Lehmkuhle, Jon Grey, Katie McGregor, Jamie Cheever, and Heather Kampf – will participate in the Life Time Fitness Turkey Day 5K on November 24.

The Thanksgiving Day event, which was first held in 1989, is expected to attract over 10,000 runners and walkers.

The run in downtown Minneapolis starts at 8 a.m. near the Target Center and finishes on 1st Avenue. The event is a fun run so no official results will be kept, although there will be awards for the top three male runners and top three females. The Turkey Day 5K partners with Second Harvest Heartland to collect food for the less fortunate in the community with over 10,000 pounds of food donated in 2010.

Lehmkuhle and McGregor are preparing for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials that will be held on January 14 in Houston. Lehmkuhle has a best in the marathon of 2:12:24 and McGregor has run 2:31:01. During 2011, Lehmkuhle was fifth at the USA Half Marathon Championships, won the Ohme 30k in Japan, posted 2:13:40 at the London Marathon, and was second at the USA 20k Championships.

Also during the year, McGregor was fourth at the USA Half Marathon Championships, sixth at the USA 15K Championships, won the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, was third at the USA 20K Championships and fourth at the USA 10 Mile Championships. In addition, she finished second in the women’s division of the USA Running Circuit.

Grey and Cheever both joined Team USA Minnesota in 2011. Grey made his professional debut at the USA 10 Mile Championships in October in a time of 47:59 followed by selection to compete at the Izumo Ekiden Relay in Japan. He has run 28:44 in the 10,000 meters.

During the year Cheever ran in the USA Cross Country Championships and the USA 1 Mile Road Championships, and posted an ‘A’ qualifying time in the steeplechase to run in the event at the USA Outdoor Championships.

Kampf competed on the track and the roads during the year, beginning with a third place finish in the 800 meters at the USA Indoor Championships, second place at the USA 1 Mile Road Championships, competed at the USA Outdoor Championships in the 800 meters, and set a personal best in the 800m of 2:00.41 over the summer in Europe.