No David Torrence at Medtronic TC 1 Mile

Three-time defending champion David Torrence won't be back to win an unprecedented fourth-straight Medtronic TC 1 Mile title next week, but a blend of familiar faces and emerging stars are set to race down Nicollet Mall on Thursday in the 8th edition of the event, according to event organizers.

Once again the race will serve as the USA 1 Mile Road Championship

Both Torrence and defending women's champion Sara Hall have chosen to compete at the Oxy High Performance meet in Los Angeles which takes place the day after the TC 1 Mile.

Last year's TC 1 Mile runners-up -- Team USA Minnesota's Heather Kampf and Flagstaff, Arizona's Aaron Braun -- will headline the 2012 elite field.  Kampf, a Minneapolis resident and a former University of Minnesota star, looks to use a home course advantage to become the first Minnesotan to win the USA 1 Mile title.  The Rosemount High School alumnus recently ran 2:02.24 for 800-meters at a meet in Brazil.

Braun, a member of the McMillan Elite training group, is known for his wide range as a distance runner. The Adams State College graduate was the 2010 USA Club Cross Country Champion and has finished in the top-three at USA Championships a half-dozen times at distances ranging from the mile to 15-kilometers.

The Medtronic TC 1 Mile program features an evening of races for runners of all ages and abilities. Action kicks off at 6:50 p.m. and culminates with the USA Championships races at 7:53 p.m. (women) and 8:03 p.m. (men). In all, more than 3000 runners are expected to compete in this exciting 8th annual event. The event has hosted the last three USA 1 Mile Road Championships. 

“We’re pleased to have Heather and Aaron back at the Medtronic TC 1 Mile to chase the titles that eluded them last year,” Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said in a media release. “I marvel at Aaron’s abilities to compete successfully at so many distances and, in Heather’s case, we’d love to see a Minnesota runner win a USA title in her home state.”

The pair and the rest of the championship field will battle for a total of $22,500 in prize money, plus a pair of $10,000 course record bonuses.  The records for the event were both set last year when Torrence won his third-straight Medtronic TC 1 Mile title in 3 minutes, 58.4 seconds and Hall clocked 4:30.8 in her first Medtronic TC 1 Mile victory.

The Medtronic TC 1 Mile will play an important role for some emerging-elite athletes hoping to develop their talent for future Olympic Games. In a partnership with USA Track and Field, Twin Cities In Motion has invited six developmental athletes to the event for the opportunity to race against top competition and advance their promising careers.

“We’re proud of the resources we put into the developmental portion of the field,” Brophy Achman said. “Tomorrow’s Olympians will come from the today’s developmental ranks, so being an important part of their rise is an investment we’re pleased to make for our sport.”