Photo: Brian Sell, Papa Johns 10 Miler, April 2005

INDIANAPOLIS - (May 11, 2005) - 2004 Olympian Colleen De Reuck and 2005 World Championships marathoner Brian Sell are among the lead contenders at the USA 25K Championship, hosted by the Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Mich., this Saturday morning, May 14.

De Reuck, 41, from Boulder, CO will face defending USA 25K Champion and fellow master Debbi Kilpatrick-Morris. Both will see competition from a U.S. field that includes two former USA 25K Champions, Christine Clifton (2003) and Jeanne Hennessy (2002), as well as 2005 World Championships marathoners Turena Johnson Lane (also 2004 USA 20K Champion) and Jenny Crain, and Jenny Spangler, 1996 Olympic Marathon Trials Champion.

Sell, 27, who along with Hansons-Brooks Distance Project teammate and fellow World Championships marathoner Clint Verran, will lead a men's field that will feature 2003 USA 10 Mile Champion Chris Graff and Mbarak Hussein, who will be making his first attempt at winning a USA title since becoming a U.S. citizen in September 2004.

This marks the eleventh consecutive year that the Fifth Third River Bank Run has hosted the USA 25K Championship, which is the fifth stop for men and the third for women on the 2005 USA Running Circuit (USARC), a USA Track & Field road series, featuring national championships from 5K to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The eleventh edition for the men and tenth for the women, the 2005 circuit has nine events for men and seven events for women.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000, and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

Current USARC leaders are Team Running USA athletes Abdi Abdirahman and Jen Rhines with 33 and 27 points respectively. De Reuck and Team Running USA's Ryan Shay are the defending Circuit champions.

The mission of the USA Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $5 million dollars to U.S. distance runners.