Pat Price | On 05, Jul 2013

photo courtesy Track and Field Photo

The dot US Road Racing Championships could provide a true “best of the best” race for the top echelon of distance runners in America. It’s a great concept, that leans a little bit in favor of those that run the 10k and up, but that’s okay by me. I’ll touch base into a little about the event below, but for more official information, check out http://NationalRoadRacingChampionships.us and follow @dotUSchamps on Twitter.

What is it?

The dot US Road Racing Championships are the culmination of the US Running Circuit season that lasts all year long. The circuit has races that range from the road mile to the marathon, with the dot US champs grand finale being the 12k (which is the same distance the Men run for cross country). Points are given to those that finish in the top ten in each race. If you finish in the top ten in any of the first nine races, you qualify for the dot US Championships.

What are the qualifying races?

The Cross Country championships were the first of the grand prix of sorts, then the 15k, road mile, 25k, Half-Marathon, 10k, 20k, 5k and the Marathon. As mentioned above, top ten in any of these events qualifies you, but… if you come in top five in any event, you qualify for travel and housing; a nice perk.

How do the points work?

There are 10 races that count in the overall standing. The marathon gets you double points and the dot US Championship gets you triple points. This means the finale plays a big role, as right now, after six of the ten races, Matt Tegenkamp has the lead with 35 points. A win in the finale would net you 45 alone. Here is the link to the current standings (Janet Cherobon-Bawcom is the current female leader).

Place	Points
1st	15
2nd	12
3rd	10
4th	7
5th	6
6th	5
7th	4
8th	3
9th	2
10th	1

How could the dot US Champs be important?

If USATF promotes this as the contest to be the “best distance runner in the US” and gets this a nice television slot, with the same kind of production that it had for the “USATF 36: Sandra Richards-Ross,” it could be fun.

I always thought it would be cool if Foot Locker invited the best runners ever year and lined them up before or after the kids at Balboa Park. That would be quite a race. This could build into something like that.

Also, anyone can run this race, as it’s a mass participation event. Right now, I’m not sure if the regular population will line up at the same time as the pros, or if they will showcase a Men’s and a Women’s race separately. I’m hoping for the latter. But with this in mind, participants will be able to say they ran the same course as the best runners in the country, and that they were only X minutes behind Shalane Flanagan.

What’s the money?

The prize money is as follows for those that finish in the top ten overall in the standings on the male and female side.

Place	Money
1st	$20,000
2nd	$10,000
3rd	$7,500
4th	$5,000
5th	$3,000
6th	$2,000
7th	$1,000
8th	$750
9th	$500
10th	$250

What else should I know about the dot US Championships?

This a USATF-run event. It will be a showcase to join USATF and to promote the best distance runners the country has. Right now, men like Ryan Hall and Galen Rupp have yet to qualify, but all it takes is one race (in the top 10, over the final three) to get to the starting line.

Unfortunately, some top runners will not participate due to their running of the New York City Marathon, but that’s the breaks.

Neustar has made a three year investment in the event, and with the right promotion, it could be a fun one. It gives everyone something to train for in the fall, after track season, but before indoors, and could provide true crown as the “country’s best distance runner,” if taken seriously! Let’s hope our best distance runners do.