Defending Champion Bor Eyes Three-peat at USATF 10 Mile Road Championships

USATF Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Two-time reigning champion Hillary Bor and 2024 USATF 15 km champion Rachel Smith headline talented men’s and women’s fields at Sunday’s USATF 10 Mile Road Championships in Washington, DC, hosted by the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run.

The USATF 10 Mile Road Championships are the fourth stop on the 2024 USATF Running Circuit. The webcast for Sunday’s race will be streamed live on USATF.TV beginning at 7:10am ET, with the women’s race starting at 7:18am ET and the men’s race at 7:30am ET, available with a +PLUS subscription.

In 2023, Bor put on a show, winning by nearly a minute over an all-star line-up of competition. Running away early and maintaining form the entire way, Bor crossed the finish while setting a new American 10 Mile record of 46:11. 

The Olympian and two-time World Championship 3000m steeplechase finalist missed the back half of 2023 due to injury, but has had a strong start to his 2024 campaign, which saw him place fourth in 1:01:47 at the United Airlines NYC Half last month, as well as finish runner-up at the USATF 15 km Championships in Jacksonville. 

The man who beat Bor in Jacksonville was Teshome Mekonen, who won his first USATF title, besting Bor over the final mile of the 15 km race, ultimately claiming bictory by four seconds. Mekonen is back this Sunday, seeking another winning performance and climbing into the top spot in the USATF Running Circuit standings, where he’s currently tied at the top with Conner Mantz and Cooper Teare, each with 15 points. 

Three former USATF 10 Mile champions are also entered in Sunday’s contest. Abbabiya Simbassa, Sam Chelanga, and Shadrack Kipchirchir are all hoping to challenge for top prize in Washington, DC. Simbassa, who won the USATF 10 Mile crown in 2021, has four top three performances to his name at the USATF 10 Mile Championships. He was runner-up to Bor last year and finished fourth in the 2023 USATF Running Circuit standings. Simbassa claimed fourth at the USATF 15 km Championships last month, while also placing 11th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Kipchirchir won the USATF 10 Mile Championships in 2017 and 2018, while Chelanga won the two years prior in 2015 and 2016. Kipchirchir finished seventh at the USATF 15 km Championships last month, while Chelanga placed eighth. The duo will once again push the pace early on and will no doubt contend for top three on Sunday.

Daniel Mesfun is another big name to watch. Mesfun placed fifth at the USATF 15 km Championships and 15th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, giving him a great start to his 2024 season and building off his 2023 season, where he placed fourth at both the USATF 10 km and 20 km Championships.

Other top contenders in the men’s race includes Jacob Thomson who finished third at the 2023 USATF 10 Mile Championships, sixth at the recent USATF 15 km Championships, and won the 2023 USATF Half Marathon Championships. Thomson will be joined up front by USATF Running Circuit veteran Andrew Colley, as well as Nathan Martin and Josh Izewski, who placed seventh and eighth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in February.

In the women’s race, Smith enters Sunday’s contest coming off a big win at the USATF 15 km Championships. The Flagstaff-based standout has shown arguably the best versatility of any American distance runner in 2024 so far, having also earned two top five finishes at the USATF Indoor Championships in the 3000m and 1500m, as well as placed fifth in the 10,000m at The TEN.

Smith will be joined up front by Emily Durgin and Annie Frisbie. Frisbie and Durgin both finished top three at the 2022 USATF 10 Mile Championships, Frisbie claiming second and Durgin third. More recently, the duo placed next to each other at both the USATF 15 km Championships and U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Durgin took home third at the USATF 15 km Championships and ninth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, while Frisbie earned fourth at the USATF 15 km Championships and tenth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Championships.

Tristin Van Ord is another top name in the field. Van Ord finished 17th at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando and earned two top five finishes on the USATF Running Circuit last year.

Former American record holder Molly Huddle continues to be a presence on the roads, placing ninth at TCS New York City Marathon last November. 

Sydney Bowman had a great recent performance at the USATF 15 km Championships, placing seventh, and seems capable of placing top five on Sunday. She’s joined by fellow U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials competitors Stephanie Sherman, Jacqueline Gaughan, and Breanna Sieracki, as well as Elena Heyday, who just ran 32:41.24 for 10,000m last week at the Raleigh Relays.

On demand race videos, results, and post-race interviews will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $42,600 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 10 Mile Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 10 Mile Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush