Top Americans to Race Streets of Manhattan at 2017 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5 km Championships

USATF 5 kmChampionships, featuring a $60,000 prize purse, to make first appearance in New York on November 4 during TCS New York City Marathon race week

New York, May 3, 2017—The 2017 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K on November 4, hosted by New York Road Runners (NYRR) during its TCS New York City Marathon race week, will also serve as this year’s USA Track and Field (USATF) 5 km Championships, featuring many of the nation’s top men’s and women’s distance runners.

The USATF 5 km Championships will be the 10th stop on the 2017 USATF Running Circuit and will be shown live on USATF.TV.

“With the addition of the USATF 5 kmChampionships to TCS New York City Marathon Week, the city of New York will be the center of the road running universe this fall,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K is already a favorite for runners from around the world. Now, with Abbott’s continued support, we are thrilled to bring some of the greatest distance athletes in the sport together to compete for a U.S. title that will be a treat for runners, fans, and all New Yorkers to see.”

Following in the footsteps of the professional athletes will be more than 10,000 runners participating in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, including New York City locals and people visiting from around the world. Rio 2016 Olympians Donn Cabral of the U.S. and Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal of Norway won last year’s Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K. The course record-holders for the race are New Zealander Nick Willis (13:46, 2013) and American Molly Huddle (15:27, 2013).

Abbott, the title sponsor of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will be the sponsor of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K for the second consecutive year.

“The USATF 5 km Championships represent what Abbott is all about – helping people achieve more than they thought possible through good health,” said Elaine Leavenworth, senior vice president, chief marketing and external affairs officer at Abbott. “The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K is a great event for runners of all ages and will be even more exciting this year with the addition of some of the nation’s most inspiring runners.”

The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K annually provides TCS New York City Marathon supporters, friends and families to join in on the thrill of marathon race week. The course begins on Manhattan’s east side by the United Nations, then takes runners along 42nd Street past historic Grand Central Terminal and up the world-famous Avenue of the Americas past Radio City Music Hall. It then passes through the rolling hills of Central Park before finishing at the iconic TCS New York City Marathon finish line.

The USATF Running Circuit features 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 $60,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 5 kmChampionships.

“We are extremely pleased that the New York Road Runners and the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K will serve as our national championship,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said. “Having the race during marathon week gives our athletes even more visibility and excitement. Between the NYRR’s exceptional race planning and the hundreds of thousands of fans focused on New York that week, it will make for an exciting platform for the sport.”

Last year’s USATF 5 kmChampionships took place in Providence, Rhode Island, where 2016 World Indoor Championships silver medalist Ryan Hill won the men’s race and Aliphine Tuliamuk won her third national title on the women’s side.

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sundayin November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit nyrr.org. 

About USATF
USA Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.

About Abbott
At Abbott, we're committed to helping you live your best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 94,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.