Kelati Seeks Three-Peat at Saturday’s USATF 5 km Road Championships

USATF Release

NEW YORK, NY – The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5k featuring the USATF 5 km Championships get underway Saturday morning in New York City with all-star men’s and women’s fields ready to contest for victory, with Weini Kelati leading the charge as she seeks her third straight USATF 5 km title.

The USATF 5 km Championships are the final stop on the 2023 USATF Running Circuit. Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast, free to view, beginning at 8:20am ET on USATF.TV, with the men’s race starting at 8:30am ET and the women’s race beginning at 8:35am ET.

In 2021, Kelati, who placed fourth in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships this summer, won by nearly 30 seconds, coasting to victory. Last year, Kelati pulled away early and never looked back, winning by 14 seconds. Kelati has run well all season long. In addition to her fourth place 10,000m performance, she claimed first at the USATF 10 km Championships, as well as an eighth place finish in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. With her course experience and front-running tactics, Kelati enters Saturday as the pre-race favorite.

Kelati’s biggest challenge should come from Ednah Kurgat, who leads the overall USATF Running Circuit standings with 64 points, 24 points ahead of second place Nell Rojas. Kurgat won the USATF Cross Country Championships to kick off the USATF Running Circuit season, as well as the USATF 6 km Championships. She’s earned two runner-up finishes and a third place finish, as well, on the USATF Running Circuit. Kurgat placed just behind Kelati at the USATF 10 km Championships and placed two spots behind Kelati in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships.

Sitting third place in the current USATF Running Circuit standings is Emma Hurley with 39 points. Hurley has had a tremendous 2023 campaign. The Atlanta Track Club standout placed second at the USATF 15 km Championships, third at the USATF 10 Mile and 10 km Championships, and fourth at the USATF 6 km Championships. She’ll seek her first circuit victory in New York.

Keira D’Amato and Andrew Rodenfels are two other top runners to keep an eye on. D’Amato placed second at the USATF 25 km Championships. While she thrives in the longer road race distances, she’ll test herself in a big way over the 5 km distance should vie for top three.

For Rodenfels, she placed third at the USATF 6 km Championships earlier this year, as well as claiming 12th in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The BAA athlete was fourth last year at the USATF 5 km Championships, finishing only one second off of second place. She’ll look to challenge for top three, as well.

Two notable veterans entered in Saturday’s contest are Rachel Smith and Abbey Cooper. Both athletes are working themselves into top racing form having not raced yet in 2023. Smith and Cooper have been two of the premier 5000m runners in the United States their entire professional careers, so both are fully capable of challenging for victory on Saturday if in sharp enough fitness.

Amanda Vestri, Kassie Parker, and Katie Camarena are three others who should contend for top five finishes. Vestri, who competes for ZAP Fitness, placed eighth in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, while Parker placed ninth in the same race. Camarena took home 14th place in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. 

In the men’s field, Woody Kincaid leads the charge amongst the list of contenders. Kincaid, who has been one of the top 5000m runners in the world for the past few years, ran 12:54.40 on the track in Italy back in June. A month later he won the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, following that up with an 11th place finish in the 10,000m at the World Outdoor Championships in Budapest. Kincaid hasn’t raced since mid-September, but he’ll have all eyes on him from the start Saturday.

The top returnee from the 2022 USATF 5 km Championships is Ahmed Muhumed. Muhumed placed fourth in last year’s race, while earning an eighth place finish in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Muhumed should challenge for the win this year.

Two steeplechase standouts on the track are ready to hit the roads and challenge for victory as well. Isaac Updike and Matthew Wilkinson placed third and sixth in the 3000m steeplechase finals at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Updike earned a spot on Team USA for the World Outdoor Championships, claiming a spot in the steeplechase final in Budapest.

Two other key entries Saturday are Sam Gilman and Zach Panning. Gilman, who runs for the U.S. Air Force, placed a surprise sixth in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships and will look to build off of that momentum in New York. Panning, who placed 13th in the marathon at the World Outdoor Championships and is just beginning his build-up to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon, will test his fitness over the much shorter 5 km distance. Panning ran 13:44 or faster twice in 2023, so he's fully capable of a top three finish on Saturday.

Other top contenders in the men’s field include Alec Basten and Brian Barraza, who placed fifth and sixth at last year’s USATF 5 km Championships, middle distance standout Vincent Ciattei, former Michigan State All-American Morgan Beadlescomb and Tai Dinger, who placed eighth at the 2022 USATF 5 km Championships.

On demand race videos, results, and post-race interviews will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #USARC.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit presented by Toyota 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 $60,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 5 km Road Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 5 km 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