Medtronic TC 10 Mile Part of Inaugural USATF “Super Circuit”

Press Release 

St. Paul, Minn. – January 20, 2015 – The Medtronic TC 1 Mile and Medtronic TC 10 Mile have been named USATF Championships for men and women in 2015 by USA Track & Field. The Medtronic TC 1 Mile, set for May 14 in downtown Minneapolis, will host the championships for the fifth time in its history. The Medtronic TC 10 Mile on October 4, part of Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend, will host a national championship for the seventh time.

The events will be organized by Twin Cities In Motion, organizer of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and an array of year-round running events in the Twin Cities.

The Medtronic TC 1 Mile will offer a prize purse of $25,000 to aspiring U.S. Olympians, including a $5000 winners’ prize and a pair of $10,000 event record bonuses. The Medtronic TC 10 Mile will offer a $81,000 prize purse with $12,000 earmarked for the winners, and an additional $10,000 “Equalizer Bonus” set aside for the first USATF Champion – male or female – to cross finish line in a contest where the women’s field is given a head-start.

Both events are part of the USATF Running Circuit (formerly the USA Running Circuit) which weaves twelve USATF Championships events into a yearlong circuit with a $100,000 year-end prize purse. The Medtronic TC 10 Mile will be part of a six event “Super Circuit” of events within the USATF Running Circuit which will award bonus points toward the circuit title.

“We’re pleased to continue to support USATF Championships racing in the Twin Cities,” Twin Cities In Motion Executive Director Virginia Brophy Achman said. “Our organization has a long, proud history of providing competitions and prize money for the top athletes in the nation, and we’re proud to continue that tradition. We’re happy to see USATF add money and prestige to the circuit in 2015 with its contributions.”

The 2015 circuit will see a total prize purse of $687,900 offered by host events. U.S. athletes will also have the opportunity to qualify for various Team USA events, including the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, IAAF World Championships, and the Pan American Games. Since its inception in 1995, the USARC and its races have provided over $9 million to U.S. distance runners.

All USATF Running Circuit events will be broadcast on USATF.tv, either live or on demand. The circuit kicked off Sunday with the USATF Half Marathon Championships in Houston.