Korir, Mantz, Kipchirchir Headline Deep Field at USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship

USATF Release

Kingsport, Tenneessee – While the stars of track and field descend on Eugene at the World Athletics Championships beginning this weekend, many of the top male distance runners in the United States will be going head-to-head at the USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship presented by Toyota in Kingsport, Tennessee. 

The USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship, hosted by the Crazy 8s 8K Run, is the seventh stop on the 2022 USATF Running Circuit presented by Toyota.

While the 2022 racing season is only half way over, Olympian Leonard Korir is having yet another memorable season. Korir currently leads the USATF Running Circuit standings with 64 points, well ahead of second place runner Futsum Zienasellassie, who has 43 points to his name. Korir has earned two USATF titles this season, with victories coming at the USATF Half Marathon and USATF 25 km Championships, giving him 12 overall USATF titles for his career. 

The rivalry on the roads between Korir and Shadrack Kipchirchir resumes Saturday, with Kipchirchir eyeing victory. Kipchirchir won the USATF Cross Country Championships back in January, while also earning a fifth place finish in an incredible field at the USATF 10,000m Championships in late-May. Kipchirchir seeks his seventh USATF title at the USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship.

Connor Mantz and Emmanuel Bor enter Saturday’s contest with recent success and big aspirations to earn the win. Mantz placed fourth in the 5000m at the Toyota Outdoor Championships last month, while Bor was fifth in the 5000m. The duo placed in the same order at the USATF 10,000m Championships in May, with Mantz earning a seventh place finish and Bor taking eighth. 

Finishing just ahead of Mantz and Bor at the USATF 10,000m Championships, Lopez Lomong seeks to build on his strong season. Lomong placed sixth at the USATF 10,000m Championships early this season and is fully capable of winning any race he enters. 

Veteran Sam Chelanga will certainly challenge for victory in Kingsport, having recently placed 14th at the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships. That finish comes off other notable finishes of tenth at the USATF 10,000m Championships and third at the USATF Cross Country Championships.

Jacob Thomson and Kiya Dandena are two others capable of challenging for the win on Saturday in Tennessee. Both athletes currently sit in the top four of the USATF Running Circuit standings. Thomson is in third with 16 points after his third place effort at the USATF Half Marathon Championships, while Dandena is in a four-way tie for fourth with 15 points, along with Kipchirchir, Vincent Ciattei, and Nico Montanez, having placed third at the USATF 25 km Championships.

Other notable veterans in the field include 2016 Olympians Jared Ward and Ben Blankenship, Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships 1500m qualifier Eric Jenkins, as well as Kirubel Erassa, Frankline Tonui, and Josh Izewski.

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 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 $15,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship, as well as a $10,000 American record bonus to the winner should they eclipse the national record of 22:04.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF Men’s 8 km Road Championship, 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