World Class Fields Announced for B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile

 

Defending champions Buze Diriba and Hagos Gebrhiwet join American record holder Ben True to lead full slate of B.A.A. races on Saturday

 

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) today announced an elite field of world class competitors for the 2019 B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile, to be held on Saturday, April 13, two days prior to the 2019 Boston Marathon®. Defending champions Hagos Gebrhiwet and Buze Diriba, both of Ethiopia, return to defend their 2018 titles, as American record holder Ben True will look to earn his fifth B.A.A. 5K crown.

 

Following the B.A.A. 5K, milers from near and far will gather to take part in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile finishing at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street. The B.A.A. Invitational Mile will also include Middle School 1K races and Scholastic Mile races featuring youth athletes from the eight cities and towns along the Boston Marathon course. 

 

A detailed start list and schedule of events for both the B.A.A. 5K and B.A.A. Invitational Mile can be found below.

 

B.A.A. 5K – SATURDAY, APRIL 13 | 8:00 a.m., Boston Common

 

Last year, Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet and Buze Diriba earned hard-fought victories after sprinting down Charles Street to win the B.A.A. 5K. Gebrhiwet fended off four-time winner Ben True and Boston’s own Tommy Curtin at the line, with all three recording the same finish time of 13:42. True and Curtin return with hopes of shuffling the standings; True set an American record of 13:20 en route to winning the 2017 B.A.A. 5K title. Gebrhiwet – an Olympic bronze medalist – has the fastest 5,000-meter time of the field at 12:45.82.

 

Among other men’s contenders are reigning B.A.A. Invitational Mile and U.S. Indoor 2 mile champion Drew Hunter; Falmouth Road Race winner Ben Flanagan; NCAA Cross Country champion Justyn Knight; and European Championships medalist Chris O’Hare. B.A.A. 10K champions Stephen Sambu and Gabriel Geay will toe the line as well.

 

On the women’s side, Diriba is looking to join Molly Huddle as the only three-time consecutive champion in B.A.A. 5K history. Last year, Diriba covered the 3.1-mile course through Boston’s Back Bay in 15:22, a mere second up on Fotyen Tesfay and two seconds ahead of Monicah Ngige. Diriba, Ngige, fourth place finisher Gotytom Gebreslase, and fifth placer Molly Seidel are the top returners from a year ago. Seidel, a four-time NCAA champion while at Notre Dame, will look to score a win in her home city. From Ethiopia is two-time world championships silver medalist Senbere Teferi, owning a lifetime best of 14:23.33 on the track. Also entered is Kim Conley, a two-time Olympian at 5,000 meters for the United States.

 

The B.A.A. High Performance team will be well represented on home turf with Jacob Thomson and Trevor Dunbar competing for the men, and Erika Kemp, Dana Giordano, Kaitlin Goodman, Elaina Tabb, and Katie Matthews racing for the women. Kemp is coming off a victory at the USA 15K Championships in Jacksonville in March.

 

The men’s event record for the B.A.A. 5K stands at 13:20, set by Ben True in 2017, while the women’s event record is 14:50 run by Molly Huddle in 2015.

 

This year’s B.A.A. 5K will also feature the largest and strongest wheelchair field in race history, bringing together national champions from around the world. Defending B.A.A. 5K champions Jose Argenes Jimenez Hernandez of Costa Rica and Vanessa de Souza of Brazil return, as does B.A.A. 10K winner and Massachusetts-native Katrina Gerhard. A full list of entrants can be found below.

 

 

B.A.A. 5K MEN’S ELITE FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY	ROAD 5K PB	TRACK 5000M PB
Hagos Gebrhiwet	24	Ethiopia	13:14	12:45.82
Ben True	33	USA/NH	13:20 (AR)	13:02.74
David Bett	26	Kenya	N/A	13:06.06
Stephen Sambu	30	Kenya	13:21	13:13.74 (Indoor)
Clement Langat	27	Kenya	13:41	13:15.81
Justyn Knight	22	Canada	N/A	13:17.51
Gabriel Geay	22	Tanzania	N/A	13:20.35
Ambrose Bore	23	Kenya	N/A	13:20.39
Tommy Curtin	25	USA/MA	13:42	13:23.11
Alfred Barkach	22	Kenya	N/A	13:25.30
Trevor Dunbar	27	USA/MA	13:55	13:26.27
Jacob Thomson	24	USA/MA	14:15	13:34.50
Willy Fink	25	USA/VA	14:07	13:39.05
Chris O’Hare	28	GBR	13:46	13:42.00
Ben Flanagan	24	Canada	13:57	13:48.58 (Indoor)
Scott Smith	32	USA/AZ	13:51	13:49.38
Drew Hunter	21	USA/CO	13:56	13:49.56

 

 

B.A.A. 5K WOMEN’S ELITE FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY	ROAD 5K PB	TRACK 5000M PB
Buze Diriba	25	Ethiopia	14:54	14:50.02
Senbere Teferi	23	Ethiopia	15:43	14:23.33
Gotytom Gebreslase	24	Ethiopia	15:17	14:57.33
Laura Thweatt	30	USA/CO	15:52	15:04.98
Ann Mwangi	30	Kenya	N/A	15:05.34
Kim Conley	33	USA/CA	15:29	15:08.61
Molly Seidel	24	USA/MA	15:33	15:15.21 (Indoor)
Kaitlin Goodman	31	USA/RI	16:01	15:29.89
Hawi Feysa	20	Ethiopia	N/A	15:31.50
Elaina Tabb	27	USA/MA	15:59	15:32.49
Katie Matthews	28	USA/MA	15:50	15:32.89
Mary Munanu	24	Kenya	16:04	15:36.74
Erika Kemp	24	USA/MA	15:50	15:41.23
Lindsey Scherf	32	USA/NY	16:10	15:42.81 (Indoor)
Dana Giordano	25	USA/MA	15:47	15:53.96
Monicah Ngige	25	Kenya	15:24	15:58.5

 

 

B.A.A. 5K MEN’S WHEELCHAIR FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY
Jose Argenes Jimenez Hernandez	36	Costa Rica
Joey Gibbs	22	USA/IL
Brendan Quinn	27	USA/IL
Tiaan Bosch	39	South Africa
Fidel Aguilar Zepeda	41	Mexico
Christian Clemmons	24	USA/IL
Tony Nogueira	51	USA/NJ
Johnboy Smith	29	Great Britain
Francisco Sanclemente	30	Colombia

 

 

B.A.A. 5K WOMEN’S WHEELCHAIR FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY
Vanessa De Souza	29	Brazil
Katrina Gerhard	22	USA/IL
Michelle Wheeler	32	USA/PA
Eliza Ault-Connell	37	Australia
Margriet van den Broek	45	Netherlands
Jenna Fesemyer	22	USA/IL
Yen Hoang	22	USA/IL
Carla Trodella	37	USA/MA

 

 

B.A.A. 5K PRIZE STRUCTURE (Equal for both men and women)
PLACE	OPEN	MASTERS	WHEELCHAIR
1	$7,500	$300	$300
2	$4,000	$200	$200
3	$2,500	$100	$100
4	$1,500
5	$1,000
6	$750
7	$600
8	$400
9	$300
10	$200
GRAND TOTAL:  $39,900

 

 

B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE – SATURDAY, APRIL 13 | 10:30 a.m., Boylston Street

 

The B.A.A.’s signature unicorn uniform will also be racing in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, where Mike Marsella and John Simons vie for the title. Simons placed second a year ago in 4:09. They will be joined on the line by German national champion Sam Parsons, world indoor championships finalist Julian Oakley, 3:54-miler Robert Domanic, and Eric Avila, who finished second at the U.S. Indoor National Championships in the two mile.

 

Ben Groleau, a native of Framingham and the course record holder for the B.A.A. Scholastic Mile, will race the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, becoming the first athlete to have competed in both levels of the event. Groleau won the B.A.A. Scholastic Mile twice while attending Framingham High School; this past January he broke the four-minute mile barrier by running 3:58.93.

 

The women’s B.A.A. Invitational Mile field is highlighted by Heather Kampf, a four-time USA road mile champion, and Shannon Osika, runner-up at last year’s event. Emily Lipari, 2018 national champion in the road mile, and Helen Schlachtenhaufen are also entered, along with former Arkansas Razorbacks Nikki Hiltz and Therese Haiss.

 

The men’s and women’s event records for the B.A.A. Invitational Mile are 4:03.3 (Nick Willis, 2013) and 4:33.7 (Nicole Sifuentes, 2017).

 

B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE MEN’S ELITE FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY	ROAD MILE PB	TRACK MILE PB
Robert Domanic	24	USA/VA	4:01	3:54.73
Eric Avila	29	USA/CA	3:56	3:55.43
Julian Oakley	25	NZL/RI	4:05	3:55.10 (Indoor)
James Randon	24	USA/MA	N/A	3:58.07 (Indoor)
Ben Groleau	25	USA/MA	N/A	3:58.93
John Simons	28	USA/MA	4:09	3:58.95
Mike Marsella	24	USA/MA	N/A	3:59.13 (Indoor)
Sam Parsons	24	Germany	3:58	3:59.70
Jeff Thies	25	USA/OR	4:14	3:59.89 (Indoor)

 

 

B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE WOMEN’S ELITE FIELD

 

NAME	AGE	COUNTRY	ROAD MILE PB	TRACK MILE PB
Shannon Osika	25	USA/MI	4:21	4:25:47
Heather Kampf	32	USA/MN	4:21	4:27.23
Helen Schlachtenhaufen	24	USA/MA	4:30	4:27.09
Emily Lipari	26	USA/WA	4:22	4:28.62
Nikki Hiltz	24	USA/CA	4:38	4:31.42 (Indoor)
Therese Haiss	23	USA/CA	4:39	4:34.54 (Indoor)
Emily Oren	25	USA/MI	4:37	4:35.48 (Indoor)
Ashley Stinson	25	USA/CO	4:36	4:35.62 (Indoor)

 

 

B.A.A. INVITATIONAL MILE PRIZE STRUCTURE (Equal for both men and women)

 

PLACE	OPEN
1	$3,000
2	$2,000
3	$1,500
4	$750
5	$500
GRAND TOTAL:  $14,500

 

 

B.A.A. YOUTH RACES – SATURDAY, APRIL 13 | 10:30 a.m. & 1:00 p.m., Boylston Street

 

The B.A.A. Invitational Mile also features a quartet of scholastic races ranging from 1K to one mile. The first two races showcases middle school age students from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course – Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, Brookline, and Boston. The girls’ and boys’ Middle School 1K races include runners between sixth and eighth grade and finish at the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street.   

  

Following the Middle School 1K races is the Scholastic Mile, which features girls’ and boys’ races for high school students from the eight cities and towns of the Boston Marathon course. The Scholastic Mile follows the same three-lap, USATF-certified course the professional mile athletes run, finishing at the Boston Marathon finish line.

 

Completing the day is the B.A.A. Relay Challenge, an event that brings more than 20 schools and 1,000 student-athletes from around Greater Boston together. For the 23rd straight year, the B.A.A. Relay Challenge introduces young people to the benefits of running, teamwork, and active lifestyles. The B.A.A. Relay Challenge is held on Boylston Street between Clarendon and Dartmouth Streets.

 

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2019:  SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

 

8:00 a.m.         B.A.A. 5K, Boston Common

10:30 a.m.        Girls’ B.A.A. Middle School 1K, Boston Marathon Finish Line  

10:40 a.m.        Boys’ B.A.A. Middle School 1K, Boston Marathon Finish Line  

10:55 a.m.        Girls’ B.A.A. Scholastic Mile, Boston Marathon Finish Line  

11:05 a.m.        Boys’ B.A.A. Scholastic Mile, Boston Marathon Finish Line    

11:20 a.m.        Men’s B.A.A. Invitational Mile, Boston Marathon Finish Line    

11:30 a.m.        Women’s B.A.A. Invitational Mile, Boston Marathon Finish Line  

1:00 p.m.         B.A.A. Relay Challenge

 

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.)
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.’s Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the organization manages other local events and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has been John Hancock. The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. More than 60,000 runners will participate in B.A.A. events in 2019. The 123rd Boston Marathon will be held on Monday, April 15, 2019. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.