Minneapolis/St. Paul - July 5, 2010 - Three Team USA Minnesota women - Gabriele Anderson, Meghan Armstrong and Heather Dorniden - are currently in Europe to gain international racing experience on the track.  The first competition for the athletes was the Leon Buyle Memorial meet in Oordegem-Lede, Belgium, on July 3.

Anderson and Armstrong were in the women's 1500 meters with Anderson finishing in second place with a time of 4:15.71 and Armstrong in sixth in 4:18.20, which was 1 second off her personal best.  Dorniden raced in the 800 meters and finished second in 2:02.43 which is a season best time.

The athletes arrived in Europe on July 2, which was a day later than planned due to a canceled flight on June 30 out of Minneapolis.  The Team USA Minnesota women, along with Coach Dennis Barker, are at an Athletics Base Camp in the Netherlands with runners from four other U.S. distance running training centers.  The trip is being funded in part by a grant from the USA Track & Field Foundation.

Next up will be the International Meeting in Brasschatt, Belgium, on July 11 where Anderson will again compete in the 1500 meters and Armstrong will race the 5000.  Dorniden will compete on July 13 in the 800 meters at the International Athletics Meeting in Liege, Belgium.

Results from July 4th Races

Josh Moen placed 10th in 29:10 and Patrick Smyth was 15th with a time of 29:27 in the USA Men's 10k Championship held in conjunction with the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th.  Both athletes had raced in the 10,000 meters at the USA Outdoor Championships on June 24.

In Japan, Antonio Vega competed in the Sapporo International Half Marathon and finished in 1:07:15 and out of the top 10.  The race began at 1:30 p.m. on the 4th with a temperature of 85 degrees.  According to a release from the IAAF, "the hot and humid conditions were not conducive to fast times which was clearly reflected in the results."

About Team USA Minnesota

Team USA Minnesota is based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Formed in 2001, the purpose of the training center is to improve the competitiveness of post-collegiate American distance running and to develop Olympians.  The athletes are coached by Dennis Barker, head cross country and track coach at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.  Team USA Minnesota's major sponsor is Life Time Fitness (www.lifetimefitness.com) and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.mtcmarathon.org).  It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project along with a grant from Running USA.  For more information, visit the team's web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.

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Contact:

Pat Goodwin

952-924-1081

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