Minneapolis/St. Paul - July 22, 2010 - Team USA Minnesota's Antonio Vega will be among the elite competitors at the USA 7 Mile Championships on July 24 in Davenport, Iowa.  The event is being held in conjunction with the Quad City Times Bix 7, which hosted the championships last year as well.  Some 18,000 participants will run in the 36th annual Bix.

Vega is the 2010 USA Half Marathon Champion, a race he won in Houston in January.  In addition to the half marathon, his year so far has included an eighth place finish at the USA Cross Country Championships in February, third at the USA 15k Championships in March, and a personal best time of 2:13:47 in the Boston Marathon in April.  He also competed at the Steamboat Classic 4 Miler in June to finish eighth and first American.

Closer to home, Michelle Frey will run the Boston Scientific Heart of Summer 10k which will be held at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.  The seventh annual race supports women's heart health initiatives.  Frey most recently won the Run for Oromia 10k on July 17 in Minneapolis.  In June, she finished in fifth place at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth.

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.mtcmararthon.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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