Minneapolis/St. Paul - July 1, 2010 - Team USA Minnesota's Antonio Vega, the 2010 USA Half Marathon Champion, heads to Japan this week for the 53rd edition of the Sapporo Half Marathon on July 4th.  Also racing this weekend will be Josh Moen and Patrick Smyth who will be among the Americans in the field at the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, which is the site of the USA Men's 10k Championship.

The Sapporo Half Marathon will be held on the Japanese island of Hokkaido with the race beginning at 1:32 p.m.  Despite hot and humid conditions, the event attracks nearly every top distance runner out of Japan and a host of Japan-based Kenyan athletes.  According to a release issued by Boulder Wave, Inc., Vega is the first American man invited to Sapporo since Khalid Khannouchi in 2002.

"I am very excited for my first race in Japan," said Vega, who most recently was the top American at the Steamboat Classic 4 Mile on June 19.  "I am excited to get this opportunity to gain some international racing experience.  After a short break following the Boston Marathon (where he set a personal best of 2:13:47), I feel like my training is once again on track for a great summer racing season."

So far in 2010, Vega has posted six personal bests on the track and in road races, including his USA Half Marathon win in 1:01:54.  He currently leads the USA Running Circuit standings.  In addition, Vega finished eighth at the USA Cross Country Championships and third at the USA 15k Championships in a personal best time of 43:55.

USA Men's 10k Championship at Peachtree

Josh Moen and Patrick Smyth will run in the AJC (Atlanta Journal Constitution) Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July.  Billed as the largest 10k running event in the world with 55,000 participants, the race is also the USA Men's 10k Championship.  The 41st running of Peachtree begins at 7:30 a.m.

Both Moen and Smyth ran in the men's 10k road championship in 2009 with Moen finishing 13th and Smyth in fifth place.  Peachtree also attracts a deep international field of male and female competitors who will be in the mix at the event which is directed by the Atlanta Track Club.  Moen's best in the 10,000 is 28:26.26 and Smyth has posted 28:25.80 in the 10,000.

Moen's races over the past year have included second place at the USA Men's 10 Mile Championship last October, sixth at the USA Half Marathon Championships in January, and 10th at the Bay to Breakers 12k in May.  In 2010, Smyth has posted a second place finish at the USA Half Marathon Championships, second at the USA Cross Country Championships, seventh at the USA 15k Championships, and third in the USA Outdoor Men's 10,000 meters.

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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