Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K to host 2017 and 2018 Collegiate 10k Road Race National Championships

November 27, 2016 - RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Sports Backers announced today the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k presented by Kroger will serve as host to the Collegiate  Running Association’s 2017 and 2018 Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championships. This will mark the fourth and fifth consecutive years the best and brightest college students will turn their focus to Richmond as a destination for the annual event.

“The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K is one of the biggest and best road races in the U.S. and we could not be more thrilled to extend our partnership with this event and the Richmond Sports Backers to bring college athletes to Richmond,” said Collegiate Running Association co- founder Jon Molz. “The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K has been a cornerstone for our national championships and a destination for top college runners, along with social runners, for the past three years. The commitment to host the Collegiate National Championships in both 2017 and 2018 gives students from across the nation the opportunity to plan and schedule this event as part of their spring schedules for the next two years. We are dedicated to helping it grow. The amazing opportunities for runners, both social and competitive, are what make this event so special.”

"We are very excited to partner with the Collegiate Running Association to bring the 2017 and 2018 10k Road Race National Championship back to Richmond," said Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k Event Director Meghan Keogh. "The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k is one of our signature events and a great way to further Sports Backers' mission of encouraging active lifestyles and creating fitness opportunities. It's great to work with an organization like the Collegiate Running Association that shares these goals, and we look forward to great events in 2017 and 2018."

Over 7,000 college students have registered for the Monument Avenue 10k over the last three years, and there has been a substantial elite presence at the front of the fields as well. On the men’s side, 2016 Olympic Games 5K Silver medalist Paul Chelimo, who captured the first U.S. Olympic medal in the event since the 1968 Olympic Games, won back in 2014; Joe Gray, the 2016 World Mountain Running Champion, won in 2015. Kellyn Johnson, a two-time champion on the women’s side (2014 & 2015), recently finished 4th in the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 10,000m and 6th in the 2016 Olympic Trials Marathon.

“Our Collegiate Running Association mission is to create new opportunities for all college students who enjoy running and active, healthy lifestyles,” said Collegiate Running Association president Steve Taylor. “Our vision includes elite runners, club runners, and social runners all converging at the same road, mountain and trail running events. Since the first year our dream has become reality at the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k and we could not be more excited and dedicated to this event and everything it offers participants. This is not just a race, it’s a huge social event with an electric atmosphere.”

As the first road race with prize money reserved specifically for college students, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Collegiate Running Association 10k Road Race National Championships attracted a slew of highly decorated runners enrolled in college classes across the country as they battled for a $10,000 prize purse. In 2017 and 2018 the streets of Richmond will once again welcome the nation’s college students for an amazing view of the city. Whether you are looking for social or competitive opportunities, the 2017 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K will provide it all.

About Sports Backers

About Sports Backers

Sports Backers is a non-profit organization that inspires Richmond area residents from all corners of the community to live actively. For the past 25 years, Sports Backers has developed nationally significant events and programs to motivate our community to embrace active living. Visit www.sportsbackers.org for more information on our organization and mission.

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About the Collegiate Running Association

The Collegiate Running Association (CRA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded November, 2013  with a mission to promote healthy lifestyles among college students by providing and expanding  opportunities in the sport of running. The vision of the CRA is to offer national championship events in road, mountain, and trail running with prize money specifically reserved