Tulsa Run to add Masters 15k championships
BY JOHN D. FERGUSON World Correspondent
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
2/06/13 at 4:12 AM
As if the annual Tulsa Run was not already big enough, the 15k race has added a "master-piece" event to the running competition.
The Tulsa Run will host the Masters 15k championships for five years beginning Oct. 26, it was announced Tuesday.
The addition of the Masters division (runners who are 40 or older) to the Tulsa Run came from a joint press release from the Tulsa Sports Commission, which manages the Tulsa Run, and the USA Track and Field organization in Indianapolis.
More than 8,000 participated in last year's Tulsa Run. With the addition of the Masters championship, that number could swell considerably.
Hosting the Masters event is not new to Tulsa, however. The last time Tulsa hosted the Masters championship was in 1999, according to Katie Branham, the USATF marketing and communications manager.
"We're excited to announce the USA Track and Field Masters 15k Championships ... bringing some of the nation's top runners to the region and boosting the Tulsa Run's competition set," said Ray Hoyt, who is senior vice president of Visit Tulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission.
The USATF is the national governing body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking.
"The Tulsa Run has a history of excellence, and the USATF Masters long distance running committee is proud to work with their outstanding staff in offering the Masters 15k championship," said committee chair Don Lein.
"We are certain that our runners will experience a challenging, yet professionally run event in a city that welcomes them."
Original Print Headline: Tulsa Run to add Masters 15k division
