Syracuse to Host 2013 US 5K Masters Championships

Syracuse, NY ‰ÛÓ The 21st annual Syracuse Festival of Races
(SFoR) has been selected by USA Track & Field‰Ûªs Masters Long Distance
Running Committee to host the 2013 USA Masters 5 km Championship for both men
and women on Sunday, October 6, 2013. This will mark the sixth consecutive year
that the SFoR has hosted the nation‰Ûªs top 40-and-older distance runners as they
race for national titles at the world‰Ûªs most popular road race distance.

“We are proud to announce the renewal of our USA Masters 5 km Championship
for 2013 to the Syracuse Festival of Races,” said Don Lein, Chair of USATF‰Ûªs
Masters Long Distance Running Committee. “This race has become one of our most
popular championships because of the speed of the course, the athlete-friendly
community, and‰ÛÓmost importantly‰ÛÓthe absolute professionalism of Dave Oja and his
dedicated staff, which make the race a ‰Û÷must-do‰Ûª on every elite Masters
athlete‰Ûªs calendar.”

The 2013 USA Masters 5 km Championship is expected to attract 250 top
age-group athletes to Syracuse to race on a course that routinely hosts
world-class performances and national 5 km (3.1-mile) records. At the 2012 SFoR,
the out-and-back route along Meadowbrook Drive between Syracuse University‰Ûªs
Lampe Athletic Complex and Euclid Avenue hosted 25 world-class performances,
including one 5 km world best, one Canadian 5 km age-group record, and three
U.S. 5 km age-group records.

Masters competition in distance running in the United States begins at age
40, and recent editions of the USA Masters 5 km Championship have attracted
finishers from age 40 to age 93. Athletes in the 2013 Championship will be
competing for a total of $10,000 in individual and club team prize money, along
with national records and U.S. Championship titles at the most popular road race
distance.

“Hosting a USATF LDR championship is always both a thrill and an honor,” said
Syracuse Festival of Races founder and race director, Dave Oja. “It‰Ûªs clear that
the athletes who‰Ûªve competed in the past five editions of the Festival have
enjoyed the experience, and we‰Ûªre working hard to make it even more special in
2013.”

Along with its separate 5 km races for men and women, the Syracuse Festival
of Races includes the enormously popular MVP Health Care 3K Fun & Fitness
Run, and the non-profit-centered Tops Friendly Markets Community Walk. The four
events of race morning, Sunday, October 6, 2013 are expected to attract more
than 3,000 participants and help to raise thousands of dollars for participating
non-profit organizations.

To view various lists of the all-time fastest performances on the Syracuse
Festival of Races course, visit www.festivalofraces.com/results.html.

Major support for the 2012 Syracuse Festival of Races was provided by: MVP
Health Care; Tops Friendly Markets; SOSPlus; Nationwide Insurance; USA Track
& Field; the Syracuse Chargers Track Club, Inc.; Dick‰Ûªs Sporting Goods; YNN;
and Cumulus Media of Syracuse.