DES MOINES, Iowa – Defending champion Katie Mackey and Olympic silver medalist Leo Manzano headline their respective fields heading into Tuesday’s USATF 1 Mile Road Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by the Grand Blue Mile.

The USATF 1 Mile Road Championships are the first stop on the 2018 USATF Running Circuit. Fans can tune-in for the live broadcast beginning at 8:10m ET on USATF.TV with a +PLUS subscription. Race videos, results, post-race interviews and photos will be available shortly after the race in cooperation with RunnerSpace.com. Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #USARC.

Entering Tuesday’s contest as the pre-race favorite on the women’s side, Mackey will no doubt use her experience from 2017 to position herself again for the win. The Seattle-based runner is coming off an impressive indoor campaign, where she placed second in the 3000m at the USATF Indoor Championships, earning a spot on Team USA and ultimately finishing eighth at the IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Mackey is joined at the front by World Championship medalist Brenda Martinez and young pro Shannon Osika. Martinez, who placed third at the 2017 USATF Outdoor Championships in the 800m, continues to challenge herself in longer distances early on in the season, while Osika returns to competition having placed third in the 1500m at the USATF Indoor Championships.

Rachel Schneider and Eleanor Fulton were also in the 1500m final at the USATF Indoor Championships, placing seventh and ninth respectively, and will line-up Tuesday with plenty of opportunity to challenge for the win.

Former NCAA champion Molly Seidel is stepping down in distance. Seidel is having a terrific 2018 campaign, finishing second at the USATF Cross Country Championships, then coming back to finish third at the USATF 15 km Championships. She currently sits atop of the USATF Running Circuit standings with 33 points, well ahead of a second place tie of Emily Infeld and Molly Huddle, who each have 22.5 points to their name.

BAA’s Emily Lipari, who finished 11th in the 1500m final at the USATF Outdoor Championships is entered, as are Dana Mecke, Hannah Fields, Alexina Wilson and Meghan Peyton, who finished fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth at last year’s USATF 1 Mile Road Championships. 2015 runner-up Becca Addison is also entered.

In the men’s race, five of the top ten finishers from 2017 return, led by runner-up Riley Masters, third-place finisher Pat Casey and fourth-place finisher Garrett Heath. 2016 Paralympic gold medalist Mikey Brannigan will make his USATF national championships debut at the 1 Mile Championships.

Riley Masters had a strong 2017 campaign, finishing ninth in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships, while Casey enters the outdoor season having placed second in the invitational mile at the NYRR Millrose Games, losing only to Eric Avila, who’s also entered in Tuesday’s event.

Heath is the most experienced road miler in the field. The Brooks Beast runner won the USATF 1 Mile Road title in 2015 and 2013, while placing second in 2016. The veteran ran well indoors, placing sixth in a loaded 3000m field at the USATF Indoor Championships and will once again challenge for victory.

Manzano, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 1500m, looks to jump back to the top of the middle distance running pecking order with a big performance in Des Moines. The Austin-based runner won the USATF 1 Mile Road Championship crown in 2014 and can never be discounted.

Brandon Lasater and Izaic Yorks also return to Des Moines sporting top ten finishes from 2017. Lasater placed fifth, while Yorks placed seventh. Yorks also finished eighth at the more recent USATF Indoor Championships in the 3000m.

Not to be overlooked, Emmanuel Bor steps down in distance, but has every chance to win Tuesday, as well. The U.S. Army runner placed fourth at the USATF Indoor Championships in the 3000m, while placing tenth in the 5000m at the USATF Outdoor Championships in 2017.

Other notable entries on the men’s side are veterans Eric Avila, Daniel Herrera and Graham Crawford, as well as young pros Brannon Kidder, Eluid Rutto and Henry Wynne. Wynne and Kidder most recently placed fifth and sixth in the 1500m at the USATF Indoor Championships.

About the USATF Running Circuit

The USATF Running Circuit is a USATF road series featuring USATF championships from one mile through the marathon and consistently attracts the best American distance runners with more than $500,000 to be awarded in total prize money. A total of $25,000 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships, scoring is set as 15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7 ,6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1, with those earning the most points receiving prize money at the end of the series.

The mission of the USATF Running Circuit is to showcase, support and promote U.S. runners. Since its inception in 1995, the USATF Running Circuit and its races have provided over $7 million to U.S. distance runners.

Contributed by Scott Bush