The 2010 USA Track & Field Men’s Long Distance Runner of the Year and 2010 USA Running Circuit winner most recently competed at the USA 10 Mile Championships in the Twin Cities on Oct. 7. Vega finished ninth at that race with a time of 47:53, which was just 10 seconds off his personal best for 10 miles. During 2011 and the first half of 2012, Vega dealt with hip injuries which kept him out of the road running circuit during that time.
The Des Moines Half Marathon begins at 8 a.m. with a start and finish at Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines.
Save the Children World Marathon Challenge – Oct. 16
Along with representatives of the Minnesota Vikings football team, Vikings cheerleaders and children from the Ramalynn Montessori Academy, Team USA Minnesota’s Meghan Peyton participated in the “Save the Children World Marathon Challenge” on Oct. 16 in Bloomington, Minn. The elementary school was the first in the United States to be part of the Challenge effort, which is helping bring awareness to childhood hunger.
Twenty-seven children, ages 11-13, from the school did a simultaneous relay of a 26.2-mile marathon against 297 teams entered from around the world. Each child ran 200 meters for a total of 210 laps to reach the full marathon distance. Prior to the World Marathon, 36 children, ages 7-11, competed in a 1500 meter relay against 63 other teams from around the world.
The event, held on World Food Day, also featured a live internet feed with Patrick Makau, the current world marathon record holder, who sent his best wishes to the children taking part in the World Marathon Challenge for Save the Children.
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 Run (www.lifetimerun.com) and its silver sponsor is Twin Cities In Motion (www.tcmevents.org). It is also supported by the New York Road Runners and the USA Distance Project. For more information, visit the team’s web site at www.teamusaminnesota.org.