RunnersWeb Athletics: PRRO Circuit Protects $350,000 Prize Purse

Circuit reaffirms its commitment to a clean sport; EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler opens PRRO Circuit 2016-17 season on Sunday, November 6 and will host the 2017 PRRO Championship; overall Circuit event prize money totals more than $350,000 including $66,900 U.S.-only money available; PRRO officers also elected at annual meeting

WASHINGTON, D.C. - (October 3, 2016) - At its recent annual meeting in Hollywood, Fla., the PRRO Circuit, a series showcasing world class competition at 5 classic road races, shared ideas and discussed its plans for the coming year, including its decade-long support and funding for drug testing.

"At our annual meeting we reaffirmed our long-standing commitment to a clean sport and a level playing field for athletes," said Don Kardong, PRRO Circuit President. "PRRO events collectively allocate $50,000 per year for USADA drug testing, and like the World Marathon Majors events, we encourage more road races to have testing. It's shocking that events are willing to pay significant prize money without doing drug testing to prevent the use of performance enhancing drugs."

Other meeting highlights include:

* A USADA representative updated PRRO events on USADA rules, roles and requirements. Current program that includes pre-competition and day-of-race competition is working well.

* PRRO restated its policy of not paying travel & lodging for anyone returning to competition after a 2-year or longer drug ban. USADA, USATF and Road Race Management maintain lists that identify coaches and agents who are or have been sanctioned.

* PRRO is also seeking to add races to the series.

* Officers elected: Don Kardong (President), Lilac Bloomsday; Jim Stasaitis (Vice President), Boilermaker Road Race; Phil Stewart (Treasurer), Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, and Patrice Matamoros (Secretary), EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler

The EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler on Sunday, November 6 opens the PRRO Circuit 2016-17, and the annual fall road race's prize purse totals $26,200 including $5200 in U.S. prize money. The Steel City event will also host the PRRO Championship race in October 2017.

The upcoming Circuit year features world class competition at 5 prestigious road race events shorter than the marathon distance and offers more than $350,000 in prize money overall with $66,900 available for U.S. athletes.

PRRO CIRCUIT SCHEDULE 2016-17

EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler, Nov. 6, 2016, Pittsburgh, PA

World's Best 10K, Feb. 26, 2017, San Juan, Puerto Rico

45th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile, April 2, 2017, Washington, DC

Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 7, 2017, Spokane, WA

40th Boilermaker 15K, July 9, 2017, Utica, NY

EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler: The PRRO Championship, Oct. 29, 2017, Pittsburgh, PA:

At the PRRO Championship, reigning champions or any athlete who has won one of the Circuit events is eligible for the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus (winner of the 2017 PRRO Championship crown, split if an eligible male and female win the PRRO titles) as well as the PRRO Event Champion's Bonus ($1500 cumulative for current series event champions who do not win the PRRO Championship but do win Open prize money at the PRRO Championship). If the male and female winners of the PRRO Championship have not won any of the events on the current circuit, they will win $2500 as the PRRO Circuit champions in addition to the prize money offered by the PRRO Championship host event.

This past July at the PRRO Championship hosted by Boilermaker, Cynthia Limo of Kenya earned the $10,000 PRRO Super Bonus because she won one of the five Circuit events (Lilac Bloomsday 12K), while Teshome Mekonen of Ethiopia took home the $2500 PRRO Champion?s prize money because he did not win any 2015-16 PRRO Circuit event.

The PRRO Circuit also paid out $9000 in PRRO Event Champion?s Bonus money for the PRRO Circuit 2015-16 event winners who also placed in the top 10 at Boilermaker 2016. The following five runners received those cumulative bonuses:

$1500 bonus (one Circuit win before Boilermaker)
	Veronicah Nyaruai Wanjiru, Kenya, 2nd female in 49:25
	Philip Langat, Kenya, 4th male in 44:23
	Buze Diriba, Ethiopia, 6th female in 51:02
	Eliud Ngetich, Kenya, 10th male in 45:04
$3000 bonus (two Circuit wins before Boilermaker)
	Mary Wacera, Kenya, 3rd female in 49:54

To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 18 world and 17 U.S. road records, awarded more than $6.9 million in prize money and seen more than 2.3 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $1.7 million, including $121,500 in PRRO Championship bonus money.

The PRRO Circuit, a long-time pioneer and champion of a clean sport, has funded drug testing at its events since 2006. During the 2015-16 season, USADA conducted more than 50 in-competition tests and an undisclosed number of pre-competition tests.

PRRO Championship and Circuit Year

The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1996, rotates among the five PRRO Circuit races, with the Circuit Year starting and finishing at the same event. The winners of 2016 PRRO Championship at the Boilermaker, followed by the winners of the five events on the 2016-17 Circuit, serve as qualifiers for the final at the 2017 EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler.

Visit PRRO.org for more information, including how to join the PRRO Circuit.