The streets of Kingsport, Tennessee, will be jam-packed this Saturday night with the return of the USATF 8 km Championships, hosting both the men’s and women’s championship races for the very first time together. The USATF 8 km Championships, hosted by the Crazy 8s 8k Run, are the eighth stop on the 2024 USATF Running Circuit. On-demand viewing of the USATF 8 km Championships will be available following the conclusion of both races on USATF.TV. Both championship races will be run simultaneously during Kingsport’s Fun Fest Festival, and both will be crowning new champions in 2024. On the men’s side, former Oklahoma State All-American Isai Rodriguez returns after earning third (22.50) in a tight race between champion Clayton Young (22.45), who will represent the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the Marathon, and Andrew Colley (22.49), who finished just a second ahead of Rodriguez for silver. Rodriguez has yet to compete on the USATF Running Circuit this season, having only raced twice this year on the track. His last road race was contested in November of 2023, finishing third at the Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut. Challenging Rodriguez for this year’s USATF 8 km Championship title will be a talented field of Hillary Bor, Diego Estrada, Nathan Martin, Ahmed Muhumed, and Biya Simbassa. Bor returns to racing after an unfortunate fall at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field in the men’s 3,000 steeplechase final, where he finished 13th overall. This will be Bor’s third race on the USATF Running Circuit, having earned first in the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships and second at the USATF 15 km Championships. Both Estrada and Simbassa will be seeking another USATF Running Circuit title to add to their resumes. Estrada hopes to add a fourth overall title and second this year after winning the USATF 25 km Championship race this last May. Simbassa will be eyeing his first title this year since winning the USATF 7 Mile Championship race in 2023. Muhumed is on the verge of a bounce-back effort after finishing eighth in the 5,000 at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field. The former Boise State Bronco placed third at the USATF Cross Country Championships and went on to finish 36th at the World Cross Country Championships in Serbia for the United States. Martin will be racing his fourth USATF Running Circuit race of the year. Martin has earned top-10 finishes in each of his three previous races, finishing 2nd at the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships, 6th at the USATF 25 km Championships, and 7th at U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon. The women’s race, which will be presented by Gatorade, features an incredibly deep field of competitors who all have accomplishments ranging from NCAA All-American honors to Olympians. Atop the start list is none other than 2011 World Champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500 Jenny Simpson, who will be making her second appearance on the USATF Running Circuit this season. Simpson did not finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon but has since produced a sixth-place finish at the United Airlines NYC Half and an 18th-place finish at the Boston Marathon. Rachel Smith, Natosha Rogers, and Stephanie Bruce are other veteran racers slated to compete alongside Simpson. All three recently raced at the USATF 6 km Championships in Canton, Ohio, with Smith finishing fifth, Rogers earning seventh, and Bruce taking ninth. Smith is also the only USATF Running Circuit champion from this year competing. Emma Grace Hurley is another USATF 6 km Championship racer, who finished third, expected to race on Saturday. Racing in her sixth USATF Running Circuit race this season will be Annie Frisbie. Frisbie’s best finish this year came at the USATF 25 km Championships, earning second overall. Returning to the USATF Running Circuit this season are Katie Izzo, Kasandra Parker, Annmarie Tuxbury, and Tristin Van Ord. Izzo and Parker were eighth and ninth, respectively, at the USATF Cross Country Championships, while Tuxbury was eighth at the USATF 25 km Championships, and Van Ord was sixth at the USATF 10 Mile Road Championships. U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field finalist Logan Jolly, who finished 10th in this year’s steeplechase final, is entered in her first USATF Running Circuit race since 2022 when she finished 20th at the USATF 5 km Road Championships. Former BYU standout Aubrey Frentheway and former Utah star Emily Venters are expected to make their USATF Running Circuit debuts. 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 $20,100 in prize money will be awarded at the USATF 8 km Championships. The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USATF Running Circuit race. For the USATF 10 Mile 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 Keenan Gray