Camel City Indoor Mile Field Finalized
Top Milers compete for more than $4000 in prize money at the Hilton Garden Innvitational; collegians looking for NCAA qualifying marks
WINSTON‐SALEM, N.C. – (January 28, 2013) – JDL Fast Track today made their final announcement of the field for the Camel City Indoor Mile, to be held at JDL Fast Track on Saturday, February 2 as part of the Hilton Garden Innvitational collegiate track meet.
The Camel City Indoor Mile, part of the inaugural Bring Back the Mile Tour, is an elite mile race on JDL Fast Track’s 200m Mondo indoor track. JDL Fast Track has committed more than $4000 in prize money available to the top three professional finishers, including time bonuses for breaking the “magical” 4:00.00 barrier.
“We are very excited with the field we have assembled,” said Craig Longhurst, facility director for JDL Fast Track. “We made an initial announcement of the field earlier this month and only had a few changes since then. We lost one pro runner to injury, and Ryan Hill of NC State had to withdraw because he was invited to the Wanamaker Mile as part of the Millrose Games. I can’t really complain about that.”
The roster of professional athletes includes:
- Peter van der Westhuizen – South African who competed for Nebraska collegiately and holds a 3:54.90 personal record (“PR”) in the mile. Currently lives and trains in Southern California;
- Cory Leslie – attended Ohio State University and currently trains in Greenville, SC. Cory’s PR in the mile is 3:56.85;
- Matt Lincoln – Canadian who attended Penn State University and holds a mile PR of 3:58.76. Currently lives and trains in Phoenix, AZ;
- Matthew Elliott – Winthrop graduate who currently trains Rock Hill, SC. Matthew has a mile PR of 3:58.96;
- Lee Gilmer – Furman graduate who currently trains as part of Furman Elite team in Greenville, SC. Has a mile PR Of 4:04.30.
In addition to the professional athletes in the field, the race will also showcase collegiate athletes who will be looking to qualify for the NCAA indoor track and field championships. “As the field started to take shape, we scoured the NCAA results for other athletes who are on the cusp of qualifying and might be able to do so with the conversions we have on our 200m flat track. One such pick‐up was Ford Palmer of Monmouth, who just last weekend ran 4:01.90. We reached out to his coach and found that they were very receptive to finding Ford another opportunity to try to qualify.”
The roster of collegians includes:
- Isaac Presson – UNC junior from Asheville, NC. Has a 1500m PR of 3:40.16;
- Paul Chelimo – UNC‐Greensboro sophomore from Kenya who was All‐American in cross country in 2012. Has a 1500m PR of 3:40.25;
- Alex Taylor – Appalachian State senior from Charlotte, NC. Has a 1500m PR of 3:42.29;
- Ford Palmer – Monmouth (NJ) senior who ran 4:01.90 for the Mile indoors on January 26 at the Boston University Terrier Classic;
- Alex Rose – Wake Forest junior orginally from Brisbane, Australia. Holds a PR in the 1500m of 3:45.89.
Prize money for the professionals will be awarded to the top three, provided the overall winning time is faster than 4:05.00. In that instance, first place will receive $1500, second place receives $750 and third place receives $375. Additionally, if any of those top three breaks 4:00.00, they will receive an additional bonus of $500.
“We plan to make this an annual event. It’s a great way to not only showcase the facility, but also to give an opportunity for professional runners to earn some prize money and gives the college guys a chance to piggyback in a fast race. If we can find some sponsors, we’d love to either increase the prize money next year or add more events.”
About JDL Fast Track (www.jdlfasttrack.com)
JDL Fast Track, one of the premier indoor track and field facilities in the southeast, is the brainchild of two former Wake Forest University runners and current real estate developers, David Shannon and Craig Longhurst, who identified and fulfilled a need for an area indoor track facility for use by colleges, high schools, local track clubs and youth track organizations.
The privately owned, dedicated indoor track and field facility, which opened in January 2012, houses a 200 meter oval track with a Mondotrack FTX surface—the same surface that was used at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Field event areas include two pole vault runways, two long/triple jump runways, one high jump apron and one throws area. The facility also includes a 100 meter warm‐up track, office and meeting‐room space, a training room and hospitality suites for coaches’ or conference officials’ meetings at large events.
