2004 Olympic Marathon Silver Medalist Meb Keflezighi is a late entry.

Spectators and athletes don't let this running event get away. The national capital area has a variety of events for all ages. Join history, on Saturday February 7, 2009 the Montgomery County Road Runners Club and Montgomery Parks will host the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships at the Agricultural History Farm Park, 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855. To obtain full details visit www.mcrrc.org. Grab your family, friends, and co- workers for a day of hot excitement to support our local and national athletes.

The event serves the following: (6K=3.73 miles, 8K=4.97, 12K=7.46)

National championships for the following:

Men's 12K (Open)
Women's 8K (Open)
Master's Men 8K
Master's Women 8K
Junior Boys 8K
Junior Girls 6K

International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Championship Qualifier for Men's and Women's Open/Junior categories

Men's (Open)
Women's (Open)
Junior Boys
Junior Girls

Armed Forces Championships for the nation's military branches

The total prize purse of $47,000 will be awarded to top finishers (male/female) in the following: Open $18,000 (Top 10)
Team $22,000 (Team USA members at the IAAF World XC)
Masters $7,000 (Top 5)

A valid 2009 USA Track & Field number is required to participate in the championship. Visit www.mcrrc.org to register to purchase the USATF membership which is valid for one year. This will permit you to participate in any USATF championship event.

There will be late registration on Friday, February 6, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Courtyard Gaithersburg Washington Center, 204 Boardwalk Place, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. You will need your USATF membership number.

Televised coverage of the meet will be on Sunday, February 15, 2009 during ESPN's coverage of the Tyson Invitational indoor meet.

There will be a 4K Community Cross County Race (2.488 miles) which will be open to all runners of any age and USATF membership is not required. This is for those who love the excitment of cross country running.

Race day schedule:

9:00 a.m. 4K Community XC Race
9:45 a.m. Master's Women's 8K
10:45 a.m. Master's Men 8K
11:45 a.m. Junior Women's 6K
12:30 p.m. Junior Men's 8K
1:15 p.m. Open Women's 8K
2:00 p.m. Open Men's 12K

Visit www.mcrrc.org for important race day transportation and there is NO parking at the race site only shuttle bus transportation.

To access the Agricultural History Farm Park will by the shuttle bus only from the Shady Grove Metro Station starting at 7:30am. Spectators will need to purchase a full day event wrist ID band ($10 adult, $5 minors, cash or check only). The shuttles will run every 15 minutes and bands will allow unlimited transportation throughout the day.

William Day (1890) and Maria Mulder (1964) will be known as the first USA Cross Country Champions. The list of winners through the years is impressive and leading the list of men is Pat Port who had eight consecutive year wins and Don Lash was the closet with seven consecutive year wins.

In a class by herself is Olympian Lynn Jennings with a total of nine titles with seven consecutive year wins. In 1993, Jennings was the host of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club and participated in one of the club's many events.

The venue is stacked with talented athletes as defending champion two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein attempts to capture his third win. USATF announced on February 3 that Dathan Ritzenhein has the flu and has withdrawn from the race. Meb Keflezighi, who has two USA Cross Country 12K titles (2001 & 2002), has entered the race. He opened the 2009 season by winning the USA Half Marathon men's title on January 18. Jorge Torres will be on hand to challenge for the top spot after finishing last year in 35:39 to 35:03 for Ritzenhein.

Third place (26:37) finisher from the 2008 championship Emily Brown has entered in her quest to run after the top honor. Brown is a registered dietitian and expects to complete her Masters of Public Health in nutrition from the University Minnesota by the end of 2009. Brown has a best mile time of 4:37.58.

The top head liner for the Junior Championship race is German Fernandez the defending 2008 champion. On January 24, 2009 the 18-year-old produced the fastest indoor mile by a junior at the Razorback Invitational (Fayetteville, Arkansas) in 3:56.50. The prior record (3:59.6) was set on February 26, 1996 by Jim Ryun. Fernandez will be the attempting to become the second runner to capture back-to-back wins. Brent Hauser stands alone with wins in 1995 and 1996.

The 1988 Junior USA Cross Country Champion was Ray Pugsley. On Saturday, Pugsley (Potomac River Running) will be in the hunt with the master runners to make his mark and to show that he can run with the big dogs to chase down the top honor.

High School, open, and masters teams are welcome for the Community event. Sign up to today to be part of this once-in-a lifetime event.