New York, October 16, 2018—The 2018 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USA Track & Field (USATF) 5 km Championships on Saturday, November 3, will feature nine Olympians the day prior to the TCS New York City Marathon and will be broadcast live on USATF.TV as part of the 2018 USATF Running Circuit. Abbott will be returning as the title partner of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line and USATF 5K Championships – both hosted by New York Road Runners (NYRR) – through 2021.

The professional athletes in the USATF 5 km Championships this year will contend for a $60,000 prize purse – the largest of any 5K race in the world.

Shadrack Kipchirchir, who won the USATF 5 km Championships, will be returning to defend his title. He will be challenged in the men’s field by Olympic 1500-meter gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz, Olympic 5000-meter silver medalist Paul Chelimo, and three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein.

The women’s field will be headlined by Olympians Amy Cragg and Kim Conley, 2018 USA Cross-Country champion Emily Infeld, United Airlines NYC Half runner-up Emily Sisson, and last year’s top returning finisher from the event, Lauren Paquette.

Last year’s USATF 5 km Championships took place at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K for the first time, as NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador Molly Huddle won her 25th U.S. title on the women’s side, breaking the course record in a time of 15:24, while Kipchirchir won his second U.S. title on the men’s side in 13:57. Kipchirchir successfully defending his USATF 10 Mile Championships title on October 6.

Following in the footsteps of the professional athletes will be more than 10,000 runners participating in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, including top local athletes and people visiting from around the world. The mass race will offer a $13,000 NYRR member prize purse. Travis Mahoney of Old Bridge, NJ, and Canadian Olympian Erin Teschuk of Greenville, SC, won last year’s Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K.

Abbott, the title sponsor of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will be the sponsor of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K for the third consecutive year. Abbott, a global healthcare company, helps people live fully with life-changing technology and celebrates what’s possible with good health.

The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K annually provides TCS New York City Marathon supporters, friends and families the opportunity to join in on the thrill of marathon race week. The course begins on Manhattan’s east side by the United Nations, then takes runners along 42nd Street past historic Grand Central Terminal and up the world-famous Avenue of the Americas past Radio City Music Hall. It then passes through the rolling hills of Central Park before finishing at the iconic TCS New York City Marathon finish line.

Quotes from professional athletes racing the 2018 USATF 5 km Championships:

“I really enjoyed running the Abbott Dash and USATF 5 km Championships in New York last year, and being a part of marathon weekend. My course record at the USATF 10 Mile Championships last weekend shows that my shape is good, but the competition will be very tough in New York. The course is not easy, but I will do my best to defend my title.” -Shadrack Kipchirchir

“After missing the track season, I’m excited to return to racing in New York. I had such a blast racing with Shalane and Molly in 2013 at the NYRR 5K and I look forward to being back there again this year. I absolutely love the whole marathon weekend. I'm excited to race on Saturday and then lose my voice cheering on the marathoners the next day.” -Emily Infeld

Quotes from race organizers and partners:

“We are thrilled to bring back the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5 km Championships during TCS New York City Marathon race week to make New York the epicenter of the road racing world the first weekend of November. We encourage those locally to fill the streets to watch these U.S. stars race through Manhattan, and those around the country to tune in to watch them race live on USATF.TV.” -Peter Ciaccia, president, events, NYRR, and race director, TCS New York City Marathon

“This year’s Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K and USATF 5 km Championships promises to be an event to remember. During race weekend, we look forward to joining the entire city as we cheer for the runners as they navigate this iconic course and celebrate what’s possible with good health. We’re thrilled to extend our race sponsorship through 2021.” -Chris Miller, division vice president, global brand strategy and innovation, Abbott

About New York Road Runners (NYRR) In 2018, NYRR is celebrating 60 years of helping and inspiring people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.

About USATF Track & Field (USATF) is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country's No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit www.usatf.org.

About Abbott: At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 99,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve. Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.