FESTIVAL OF MILES PRESENTED BY UNDER ARMOUR FEATURES STAR-STUDDED FIELDS
Pifer, Kampf, Everett and Quigley lead the way
St. Louis, Mo (May 31, 2010) – Big River Running Company is excited to welcome a world class field of athletes to Saint Louis for the fourth annual Big River Festival of Miles presented by Under Armour on Wednesday June 1st at Saint Louis University High School.
Headlining the Saint Louis Track Club Elite Men’s Mile field is Edwardsville, IL native and former University of Colorado runner Stephen Pifer. Pifer, who will be racing in front of his hometown crowd for the first time as a professional, was a four-time State Champion during his days at Edwardsville High School. At Colorado, Pifer was a four-time All-American in cross country helping the Buffaloes to team titles in 2004 and 2006. He currently lives and trains in Eugene, Oregon and represents the Nike Oregon Track Club.
On the women’s side it is former University of Minnesota All-American Heather Kampf who leads the way in the AppWorldSolutions Elite Women’s 800. Kampf, now a member of Team USA Minnesota, is coming off a near personal best of 2:01.08 for 800 meters at the USATF High Performance Meet at Occidental College earlier this month.
New to this year’s event are the Juice Plus High School All Star Miles which feature the top high school milers in the State of Missouri. Daniel Everett of Westminster Christian Academy, currently ranked seventh in the Country, is the top boys entry at 4:08 while Nerinx Hall star Colleen Quigley lead the girls field at 4:52.
Other top athletes in the Saint Louis Track Club Elite Men’s Mile include Team Indiana Elite’s John Jefferson, Saucony’s Tommy Schmitz, Dan Strackeljahn (Big River Running Company), Jordan Horn (Adidas McMillan Elite), Chris Rombough (Team USA Minnesota) and Great Britain’s Rob Mullett. Additional females in the AppWorldSolutions Elite Women’s 800 include Gabriele Anderson (Team USA Minnesota), Clora Williams (Jamaica), Melissa DeLeon (Trinidad and Tobago), Shannon Leinert (Big River Running Company) and former NCAA Champion Anne Shadle.
The Festival of Miles Foundation is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the sport of track and field and give back to athletes in need. The Festival of Miles, which takes place each spring, is a track meet that showcases the sport at all levels featuring youth competitors, masters runners and some of the world's best athletes. Each year all proceeds from ticket sales go to an athlete/athletes in need. For more information visit www.bigriverrunning.com/FestivalofMiles
Members of the media interested in learning more about the Festival of Miles are encouraged to contact Katie Helbig at katie.helbig@gmail.com or call 314.494.9725.