At the 48th race edition, Jesca Chelangat has hopes for a PRRO title and the accompanying $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus
SPOKANE, WA – (May 2, 2024) – The 27th PRRO Championship presented by the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K will be contested on Sunday morning, May 5, and at the 48th race edition, a top international field will be vying for the $81,000 in prize money, including $20,000 U.S. prize money and $7000 to each Open race champion. This is the third time that Bloomsday has hosted the PRRO Championship, the other two being 2019 and 1996 (inaugural).
In addition, at the PRRO Championship, 2023-24 PRRO Circuit event winners are eligible to compete for the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus, which is awarded to the PRRO Championship winner (bonus split if an eligible male and female win the PRRO titles). Also, at Bloomsday 2024, if Circuit winners finish in places 2-10, they each would take home the $1500 PRRO Event Champion’s Bonus. NOTE: If the male or female winner of the PRRO Championship has not won any of the events on that year’s circuit, he or she will be awarded $2500 as the PRRO Circuit champion.
Circuit event winner at the 2023 Boilermaker 15K, Jesca Chelangat of Kenya, is confirmed for Bloomsday and thus is eligible for the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus.
“The 27th PRRO Championship promises something special, as Jesca Chelangat, if she wins Bloomsday, could earn a $22,000 payday, including the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus. We look forward to a great race for the PRRO Championship titles,” said PRRO President Don Kardong.
At the iconic, annual spring 7.46 mile road race, more than 30,000 runners and walkers are expected on the streets of Spokane, fostering health, fitness and the community spirit of the Lilac City.
The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at four of America’s Classic Road Races™, the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile in Washington, DC; the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K in Spokane, WA; the Boilermaker 15K in Utica, NY; and the Quad-City Times Bix 7 in Davenport, IA. Current Circuit prize money totals more than $350,000 in guaranteed prize money overall, including $147,100 in U.S.-only money. The PRRO Circuit, a nationwide series of premier non-marathon road racing events, is organized and promoted by the Professional Road Running Organization (PRRO), an alliance of race directors.
In 2023, the 50th Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile hosted the 26th PRRO Championship. Winning titles were Tsegay Kidanu of Ethiopia and Sarah Chelangat of Uganda in 46 minutes, 8 seconds and 52:04, respectively.
Schedule and PRRO Super Bonus event qualifiers below:
PRRO CIRCUIT EVENTS 2023-24
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 7, 2023, Spokane, WA
$81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money)
WINNERS: Jemal Yimer*, Ethiopia, 33:58 and Yeshi Kalayu*, Ethiopia, 38:49
Boilermaker 15K, July 9, 2023, Utica, NY
$65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money)
WINNERS: Jemal Yimer*, Ethiopia, 42:06 and Jesca Chelangat*, Kenya, 47:33, course records
Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 29, 2023, Davenport, IA
$50,000 in USA Championship prize money
WINNERS: Biya Simbassa*, USA, 32:35 and Kellyn Taylor*, USA, 36:33
Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 7, 2024, Washington, DC
$80,600 in prize money ($42,600 USA Championship and RRCA prize money) plus performance bonuses
WINNERS: Wesley Kiptoo*, KEN, 45:54 and Sarah Chelangat*, UGA, 51:14, course record
THE 27th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP
Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 5, 2024, Spokane, WA
$81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money)
*Qualified to compete for the $15,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2024 PRRO Championship.
To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 17 world and 19 U.S. road records, awarded more than $8.3 million in prize money and seen more than 2.6 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.1 million, including $183,500 in PRRO Championship bonus money.
PRRO Championship and Circuit Year
The PRRO Circuit, launched in 1995, starts and finishes the Circuit Year at the same event that will also host the season-ending PRRO Championship race. The reigning titlists of the PRRO Championship and the event winners on the current Circuit are eligible to compete for the PRRO Super Bonus at the PRRO Championship.
Visit PRRO.org for more information, including its history and past champions, as well as how to join the PRRO Circuit.
CONTACT: Ryan Lamppa, PRRO Circuit Media Contact, ryan@eventpro.us