Communities still have time to rise to the top of the Set the Pace Challenge leaderboard.
DES MOINES, Iowa (April 21, 2022) — Grand Blue Mile officials from Wellmark® Blue Cross® and Blue Shield® and the Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom® announced preliminary fields for the 2022 USA Track & Field (USATF) 1 Mile Road Championships presented by Toyota® set for Tuesday, April 26, in Des Moines. A world-class group of elite milers will headline the event along with more than 2,000 participants from across the nation who will compete among the competitive and community recreational divisions, in person or virtually.
"We're excited to continue our longstanding tradition of welcoming America's best athletes to the Grand Blue Mile in partnership with the Drake Relays," said Chris Verlengia, Wellmark's marketing activation and alliance manager and Grand Blue Mile co-race director. "These athletes embody the true spirit of the Grand Blue Mile — a commitment to healthy habits and the perseverance to achieve their goals. Whether you're a running enthusiast aiming for a new personal best or simply enjoying a walk with your family, we can't wait to see you on April 26."
This year's race features a top prize of $5,000 each for the men's and women's champions. Overall, $25,000 in prize money will be contested across the men's and women's championships.
In the men's division, returning is two-time Olympian in the 800m and 2017 GBM Champion Clayton Murphy. He will be joined by:
· Ben Blankenship - 2016 Olympian and two-time U.S. Champion
· Bryce Richards - Medalist in the mile for Kansas in the Big 12
· Colin Abert - 6th place Boston Athletic Association (BAA) Mile in road mile debut
· Craig Nowak - Two-time Drake Relays Champion in the 4x1600 and DMR with Oklahoma State
· Diego Zarate - All-American in the1500m at Virginia Tech, making his road mile debut
· Hillary Bor - Two-time Olympian in the 3000m steeplechase, Drake Stadium Record Holder Steeplechase
· Jake Edwards - 2019 Drake Relays Champion in the Invitational Mile
· Josh Yeager - 2021 Drake Relays Steeplechase champion, Missouri Valley Conference Champion in the 5K while representing Drake, former Iowa prep at Center Point-Urbana HS
· Luca Chatham - NCAA Qualifier for UTSA, Conference USA 800m Champion
· Matt Cooper - All-American at UW-Eau Claire
· Nate Sloan - Atlantic Coast Conference 1500m runner-up for University of Pittsburgh
· Paul Ryan - 2021 Olympic Trials 1500m semi-finalist, All-American 1500m for Washington State
· Shane Streich - American Record Holder Indoor 1000m, 2021 All-American Lipscomb
· Vincent Ciattei - 2021 Olympic Trial 1500m finalist, 2018 NCAA Indoor Gold Medalist DMR at Virginia Tech
· Willy Fink - Two-time NCAA qualifier Steeplechase, 2016 2nd place Drake Relays Steeplechase
In the women's division, Emily Lipari returns in pursuit of a third championship, having won the event in 2018 and 2020. She will be joined by:
· Abbey (D'Agostino) Cooper - 2016 Olympian in the 5,000m, 7x NCAA Champion for Dartmouth
· Alex Teubel - 2021 Olympic Trials finalist in the Steeplechase, Missouri Valley Conference champion at UNI, Iowa state champion at Mt. Vernon-Lisbon HS
· Allie Wilson - Two-time All-American in the 800m at Monmouth
· Andrea Ertz - Second fastest women's NAIA 800m, 8x NAIA All-American at Mt. Mercy, Iowa prep at Marion HS
· Anna Connor - Road mile PR of 4:48 at the 2018 Grand Blue Mile
· Emily Richards - 9x NCAA Division 3 National Champion at Ohio Northern
· Gina McNamara - Big Ten medalist in the 800m for Michigan
· Jamie Morrissey - Big Ten 800 champion, Two-time All-American for Michigan
· Jenn Randall - Two-time All-American for Ithaca
· Karisa Nelson - 2017 NCAA Mile Champion, 2019 runner-up at Samford University
· Katie Follett - 2017 GBM Champion, All-American for University of Washington
· Lauren Berman - All-American at Virginia Tech
· Sammy George - All-American at North Carolina State, 7th at 2021 Drake Relays 1500m
Set the Pace and win $10,000 for your community
Also returning to the Grand Blue Mile is Wellmark's Set the Pace Challenge. As part of the challenge, the community with the highest percentage of residents participating in Grand Blue Mile ─ either in person and/or virtually ─ will win $10,000 to use on a project that promotes safe, inclusive and accessible places in which to be active.
Participation in Grand Blue Mile will be tracked via the ZIP Code of each registrant and weighed against their community's total population. The current leaderboard is:
Iowa Leaderboard
City Zip Code
Columbus Junction (52738)
Windsor Heights (50324)
Cumming (50061)
Des Moines (50312)
Des Moines (50311)
"With registration open through April 26, there's still plenty of time to get your community in the running for this impactful award," said Verlengia.
Register today
Registration for the in-person event is $20 for youth and $25 for adults and the virtual event is $25, all participants will receive a Grand Blue Mile event shirt and race bib. As part of Wellmark's commitment to improving the health of Iowans, all proceeds benefit Iowa Kidstrong youth fitness programs and support student participation in the annual Drake Relays.
For more information and to register, visit GrandBlueMile.com.
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About the Grand Blue Mile
Grand Blue Mile, a Drake Relays event, is an annual one-mile fitness run/walk presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to engage individuals at all stages of fitness, encourage healthy habits and celebrate personal achievement. The annual wellness event, established in 2010, includes recreational, competitive and invitational events featuring a field of elite male and female track and field athletes from around the world. Proceeds from the event benefit Iowa Kidstrong, Inc., an organization dedicated to promoting healthy, active lifestyles among youth. For more information, visit grandbluemile.com.
About the Drake Relays
The Drake Relays presented by Xtream powered by Mediacom has served as "America's Athletic Classic" since its first running in 1910. The annual competition, hosted by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, is recognized internationally as a destination for the world's premier track & field athletes across multiple professional and amateur divisions. In 2020, the Drake Relays was named a Silver Level event on the World Athletics Continental Tour, one of only two meets in the United States to earn Silver Level status. In addition to its signature stadium competition, the Drake Relays includes two marquee road running events open to the general public — the Grand Blue Mile presented by Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Drake Road Races. For more information, visit drakerelays.org.
About USATF
USA 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 Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Wellmark, Inc. (Wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., and Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc., and Wellmark Advantage Health Plan, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., Wellmark Value Health Plan, Inc., and Wellmark Advantage Health Plan, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
