OTC Elite sends three athletes to USATF Distance Classic

By Curtis Anderson | May 16, 2018

EUGENE, Ore. – A trio of Oregon Track Club Elite athletes will compete in the 2018 USATF Distance Classic at Jack Kemp Stadium on the campus of Occidental College in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Hassan Mead, the reigning U.S. champion in the 10,000 meters, will make his outdoor season debut in the 1,500m, while Harun Abda and Hanna Green are both entered in the 800m.

“Hassan is coming down from a long training stint at altitude,” OTC Elite coach Mark Rowland said. “He’s looking forward to a ‘blow out’ race before his next two Diamond League stops at the Pre Classic and Stockholm.”

Mead, a 2016 Rio Olympian in the 5,000m, was a finalist in the 10,000m at the 2017 World Championships in London last summer. He will join an American record attempt in the 2-mile at the Pre meet on May 25. He also is scheduled to run the 5,000m in Stockholm on June 10.

The USATF Distance Classic will serve as a valuable measuring stick for the fitness of both Abda and Green.

“Hanna will be back on comfortable ground racing over 800m after running the 1,500m at the UO Twilight Meet two weeks ago,” Rowland said. “This will be a good first outing to see how she is absorbing the workload in her new training program. We’re also hoping Harun will perform to the standard he’s shown in recent workouts.”

The competition timetable for the USATF Distance Classic (PDT) is as follows.

• 6:15 p.m. Women’s 800m

• 6:35 p.m. Men’s 800m

• 6:55 p.m. Women’s 3,000m steeplechase

• 7:10 p.m. Men’s 3,000m steeplechase

• 7:25 p.m. Women’s 1,500m

• 7:50 p.m. Men’s 1,500m

• 8:25 p.m. Women’s 5,000m

• 8:46 p.m. Men’s 5,000m