Results

There is a similar flavor this year among the contenders compared to last year's event. One of the notable changes, is the prominence of the women's 50 km race walk, now recognized as an official event at the IAAF level. Inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympiad is a possibility.

Katie Burnett, defending champion and top woman, has headlined the transition in leadership. She won in 2018 after a debut performance 2017 time that set the current American record. Erin Taylor-Talcott still is a world-class 50-km athlete and has finished second the past two years.

The field includes some up-and-coming American men and women, who should be competitive. There are several international competitors who are world-class with personal bests well beyond what any of the American athletes have achieved.

Weather: Nature's variable cannot be anticipated far in advance, so whatever temperatures, cloud cover, and winds occur, will be a gift or a bane. There is a 7:30:00-time cutoff for the 50 km distance. Course: This is year three of the course at Santee Trolley Square Mall, which is 1.25 km for each lap. The start/finish line is the same as last year for this L-shaped loop course and now close to the terminus of the public-transit trolley that ends at the shopping mall to the west and south of the course. Course is closed to regular vehicular traffic.

Prize money: seven deep for men and women United States athletes ($8,000, 6,000, 4,000, 3,000, 2,000, 1,000, 1,000). International athletes, also men and women have prize money five deep ($2,000, 1,500, 1,000, 500, 250), provided there are enough finishers.

Competitors: 12 men and nine women plus 11 internationals from (alphabetically) Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Sweden.