Carlsbad 5000: “World’s Fastest” Running Tradition Returns This Weekend

• Distance running superstar Edward Cheserek headlines international elite fields
• U.S. running legend Meb Keflezighi leads new ownership team operating iconic road race
• The World’s Fastest 5K will take place on the coastal streets of Carlsbad, California on April 6-7, 2019 

CARLSBAD – April 4, 2019 – In its first year under the ownership of local San Diego runners, including U.S Olympian Meb Keflezighi, a race renowned for fast runners and world records welcomes a stellar field for the elite invitational at the 34th annual Carlsbad 5000 on Sunday, April 7.

Leading the way will be a 17-time collegiate NCAA champion Edward Cheserek, who graduated from the University of Oregon in 2017. He will be joined by U.S. Olympian Hassan Mead and former World Junior Champion David Bett of Kenya. The men’s field will be chasing the modern “IAAF-recognized” 5k World Record, which was set in Monaco this February by Switzerland’s Julien Wanders with a time of 13:29. The Carlsbad 5000 event record and all-time world 5K best is Sammy Kipketer’s 13:00, which he ran at Carlsbad in 2000 & 2001. 

Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi owns the fastest time in the woman’s field. A graduate from the University of Kansas, Lokedi was the 2018 NCAA Champion over 10,000m. Joining her among the favorites will be a trio of British women, including HOKA NAZ Elite’s Alice Wright, Cardiff Bay Run 10k winner Charlotte Arter and Jenny Nesbitt, who represented Great Britain at the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark last weekend.  Former Loyola Marymount University star and Wright’s NAZ elite teammate, Danielle Shanahan is the top American entrant

Both elite races will be broadcast in their entirety via the Carlsbad 5000 facebook page on Sunday afternoon. The professional athletes will be competing for more than $24,000 in prize money, including $3,500 dedicated to the competitive master’s races taking place earlier in the morning.

Race day begins at 6:53 am with the Masters Men (40 years old and over), the first of five age-group races on Sunday. Event weekend promises a fast oceanfront course, healthy competition, and energetic atmosphere for participants of all ages and paces. The “Party by the Sea” gets started as soon as the first runners cross the finish line with participants 21 and older celebrating in the Pizza Port beer garden with two complimentary craft brews and runners of all ages rocking out to live music on the streets of the Carlsbad Village.

A free Health & Fitness Expo takes place on race weekend, running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. The expo will serve as race registration headquarters on Saturday, allowing participants to pick up their race number and t-shirt. Meb will join Cheserek and other elite athletes on the expo stage for a special Q & A at 1pm on Saturday afternoon moderated by Carlsbad 5000 Hall of Famer Toni Reavis.

The popular Junior Carlsbad presented by YMCA of San Diego will also celebrate its 30th anniversary on Saturday, April 6. Kids distances range from a one-miler to the always entertaining 50-yard Toddler Trot and 25-yard Diaper Dash. For more information about the 2019 Carlsbad 5000 and a complete race weekend schedule, visit Carlsbad5000.com.                                                                                                               

-- Elite Roster Follows --

(As of April 4, 2019)                                                                                                         

Men's Elite Field

 Women's Elite Field