| SPOKANE, WA – (April 30, 2025) – The 49th Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K on Sunday morning, May 4, will host the last stop on the 2024-25 PRRO Circuit before the PRRO Championship at the Boilermaker 15K on July 13, and another top international field, including the women’s defending race and PRRO champion Sarah Naibei, is expected to vie for the $81,000 in prize money, including $20,000 U.S. prize money and $7000 to each Open race champion. The top runners expected at Bloomsday include: MEN: Diego Estrada (USA), 2024 race runner-up; Simon Mwangi Waithira (KEN) 2025 Stramilano Half Marathon winner (1:00:54); Mike Kamau (KEN), third 2025 Wuhan Marathon (2:09:28); Shadrack Keter (KEN), seventh 2024 Bloomsday; and Collin Buck (USA), eighth 2024 Bloomsday WOMEN: Sarah Naibei (KEN), defending race & PRRO champion; Adane Anmaw (ETH), 2025 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile runner-up (51:00); Diana Chepkorir (KEN), fourth 2025 Berlin Half Marathon (1:08:46); Daisy Kimeli (KEN), third 2024 Bloomsday; and Aubrey Frentheway (USA), fifth 2024 Bloomsday The complete Bloomsday elite field, available by Friday, May 2, can be found HERE. At the fifth stop on the 2024-25 PRRO Circuit, the Bloomsday champions will also earn automatic eligibility to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 28th PRRO Championship hosted by the Boilermaker 15K on July 13, 2025 in Utica, NY. In addition, PRRO recently announced a points system in which the 2-10 finishers at the five Circuit events earn points with the top 5 scorers overall before the PRRO Championship also qualifying to compete for the Super Bonus. Points standings can be found HERE. “As the last PRRO Circuit race before the upcoming PRRO Championship at the Boilermaker 15K, we anticipate some hot racing at the Lilac Bloomsday Run. Each race champion will also receive an automatic PRRO Super Bonus qualification spot and the 2-10 finishers will earn the final Super Bonus points,” said PRRO President and Bloomsday founder Don Kardong. At the annual spring 7.46 mile road race, which fosters health, fitness and the community spirit of the Lilac City, more than 30,000 runners and walkers are expected on the iconic course that weaves across the Spokane River gorge before finishing above awe-inspiring falls in downtown Spokane. The PRRO Circuit showcases world class competition at five of America’s Classic Road Races™, the Gate River Run 15K in Jacksonville, FL, 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. The 2024-25 PRRO Circuit offers more than $400,000 in guaranteed prize money overall with $113,600 for U.S. athletes. 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. Schedule and PRRO Super Bonus event qualifiers below: THE PRRO CIRCUIT 2024-25 SCHEDULE Boilermaker 15K, July 14, 2024, Utica, NY $65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money) WINNERS: John Korir*, Kenya, 42:11 and Grace Loibach Nawowuna*, Kenya, 49:18 50th Quad-City Times Bix 7, July 27, 2024, Davenport, IA $50,000 in prize money WINNERS: Wesley Kiptoo*, Kenya, 32:27 and Rachael Chebet*, Uganda, 36:11 Gate River Run 15K, March 1, 2025, Jacksonville, FL $57,000 in prize money ($16,000 U.S. prize money) plus $5000 Equalizer gender race and World, U.S. & course record bonus money WINNERS: Wesley Kiptoo*, Kenya, 42:10 (event record) and Calli Hauger-Thackery*, Great Britain, 47:24 Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, April 6, 2025, Washington, DC $80,600 in prize money ($48,600 U.S. prize money) plus performance bonuses WINNERS: Charles Hicks*, USA, 45:14 and Taylor Roe*, USA, 49:53 (World Best) Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, May 4, 2025, Spokane, WA $81,000 in prize money ($20,000 U.S. prize money) THE 28th PRRO CHAMPIONSHIP Boilermaker 15K, July 13, 2025, Utica, NY $65,100 in prize money ($14,500 U.S. prize money) as well as: · $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus to male or female champions who are either defending champions, have won any of the PRRO Circuit 2024-25 races or finished top 5 in the points system (split if both eligible male and female win) · $2500 to male or female championship winners who have not won any races on the 2024-25 Circuit · $1500 to eligible PRRO event champions, males and females, finishing in places 2-10 * = Automatically qualified to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2025 PRRO Championship Reigning PRRO champions Tebello Ramakongoana and Sarah Naibei, who won the 2024 PRRO Championship at the Lilac Bloomsday Run 12K, were the first two athletes to earn a chance to compete for the $20,000 PRRO Super Bonus at the 2025 PRRO Championship. In pursuit of the Super Bonus, the pair join the seven qualified athletes who have won 2024-25 Circuit events thus far as well as any new runner who wins Bloomsday 2025 or finishes in the top 5 in the points system. Only current PRRO Circuit event champions are eligible for the PRRO Event Champion’s Bonus ($1500 for eligible athletes who do not win the PRRO Championship but do finish in places 2-10 at the PRRO Championship). If the male and/or female winners of this summer’s PRRO Championship at Boilermaker have not won any of the events on the current Circuit, they will be awarded $2500 each as the PRRO Championship winners in addition to the prize money at the PRRO Championship event. To-date, PRRO Circuit events have produced 18 world and 22 U.S. road records, awarded more than $8.7 million in prize money and seen more than 2.7 million runners cross their finish lines. In addition, since 1996, the PRRO Championship race has paid out more than $2.2 million including $188,500 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, the event winners on the current Circuit and the top 5 in the PRRO Super Bonus points system 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. |
