USATF Marathon Race Walk Mixed Relay Championships

When: What:

Today, 7:30 a.m.

Open races at 20K, 10K, and 5K for U.S. and international men and women and masters.

Where: Santee. 1K course at Riverview Parkway and Town Center Parkway, adjacent to the Trolley Square shopping center.

Admission: Free.

What’s new: It’s the introduction of the title event itself both in terms of distance and the relay element, replacing the 35K (21.75 miles) individual race as the marquee event. The marathon distance has been adopted as a more recognized standard familiar to the public. In turn, the relay aspect compares the 4x400 mixed relay that debuted at the Olympics in the 2021 Tokyo Games. Unlike that race with four individuals, though, the race walk has one man and one woman alternating four legs.

Marathon format and results: First leg, 12.195K, and the three others, 10K each, matching the marathon distance (26 miles, 385 yards). Men do the first and third legs, and women the second and fourth legs. Besides the team outcome, the time splits for each racer will be added for individual results. Champions together: The top team looks to be the combination of El Cajon’s Nick Christie, who won the last two men’s 35K races, and Chula Vista’s Miranda Melville, who did likewise among the women. They have Olympic experience, as do female racers Maria Michtacoffey of Lake Grove, N.Y., and Robyn Stevens of Vacaville. Other top competitors include Daniel Nehnevaj of Beckley, W.V., and John Risch of Grand Rapids, Mich., among the men, and Stephanie Casey of Portland, Ore., among the women. Emmanuel “Natos” Correra and his wife, Celine Lepe of Spring Valley, are competing as a team with individual experience in the 20K race.

Stakes: Races also will have a bearing on qualifying for this year’s World Race Walk Championships in Antalya, Turkey, April 21, and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Aug. 1-11.

Prize money: The top three men and women will earn $10,0000, 8,000, and $6,000, respectively. The team prizes are $2,000, $1,500 and $1,000.

American records guaranteed: With records only being recognized with the start of the calendar year, this is first sanctioned event for competitors to establish U.S. marks in the marathon relay. Only limited marathon relays have been conducted internationally to this point. The winning team is expected to finish in about 3 hours, 15 minutes.

Tradition: This is the 11th straight year in Santee and 14th in 16 years for the Olympic trials or national championships.