GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Brian Sell, a member of the U.S. 2005 World Championships marathon team and 2004 U.S. Olympian Colleen De Reuck cruised to USA 25K titles on Saturday morning at the 28th Fifth Third River Bank Run.

Both Sell and De Reuck had to contend with a tough Open international field as well as USA Championship contenders. While eventual winner Simon Wangai of Kenya, who posted the fourth fastest 25K ever with his 1:13:27 overall win, set a fast early pace. Sell, 27, from Rochester Hill, Mich. made his usual brave effort to maintain contact with the early leaders but was left on his own after four miles to savor his first USA title with the third fastest national championship time (1:15:27) and fourth overall.

"I wanted to be a little more competitive with Simon and Julius," said Sell after running the seventh fastest U.S. road performance ever for 25K. "I just think we as Americans need to learn to compete on that level, that's where we need to be, but I'm happy to win a USA title."

In his first USA Championship as an American, Mbarak Hussein, 40, of Albuquerque, N.M. was the national runner-up in 1:17:12, a pending U.S. masters record, and 5th overall.

On the women's side, it was veteran De Reuck, 41, from Boulder, Colo. that would leave the international field in her wake as she earned her first USA 25K title in 1:25:15 (and 7th USA road title overall), the second fastest U.S. women's time ever (only Joan Benoit Samuelson is faster), as well as World, U.S. All-Comers masters and USA Championship records.

"I went out a little too quickly," she recalled. "But the first half is quick; I was with a group of guys who were running 5:20s and 5:25s, I kind of got drawn in, so I was a little tired the last half."

Albina Ivanova of Russia finished second overall in 1:26:53 with Jenny Crain third and national runner-up (1:28:29).

Sell and De Reuck each earned $4000 for their national titles, with De Reuck earning another $4000 for the Open victory and $1500 for the Masters title. This is the eleventh consecutive year that the Fifth Third River Bank Run has hosted the USA 25K Championship, which was the fifth stop for men and the third for women on the 2005 USA Running Circuit (USARC).

The USARC, a USA Track & Field road series, features USA Championships from 5K to the marathon and attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The eleventh edition for the men and tenth for the women, the 2005 Circuit has nine events for men and seven events for women.

The first ten U.S. runners earn points at each USARC race (15 for first, 12 for second, 10 for third, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1), with a final $12,500 grand prix purse ($6000, $4000, and $2500) for the top three men and women point scorers overall. The USARC points at the USA Marathon Championships will be doubled.

After River Bank, Sell vaulted into second place in the men's USARC standings with 31 points. Abdi Abdirahman of Team Running USA is the men's leader with 33 points. For the women, Team Running USA's Jen Rhines leads the GP standings with 27 points followed by Crain (23) and defending USARC champion De Reuck (22).

28th Fifth Third River Bank 25K: USA Championship
Grand Rapids, MI, Saturday, May 14, 2005

MEN

1) Simon Wangai, KEN, 1:13:27, $4000
2) Julius Kibet, KEN, 1:13:50, $2000
3) Wesley Ochoro, KEN, 1:15:14, $1500
4) Brian Sell, USA/MI, 1:15:27, $4000
5) Mbarak Hussein, 40, USA/NM, 1:17:12*, $3500
6) Chris Graff, USA/VA, 1:17:54, $1500
7) Clint Verran, USA/MI, 1:18:11, $1000
8) Andrew Cook, USA/TX, 1:18:25, $600
9) Mike Morgan, USA/NE, 1:18:28, $500
10) Paul Aufdemberge, 40, USA/MI, 1:18:52, $1150
11) Jeff Campbell, USA/NC, 1:19:15, $300
12) Teddy Mitchell, USA/NM, 1:19:36, $200
13) Kyle O'Brien, USA/MI, 1:19:42, $100

*pending U.S. masters/40-44 record (previous record, 1:18:38, Steve Plasencia, City of Lakes, September 7, 1997)

WOMEN

1) Colleen De Reuck, 41, USA/CO, 1:25:15*, $9500
2) Albina Ivanova, RUS, 1:26:53, $2000
3) Jenny Crain, USA/WI, 1:28:29, $3500
4) Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova, 44, RUS, 1:29:50, $750
5) Turena Johnson Lane, USA/IN, 1:29:52, $1500
6) Marina Ivanova, RUS, 1:30:28
7) Jenny Spangler, 41, USA/IL, 1:31:05, $1500
8) Leigh Daniel, USA/MI, 1:32:31, $600
9) Christine Clifton, USA/CT, 1:32:57, $500
10) Brett Romano, USA/MA, 1:33:01, $400
11) Lori Stich Zimmerman, USA/MI, 1:33:27, $300
12) Debbie Kilpatrick-Morris, 41, USA/OH, 1:33:40, $500
13) Heather Bury, USA/WV, 1:34:16, $100

*pending World, U.S. All-Comers masters and USA Championship records (previous record, 1:27:00, Firaya Sultanova-Zhdanova (RUS), Fifth Third River Bank Run, May 8, 2004; pending U.S. masters/40-44 record (previous record, 1:29:47, Jane Welzel, Old Kent River Bank Run, May 11, 1996 and May 10, 1997); previous USA Championship record, 1:26:05, Milena Glusac, River Bank Run, May 12, 2001

For more results, go to: www.53riverbankrun.com.