RECAP OF THE 2015 CVS HEALTH DOWNTOWN 5k

More than 6,000 people from around the region and world registered for the 2015 CVS Health Downtown 5k today – bringing a mix of elite and other competitive runners into Providence, along with recreational runners, walkers and children. In addition to hosting the USA Men’s and USA Women’s 5k National Championships, the CVS Health Downtown 5k offered races and inspirational events for individuals of all ages and abilities, and raised funds for charities throughout Southern New England.

Approximately 3,800 people registered for the main 5k race while nearly 1,300 children registered for the event’s youth races, which included 21 different races for children – pre-kindergarten through eighth grade – including a CVS Health “All Kids Can” Inspirational event for children of all abilities. The athletic activities offered through the CVS Health Downtown 5k included a 3k High School Inspirational event—sponsored by Tufts Health Plan—that drew nearly 1,000 high school students from the region.

David Torrence of Malibu, Calif., became the men’s overall and national 5k champion with a time of 13:56.0. Torrence, who grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., and graduated from the University of California-Berkley, gained national attention in 2009 when he became the first man to run under four minutes in a road mile in the state of Minnesota. In 2014, he broke the 1000m American record with a time of 2:16:76.

The women’s overall and national 5k champion was Molly Huddle of Providence, R.I., with a time of 15:12.0. Huddle defended her title from last year’s race, making her a five-time winner of the CVS Health Downtown 5k—a new record for the annual racing event. Huddle is an Olympian (London Olympics) who grew up in Elmira, N.Y., and graduated from Notre Dame University where she was a record breaking nine-time All American.

Torrence and Huddle each won $7,000 in prize money for the USA Track & Field Championship.

Other top three 5k men’s runners include Dan Huling, who placed second with a time of 13:59.0, and Dathan Ritzenhein who placed third with a time of 14:03.0. Huling, a Rhode Island native who grew up in North Kingstown and ran for North Kingstown High School, placed fifth in the 3000m Steeplechase of this year’s World Championship in Beijing. He graduated from the Miami University of Ohio and trains in Portland, Ore. Ritzenhein is a three-time Olympian and three-time national cross country champion and is one of six U.S. athletes to have run a 5k in under 13 minutes. He grew up and trains in Rockford, Mich.

Other top three 5k women’s runners include Shalane Flanagan, who placed second with a time of 15:17.0, and Emily Sisson who placed third with a time of 15:48.0. Flanagan—who won the 2008 Downtown 5k—is an extremely versatile distance runner with multiple U.S. titles under her belt. She has run in three Olympics and is only the second American woman to ever win an Olympic medal at 10,000m—winning the bronze medal in the 2008 games. Flanagan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and grew up in Marblehead, Mass. She trains in Portland, Ore. Sisson is a graduate student at Providence College and celebrated her final year of collegiate eligibility by winning the NCAA 5000m titles both indoors and out. In winning the Big East 5000m title, she set a new collegiate record of 15:12:22. Last year, she placed fourth in the CVS Health Downtown 5k. She lives and trains in Providence, R.I.