The 49th Amway River Bank Run, which doubles as the USATF 25 km Championships, set off from downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday morning with more than 10,000 runners on the start line. Held on the second Saturday in May for nearly half a century, the race remains the largest 25K road event in the United States and is the only championship in the country at the awkward but historic distance of 25,000 metres.
Casey Clinger headlines the men's elite field as the defending champion. Clinger broke the American 25K road record at last year's race, and arrives in Michigan in form after a strong spring on the roads. He will face a stiff challenge from Connor Winter, the Colorado-based runner who finished fourth in 2023 and has since improved his marathon times into the low 2:10s, and from first-time River Bank Run starter Andrew Colley, who has covered everything from 5K to the marathon at a high level.
Prize money on offer at this year's championships totals $101,000, with $98,800 of that pinned on the 25K and $2,400 spread across the 10K and 5K supporting races. The winners of the men's and women's open 25K take home $10,000 each, with payouts running ten deep, and the masters categories carry an additional $1,000 first-place purse. The wheelchair and handcycle divisions, the only 25K races of their kind in the world, total a further $2,100.
The course follows the Grand River out of downtown for an out-and-back run on largely flat surfaces along the riverside trail system, with a finish back in the heart of the city near Calder Plaza. Conditions on Saturday morning were cool and dry with temperatures in the low fifties Fahrenheit at the gun, ideal for the front-of-field racing and giving the championship contenders a clean shot at fast times in the second half of the race.
For USATF athletes the day carries weight beyond the prize money. The 25K championship is one of the few road titles still contested separately from the marathon and half marathon programmes, and a strong result in Grand Rapids has often served as a credential for World Athletics road running selections later in the year. Live coverage of the championship races is being carried on USATF.tv, with results expected to be confirmed within hours of the leaders crossing the line.