Watch Thursday’s meet live and free of charge on RunnerSpace

CONCORD, Mass. – An impressive contingent of Olympians are set to compete in Concord, Massachusetts this Thursday, June 1, at this year’s Adrian Martinez Classic. Once again, top professional talent has an opportunity to compete over a trio of distances, with 800 meters, mile and 3,000 meters being contested.

The 2017 Adrian Martinez Classic will be broadcast live and free of charge on RunnerSpace.com from Emerson Field beginning at 4:30pm ET.

"Overall, I'm excited about the quality and depth of the fields,” says meet director Stephen Lane. “For fans, we want to put on exciting races and for athletes, we want to provide an opportunity to run fast. There are a so many great athletes running in all the events - I think both of those things are going to happen.”

Headlining this year’s field of competition is the men’s Adro Mile. A trio of Olympians in 2012 silver medalist Leo Manzano, Peru’s David Torrence and Canada’s Charles Philibert-Thiboutot lead the way. Torrence, a 5,000 finalist in Rio, recently ran 1:47.65 for 800 at the USATF Distance Classic, while Philibert-Thiboutot was a semi-finalist in the 1,500 in Rio.

Other notable contenders include former NCAA champion Chad Noelle, Olympic Trials 1,500 finalist Kyle Merber, defending Adro Mile champion Sam Penzenstadler, Penn Relays mile champion Jesse Garn and former University of Oregon All-American Trevor Dunbar, who recently finished sixth at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships.

Leading the women’s field is World Championship qualifier Nicole Tully and Rebecca Addison. Tully, who’s looking to have a bounce back year after a tough 2016, owns a seasonal best in the 5000m of 15:29.32 and is looking to break through Thursday in Concord. For Addison, she’s coming off an impressive 4:34.26 mile performance at the Penn Relays and a seasonal 1,500 best of 4:12.99.

Tully’s sister Stephanie Schappert, an Olympic Trials semi-finalist in the 1,500 last summer, narrowly beat Addison at the Penn Relays, running the mile in 4:34.21. Add in veteran Lianne Farber, with a 4:14.51 seasonal best, and there are a number of runners capable of winning the mile event.

Adding to the excitement, the 800 fields are simply stacked with top talent. The men’s field will see 2016 Olympians Anthony Romaniw and Charles Jock square off against strong competition, both seeing races to build upon as the season continues on.

District TC’s Adose Ibadin currently ranks US#9 for 800 with a best this year of 1:45.91. He’s closely followed in the rankings by NYAC’s Russell Dinkins, who’s also dipped well under 1:47 this season with a 1:46.40 best. Veterans Ryan Martin and Harun Abda add additional intrigue to the field, where all competitors are capable of pulling off the victory.

Headlining the women’s race, Amanda Eccleston steps down in distance to test her speed. After finishing fourth at the Olympic Trials last summer in the 1,500, Eccleston is off to a solid start this season, including a runner-up finish at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships.

Eccleston should find competition from prep phenom Samantha Watson, who enters Thursday’s contest coming off a 2:01.47 third place showing at the Prefontaine Classic, making her the fourth fastest high school runner in American history.

Cecilia Barowski placed fourth at the USATF Distance Classic with a fine time of 2:00.90, while Ci’era Brown is also showing good form this season with a 2:02.96 best.

New to this year’s event, the men’s and women’s 3,000 races bring together a talented mix of successful runners over the 3,000, 5,000 and 3,000 steeplechase distances.

Headlining the men’s race, Jamaican Kemoy Campbell, Canadian Luc Bruchet and American Donn Cabral enter as the pre-race favorites. All three competed at the Rio Olympics, with Campbell and Bruchet running the 5,000, while Cabral placed eighth for the second Olympics in a row in the steeplechase.

The trio are joined by numerous young pros, including former Virginia Tech standout Tommy Curtin and University of Michigan star Mason Frelic, while more established runners like Craig Lutz, Travis Mahoney, Andrew Colley and Puerto Rico’s Alfredo Santana vie for a top three finishes.

On the women’s side, Olympian Marielle Hall is the class of the field. After having a phenomenal 2016 campaign, Hall showed she’s in prime shape this season last weekend at the Prefontaine Classic, finishing eleventh in the women’s 5,000 in 15:11.02.

Hall is joined by Cally Macumber, who placed tenth at the recent USATF Distance Classic in the 5,000, along with Kaitlin Goodman, who placed fifth in the 5,000 event at last year’s Adrian Martinez Classic. Add in former NCAA champion Emma Bates and Liz Costello and the depth of the field should create some thrilling finishes.

Fans can follow along and watch Thursday’s meet live, here: http://adrian-martinez-classic.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=9577&do=videos&video_id=210233