2020 Camel City Elite Fields Finalized

Olympians, World Champions and Collegians All Converge at JDL Fast Track on February 8

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – February 4, 2020 – JDL Fast Track has finalized the fields for the 8^th Annual Camel City Elite Races, set to take place on Saturday, February 8 in Winston-Salem, NC.

This year’s fields will be headlined by World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist Jenny Simpson, Olympic silver medalist Paul Chelimo, Olympic bronze medalist Clayton Murphy, World Champs silver medalist Raevyn Rogers, 17-time NCAA champion Edward Cheserek and U.S. champion and local favorite Craig Engels.  In addition to the pros and collegians, the women’s 800 will also feature high schooler and American record holder at 600m Athing Mu from Trenton, NJ.

In addition to the distance races, this year will feature some elite athletes in the field events.  The women’s shot put will feature Olympian Raven Saunders and 2019 NCAA indoor runner-up Lena Giger.  In the women’s high jump, Olympians Erika Kinsey (SWE) and Inika McPherson (USA) will be featured, alongside 2019 NCAA outdoor runner-up Nicole Green and high schooler and Pan Am Games contestant Morgan Smalls.

JDL Fast Track facility director and elite athlete coordinator Craig Longhurst said that this is one of the deepest fields assembled for Camel City Elite, both professionally and collegiately.  “The pros better watch out, as some of these collegians could really do some damage.  Ryan Adams of Furman, for instance, has run a 3:57 mile indoors this winter and should be near the front of the men’s mile.  We have also started to branch out into some other events with the women’s high jump and shot put and are excited to see these world class athletes reset our facility record books!”

This year will also feature a high school only competition as part of the schedule, with the Engels 8 HS Boys 800m race.  It will feature 7 athletes from NC, GA and PA.  Local favorite Will Atkins was a late scratch this week, but Jonah Hoey from Pennsylvania not only has the fastest personal best in the field, but has run a 4:09 mile as recently as January 24.

Below is the list of contestants in each of the events.

The professional athletes in these races will be competing for nearly $100,000 in prize money and bonuses.  First place gets $6000, second is $4000, third is $2000, fourth is $1000, etc.  There are also $1000 bonuses to the winner for breaking predetermined times.

Admission for the event is $10 for adults, $5 for students and kids 12 and under are FREE.

Camel City Elite will be streamed live online at www.jdlfasttrack.com as part of the RunnerSpace +PLUS subscription package which starts at $12.99 a month.

ABOUT JDL FAST TRACK (www.jdlfasttrack.com)

JDL Fast Track is a privately owned facility that is quickly becoming one of the premier indoor track and field venues in the southeast. Opened in 2012, the facility houses a 200-meter oval track with a Mondotrack FTX surface—the same surface used at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. With a seating capacity of 1,700, ten HD televisions showing real-time field event results, and five high definition projector screens for video playback, JDL Fast Track offers fans a unique track and field experience.

To date, JDL Fast Track has hosted four national championships:  2014 NCAA Division II, 2015 NCAA Division III, 2015 and 2019 USATF Masters Indoor and 2016 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.  JDL Fast Track is currently slated to host the 2020 NCAA Division III National Championships.