2016 Camel City Elite Prize Money, Sponsors and Headliner Athletes Announced

Prize Money Increased to $60,000; Manzano, Oliver, Rowbury, Symmonds to Compete

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – November 3, 2015 – JDL Fast Track has announced the 2016 Camel City Elite races will increase its prize money from the $38,000 offered in 2015 to a guaranteed $60,000 in 2016.  Additional money for rabbits' fees and facility bonuses has also been set aside.   For 2016, the meet will feature a total of eight races, consisting of four race distances for each gender:  60m Hurdles, 800m, Mile, 3000m. 

Prize money for each race will be $4,000 for 1st place, $2,000 for 2nd place, $1,000 for 3rd place and $500 for 4th place. In each event except the women’s mile, there will be a $1,000 bonus available to the winner if they break the existing facility record.  In the women’s mile, the bonus will be available if the winner breaks 4:30.00 because the facility record is the 9^th fastest indoor mile ever run in the world.

Facility Director Craig Longhurst said JDL Fast Track’s goal is to enhance the event each year.  “The easiest way to get the attention of the top athletes in the country and in the world is to increase the prize money.  We saw that last year when we increased it for the men’s and women’s mile and the level of interest from athletes in that event saw a considerable bump.  Matching that increase in all the events is attracting some of the top athletes in our sport, which is very exciting.”

Longhurst also indicated that JDL Fast Track would not be able to increase the prize money without the help of some generous corporate sponsors.  For the 2016 event, Champion and Visit Winston-Salem have both signed on as Gold level sponsors, which entitles them to the naming rights of specific events, along with additional perks and benefits.  “We are still working with those sponsors to identify exactly which of the races they will attach their name to, but in any of the events, they will get exposure and an association with some of the top athletes in the world.”

Salem Sports and Mellow Mushroom Winston-Salem are returning as Silver level sponsors again this year.  Total Sports US, one of the top track and field sports agents in the world, has signed on this year as a Silver level sponsor.  Chris Layne of Total Sports US said, ““Total Sports US is excited to be a sponsor of this event.  We have a lot of respect for what JDL Fast Track is doing to promote track and field and we, as well as the athletes we represent, want to be a part of what they are doing to improve the sport.

Like the Gold sponsors, JDL Fast Track is working with each of the Silver sponsors to finalize the races they will be sponsoring.

At press time, JDL Fast Track had also received commitments from several Bronze level sponsors, including Daggett and Shuler, First Tennessee Bank, Hampton Inn Hanes Mall, Johnson Controls, Mondo USA, Norman & Young Group-Merrill Lynch, The Historic Brookstown Inn and The Phoenix Company.

Longhurst indicated that the increased prize money has already benefited the event with good advanced recruiting.  “We are quickly establishing ourselves as a premier meet for the top athletes in the country as we really try to cater to these athletes from the minute they get to Winston-Salem, and that has not gone unnoticed.  This year’s recruiting efforts have been much easier as we are now more of a known quantity to the athletes, their coaches and their agents.”

Early recruiting has already landed a few top athletes for this year’s event.  The list of athletes who have already committed to returning to Camel City Elite includes Leo Manzano, David Oliver, Shannon Rowbury and Nick Symmonds.  Each of these athletes has previously competed at Camel City Elite.  Longhurst added that this shows the progress this meet has made in its short time in existence by the fact that these world class athletes are so willing to return to this event.

Leo Manzano, the 2012 Olympic Silver medalist, will be returning to Winston-Salem to compete in the men’s mile again this year.  Manzano started off 2015 with a fourth place finish at last year’s Camel City Mile and finished the year with a 10^th place finish at the World Championships in Beijing.  Manzano, in a statement issued for this release, said, “The JDL Track Meet has top of the line facilities and it’s very well organized, which makes it a super fun, fast and competitive meet. Also, the organizers of the JDL track meet do an amazing job promoting the event and know how to put on a show, thus I can't wait to toe the line once again in the Camel City Mile!”

David Oliver is no stranger to JDL Fast Track.  The 2013 IAAF World Champion in the 110m Hurdles and 2008 Olympic Bronze medalist has hosted the David Oliver Classic indoor high school meet at JDL Fast Track since 2014.  Oliver will run the 60m Hurdles again in 2016.

Shannon Rowbury returns to Camel City Elite to compete in the mile.  Rowbury is coming off an impressive 2015 campaign that saw her pile up the accolades.  Rowbury won USATF national indoor titles at the mile and two mile, then went to the Bahamas in May and was on the world record-setting distance medley relay team at the IAAF World Relays.  She capped off her outdoor campaign by breaking Mary Slaney’s 31-year-old American record at 1500m when she ran 3:56.29 in Monaco.  Rowbury expressed her excitement at returning to Winston-Salem.   “At Camel City Elite, you’ll find Southern Hospitality at its finest. The meet organizers take care of every little detail and the community is actively involved, whether that’s at the pre-meet autograph signing, in the infield cheering during the race, or at the group run the next day.  Best of all, the facility is electric. I was so impressed with Camel City Elite last year and I am very excited to race again at JDL this year.”

After missing the event in 2015, Nick Symmonds returns to compete in the Camel City Elite men’s 800m. Symmonds won a Silver medal in the 800m during the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, and he represented the U.S. in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.  Symmonds was in the press quite a bit this summer.  After winning the USATF outdoor 800m title for the 6^th time, Symmonds refused to sign the USATF “Statement and Conditions” document due to the wording about wearing sponsor’s gear.  Camel City Elite will mark the first time that Symmonds will compete since his refusal to sign that document.  Symmonds stated, “I don't run a full indoor season anymore, but would hate to miss the Camel City Elite meet. The wonderful hospitality and fun, intimate venue are things I have enjoyed in the past and will be looking forward to again this January!”

Other athletes who have also committed to this year’s Camel City Elite include Kerri Gallagher, Cory Leslie and Kyle Merber.  Gallagher was a member of the 2015 World Championship team at 1500m.  Cory Leslie is the defending Camel City Mile champ, having won the event in 2013 and 2015.  Merber was a member of the world record-setting distance medley relay team at this year’s IAAF World Relays meet in the Bahamas.

Longhurst stated that these athletes are just the tip of the iceberg of who is expected to compete at this year’s meet.  “We start our recruiting process way earlier than most indoor meets.  We have begun conversations with other athletes and agents.  Those conversations will only add to our roster of competitors.  Some of those athletes are also World Champions, Olympic medalists and world record holders.”

One thing new to Camel City Elite for 2016 is the plan to do a community outreach program this year.  Longhurst stated that many of the athletes have reached out to JDL about participating in a program like this.  “They understand that they have a unique skill set and ability to reach out to the next generation.  They feel a genuine responsibility to pass on their knowledge and passion for the sport.”

On Thursday, January 28, several of the athletes competing at Camel City Elite will be visiting Brunson Elementary to work and talk with students.  The athletes will not only focus on running and physical education, but they will tailor the outreach program to the interests of the students.   For instance, one of the athletes, Pablo Solares of Mexico, is also an accomplished artist in addition to being a 3:54 miler.  Solares intends to work with the art department and blend his talents as an athlete and an artist into one discussion.

Jeff Faullin, the principal at Brunson, has been extremely supportive of this effort.  “Brunson Elementary is excited about the opportunity to welcome these world class athletes to our school to talk to our students.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students to be exposed to these great athletes and see the positive impact of being physically fit, getting an education and following your dreams.”

Longhurst summed up this year’s event in one word:  Progress.  “Each year, we try to improve the event, and the community outreach is a huge step in that direction, not only for the athletes, but for the community here in Winston-Salem.  If we have this resource of world class athletes coming to Winston-Salem, let’s share that and make it available to students who otherwise wouldn’t have exposure to these great people.”

Camel City Elite will be held at JDL Fast Track (2505 Empire Drive) on Saturday, January 30 at 2 pm.  Tickets will be on sale at the door at a cost of $10 for adults and $8 for students 12 and older.  Kids under 12 are free.  The event will also be streamed live online at www.jdlfasttrack.com as part of the RunnerSpace +Plus subscription package which starts at $12 a month.

There are also corporate sponsorship and crowd funding options for spectators who wish to get exclusive infield passes to the event or to attend the post-race party and have dinner with the elite athletes in attendance.  More information can be found at www.jdlfasttrack.com, or by contacting Craig Longhurst directly via email at [email protected].

ABOUT JDL FAST TRACK (www.jdlfastrack.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 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 three national championships:  2014 NCAA Division II, 2015 NCAA Division III and 2015 USATF Masters Indoor.  In March, JDL Fast Track will serve as the host for the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.