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USATF Mile Road Championships: Preview and How to Watch

The annual USATF Mile Road Championships take place tonight in Minneapolis, Minnesota. What the field lacks in full-on Olympic-level talent it makes up for with solid depth at the tier just below.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight in Minneapolis, USATF will host their one mile road championship race. Last years men's and women's champions will both return, though they will have challengers. Here are the fields:

Women:

1 Heather Kampf
3 Rebecca Addison
5 Kristen Findley
6 Brook Handler
7 Christy Cazzola
8 Tabor Scholl
9 Eleanor Fulton
10 Nicole Blood
11 Maddie Van Beek
12 Ayla Granados
13 Meghan Peyton
14 Mary Goldkamp
15 Katy Moen
19 Gabriele Grunewald

Men:

40 Garrett Heath
42 Ben Blankenship
43 Craig Miller
44 Riley Masters
45 Chad Noelle
46 Duncan Phillips
47 Lex Williams
48 Tony Jordanek
49 Brandon Hudgins
50 Travis Burkstrand
51 Eric Avila
52 Jon Peterson
53 Joe Stilin
54 Matt Hillenbrand
55 Biya Simbassa

Heather Kampf is a three-time champion in this event having won in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Last year, she beat Rebecca Addison by 1.1 seconds and the latter is in the field again this year likely seeking vengeance. The other likely contenders are Kristen Findley (finished 4th last year), Christy Cazzola (former DIII National Champion at UW-Oshkosh), and Nicole Blood (former nine-time All-American at the University of Oregon). With her experience on the roads and in deference to her three championships at this race, Kampf is the clear favorite.

Off-the-cuff prediction: Kampf, Findley, Blood

The men's field is headlined by Garrett Heath who returns as champion. Heath tends to excel at basically any race off the track as he's developed a reputation as a road and cross-country specialist. But, he won't be without challengers. Chad Noelle won the 1500 at NCAAs last spring. Ben Blankenship finished 4th last year at USATFs outdoors. If experience matters in a road mile, Craig Miller certainly has it. He won back in 2012 and races here every year.

Off-the-cuff prediction: Heath, Blankenship, Noelle

How to watch:

Luckily, coverage of the USATF Road One Mile Championships will be available live and for free on USATF.TV. The feed will kick in at 8:55pm EST with the women's race scheduled to start at 9:01pm followed by the men's race at 9:13pm.

There's no good excuse to not watch this event. 1) It's free and streamed online. 2) It will take 20 minutes of your time on a weekday evening. Though high-profile road miles seem to be occurring with increasing frequency each year, there remains a bit of novelty with elite athletes racing a shorter distance off the track. It's always a fun event, even if you only tune in for the views of Downtown Minneapolis. Moreover, it is so short that you can basically watch it while in the bathroom.