Brooks Sports, Inc. will set the pace at the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championships in Athletics, held this summer in Helsinki, Finland. Elite runners supported by the performance running company secured four of the 10 spots on the U.S. Marathon World Championships team, recently named by USA Track & Field. Of the four Brooks athletes competing for world domination, three are members of the Brooks-Hansons Olympic Distance Project (ODP)…

“We’re confident our Brooks-Hansons runners will make an impact at Worlds this year,” said Kevin Hanson, co-founder and coach of Brooks-Hansons ODP. “And as a result, we hope our presence will inspire other Americans to go the distance.”

Brooks-Hansons ODP members named to the IAAF World Championships in Athletics Team USA include:

  • Brian Sell, 27, made himself known in the running community at the 2004 Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials after leading the majority of the race and setting the pace for the fastest trial field in recent history. Since the trials, Sell completed the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon with a personal best of 2:13:18, placed 2nd at the USA 10 Mile Championships, and logged an impressive 9th-place finish at the Lilac Bloomsday Run – marking the fastest American time since 1992. Sell is scheduled to run the USA 25K Championship held on May 14 at Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids, Mich.
  • Trent Briney, 26, pulled out an impressive 4th-place finish of 2:12:34 at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Men's Marathon Trials. Briney’s achievement and his ability to maintain a high level of performance since the trials have earned him a spot on Team USA. Briney was a four-time NCAA Division II All-American at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
  • Clint Verran, 29, a veteran of the group, competed in the IAAF World Championships in Paris in 2003, finishing 39th at 2:16:42. Verran’s international experience extends beyond Paris, as he placed 17th at the 2000 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Verran recently finished the Freescale Marathon in Austin, Texas, as the top male American.

On the women’s side, the newly formed IAAF World Championships in Athletics Team USA includes the following female Brooks athlete:

  • Heather Hanscom, 27, relatively new to the marathon distance and member of the Brooks running team, has had several quality races that include a 6th-place and personal best finish of 2:31:53 at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials. Additionally, Hanscom was the first woman to break the tape during her 26.2-mile debut at the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon.

“Our connection to such remarkable athletes helps us develop and refine the best performance running products to keep runners of all levels going longer, farther and faster,” said Jesse Williams, manager the athletes program for Brooks Sports, Inc. “Our relationship with the Brooks-Hansons ODP and other inspirational runners nationwide also gives us a unique opportunity to support U.S. long-distance running at its core.”