USA Track & Field unveiled its roster for the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Denmark in September, with a strong lineup of 19 athletes who will represent the U.S.
The championships will be staged in Copenhagen and feature men’s and women’s races in the mile, 5K and half marathon.
The roster, which was revealed on Tuesday, Molly Born, Carrie Ellwood, Emma Grace Hurley, Ednah Kurgat, Annie Rodenfels, Hillary Bor, Wesley Kiptoo, Ahmed Muhumed, Courtney Frerichs, Karissa Schweizer, Drew Hunter, Dylan Jacobs, Gracie Hyde, Addy Wiley and Vincent Ciattei.
McClain, Hurley and Kurgat are part of an expanded women’s half marathon group that received a special exception granted by World Athletics after all three were mistakenly led off of the course by a pace vehicle at the U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Atlanta in March.
All three were in leading positions with under two miles remaining, realized they were off course and turned back to rejoin the race. McClain finished ninth, Hurley was twelfth and Kurgat crossed the line in thirteenth.
However, Born, Carrie and Rodenfels will not be eligible for medals or prize money at the road championships and all of the women’s in the half marathon field will have their performances will count toward World Athletics Rankings points.
For the men’s 5K, Hunter surged to the win in the 2025 NACAC Championships in the Bahamas last year and earned his spot on the squad and will be joined by Jacobs, who was a finalist in the 3,000m at the 2025 World Indoor Championships in China.
Frerichs and Schweizer will represent for the women’s 5K and will both make their world road racing debuts. Schweizer was a member of the World Cross Country Championships team in Tallahassee in January, while Frerichs took fourth at the U.S. championships but upgraded to the 19-athlete roster since Hurley will compete in the half marathon.
Nuguse is the American record holder and will make his first appears at the road championships as he competes in the mile alongside Ciattei, who is a three-time U.S. road mile champion.
2026 USATF World Road Running Championships Roster
Women’s Half Marathon
Molly Born
Carrie Ellwood
Emma Grace Hurley
Weini Kelati
Ednah Kurgat
Jess McClain
Annie Rodenfels
Men’s Half Marathon
Hillary Bor
Wesley Kipto
Conner Mantz
Ahmed Muhumed
Women’s 5K
Courtney Frerichs
Karissa Schweizer
Men’s 5K
Drew Hunter
Dylan Jacobs
Women’s Mile
Gracie Hyde
Addy Wiley
Men’s Mile
Vincent Ciattei
Yared Nuguse
Team Staff
Devon Martin – Women’s Coach
Chris Lundstrom – Men’s Coach
Dustin Williams – Head ATC
Gina Rose Palermo – ATC/LMT
