The HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic in Eagle Rock, Calif., on Thursday evening will be the biggest distance event on American soil leading up to the U.S. Championships in June. Want to know why? Because this will be the meet where IAAF “A” standards are chased and fitness is tested. Athletes in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, and 5000m will toe the line at the Bill Henry Track in Jack Kemp Stadium on the campus of Occidental College for all of the glory, $2000 in prize money to be exact.

UPDATED ENTRIES HERE

Women’s 800m, 6:45pm PT
Top Entries: Geena Lara, Chanelle Price, Lauren Wallace, Maggie Vessey, Latavia Thomas, Phoebe Wright, Anna Willard, Alexa Efraimson, Jenny Simpson, Charlene Lipsey, Melissa Bishop, Shannon Rowbury*, Mary Cain*, Treniere Moser*

How many under 2:00? Only three American ladies have the IAAF “A” standard of 2:01.00. Ajee Wilson and Brenda Martinez aren’t in this assembled field, so that leaves Chanelle Price as the lone standard holder. Price’s 2:00.62 from Florida Relays currently ranks No. 3 in the World, but her disappointing ninth-place finish in the loaded Drake Relays is alarming. Several ladies will be in the hunt, especially Charlene Lipsey and Maggie Vessey. Lipsey missed the standard by .04 at the LSU Alumni Gold and Vessey has been looking better than ever. Sleeper pick? Phoebe Wright. Wright finished third at Drake to surprise the field after having a few off seasons. Her 1:58.22 will never be forgotten, and we expect to see her challenging Price at the end.
*Rowbury, Cain, and Moser are also entered in the 1500m

Men’s 800m, 7:05pm PT
Top Entries: Nick Symmonds, Cas Loxsom, Boris Berian, Tyler Mulder, Brandon Johnson, Charles Jock, Matt Centrowitz

New half miler stud and U.S. leader Boris Berian joins Brooks Beast Mark Wieczorek as the two men in the field holding the IAAF standard (1:46.00) in their hands. But 2013 World Silver Medalist Nick Symmonds will be racing his first outdoor 800m since September of 2013. The last time Symmonds raced on this track was his 3:36.07 victory in the 1500m in ’13, and seeing how he races with training partners Wieczorek and Cas Loxsom will be a treat. His 3:44.22 at Payton Jordan wasn’t awful, just not pretty. But don’t count him out. The sleeper in the race would be Brandon Johnson, who was a member of Team USA’s World Relays DMR, splitting 1:44 in the 800m leg.

Women’s 1500m, 7:25pm PT
Top Entries: Sarah Brown, Emma Coburn, Mary Cain, Shannon Rowbury, Cory McGee, Sheila Reid, Nicole Sifuentes, Stephanie Charnigo, Nicole Tully, Morgan Uceny, Treniere Moser, Katie Mackey, Stephanie Brown, Gabe Grunewald

Yikes. This is essentially what the U.S. Championship field will look like. Shannon Rowbury’s converted mile from indoors (a 4:05.08 1500m) is the only qualifying mark so far out of U.S. athletes. Jenny Simpson is an automatic to Beijing with her 2014 Diamond League victory, so who else will hit that 4:06.50 mark? There’s Sarah Brown, who ran 4:08.15 to win Mt. SAC, steeple queen Emma Coburn, who ran 4:07 this same weekend last year, and Nicole Tully and Katie Mackey, whose 5k times at Payton Jordan (15:05 and 15:16) mean strength will play in their favor.

Men’s 1500m, 7:50pm PT
Top Entries: Chris O’Hare, Leo Manzano, Kyle Merber, Ford Palmer, Mac Fleet, Andrew Wheating, Robby Andrews, Jordan McNamara, David Torrence, Pat Casey

Centro has the “A” standard (3:36.20) with his 3:51 Millrose Mile performance, but is opting to race the 800m this weekend. Olympic Silver Medallist Leo Manzano will try to steal the show. Centro bested Manzano in the Grand Blue Mile, with Manzano winning the Drake one mile on the track a few days later. With the perfect blend of experience, Andrew Wheating, David Torrence, with up-and-coming stars, like Kyle Merber and Mac Fleet, it would be disappointing if several men didn’t run under 3:36.

Women’s 5k, 8:25pm PT/Men’s 5k, 8:46pm PT
Top Entries: Alexi Pappas, Kara Goucher, Brie Felnagle, Kellyn Taylor

The main story here is clearly Kara Goucher’s return to the track. Goucher has not run a 5000m in the oval office since 2011 (15:11.47 at Pre Classic). She’s been loving the marathon and the longer road races, so it will be interesting to see how training with Mark Wetmore and the Boulder crew will pay off on the track.

This will be Galen Rupp vs. Cam Levins vs. Suguru Osako (Again). Rupp fell to his two teammates before ending his indoor season after the Armory Invitational two mile race. Is he back? And ready? Could Sam Chelanga or Lawi Lalang steal the show? And just how fit is Donn Cabral? Cabral ran a PB of 13:28.64 indoors and has been testing his strength with some long road races. We wouldn’t be surprised if he pulls out a massive performance and drops under the “A” standard, 13:23.00.

The HOKA ONE ONE Middle Distance Classic will be broadcast on USATF.TV from 6-9pm PT on Thursday, May 14th.