PHILADELPHIA – With nine days left until the 127th running of the Penn Relays presented by Toyota, we are excited to announce the runners for the Toyota Olympic Development Benjamin Franklin Men's Mile.
 
Toyota Olympic Development Benjamin Franklin Men's Mile

• George Beamish (New Zealand): 3:51.22
• Mario Garcia Romo (Spain): 3:51.79 / 3:30.20 (1500)
• Festus Lagat (Kenya): 3:54.02 / 3:34.65 (1500)
• Eric Holt (USA): 3:53.53 / 3:35.80 (1500)
• AJ Ernst (USA): 3:53.61
• Rob Napolitano (USA): 3:54.28
• Joe Klecker (USA): 3:37.00 (1500)
• Callum Elson (Great Britain & N.I.): 3:59.07 / 3:40.32 (1500)
• Dan Schaffer (USA): 3:57.47
• Austin Miller (USA): 3:57.89

*All times are outdoor mile PRs*
 
Elson returns to defend his title in the mile in 2022, while On reps three runners from their club including Romo, Beamish, and Klecker.
 
Romo returns to Penn Relays after earning two wheels last year while running for Ole Miss in the 4x800m and the distance medley relay. While at Ole Miss, he was a four-time first-team All-American in both indoor and outdoor track events. In 2022, Romo won the NCAA Indoor Championship for the mile and placed second in the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 1500m. He earned posted a time of 3:53.36 to win the 2022 Music City Challenge and earned a silver medal at the 2021 U23 European 1500m.
 
Lagat is also returning to Penn Relays, placing second in the mile in 2022. The five-time All-American ran for Iowa State where he primarily ran the 800m, earning a Big 12 championship and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
 
Holt, ranked 26th in the world for the men's 1500m, has run in the Penn Relays before. In 2016, Holt ran in the 4x800m and the DMR while attending Binghamton University. In his NCAA career, Holt has run both cross country and track & field, winning the America East Indoor Championship for the mile. In 2022, Holt won the NACAC Championship for the 1500m.
 
Napolitano, the 2021 Puerto Rican national champion in the 1500m, is no stranger to the Penn Relays either. In 2016, Napolitano placed second in the 4x800m at Penn Relays. An eight-time Ivy League champion for Columbia, Napolitano was the second runner in the school's history to eclipse the four-minute mile. In his professional career, he has competed in many events, primarily the indoor and outdoor 1500m and miles.
 
Beamish, competing his college days for Northern Arizona University, was an NCAA Division I Indoor mile champion and Diamond League mile champion. A New Zealand native, he won the 3,000m at the 2022 Millrose Games last year in a time of 7:39.50, setting the national record, which he lowered to 7:36.22 this year at the same event.
 
Schaffer is another returner to Penn Relays, competing last year in the DMR. Like Holt, Schaffer ran at Binghamton for his collegiate career, overlapping with Holt for the 2017-18 season. In 2022, Schaffer was the America East Outdoor champion in the 1500m and 4x800m relay as well as America East Indoor champion in the DMR.
 
Elson returns to Penn Relays to defend his title in the mile from last year, rocking a winning time of 4:04.11. He also ran in the 5000m, placing third. Elson ran for Division II American International College. While at American Int'l, he was the NCAA Division II Indoor mile champion (2022) and NCAA Division II Outdoor 1500m champion (2022).
 
Ernst ran at both University of Virginia and Providence College. While at Virginia, Ernst placed second in the indoor mile at the 2019-20 ACC Championships. At Providence, he was second-team All-American and has competed in the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships twice. Last year at Penn Relays, he won the 1500m (3:46.01) and placed third in the 4xMile as a Friar.
 
Miller, coming in with a PR of 3:57.89, enters as the runner-up in both the NCAA Division II Indoor 1500m championship and the NCAA Division II Outdoor mile championship while running for Augustana University. He was a three-time All-American.
 
Klecker, a nine-time All-American at the University of Colorado, competed in the NCAA Division I Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In 2019 he finished second in the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships. Professionally, he has competed at the Olympics, placing 16th in the men's 10,000m final, an event he ranks eighth in the world for.
 
The 127th running of the Penn Relays is set for April 27-29 at Franklin Field. Don't miss out on the largest track and field event in the country, with over 15,000 athletes competing across three days ranging from high school, college, professional, and masters. Buy your tickets today!