FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The World's Best, Including Tadese Tola, Patrick Makau, Abdi Abdirahman,
Hendrick Ramaala, and Jaouad Gharib, to Compete at NYC Half-Marathon
U.S. star marathoner Ryan Hall previously announced
for the race on Sunday, August 16
New York, July 30, 2009-Some of the world's best long-distance runners,
including defending champion Tadese Tola of Ethiopia, two-time IAAF World
Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist Patrick Makau of Kenya,
three-time 10,000-meter Olympian Abdi Abdirahman of the United States, ING
New York City Marathon 2004 winner Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, and
2008 Olympic marathon silver medalist and two-time World Marathon champion
Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, will duel on the streets of Manhattan at the NYC
Half-Marathon on Sunday, August 16, it was announced today by New York Road
Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
Previously announced for the fourth annual 13.1-mile race was top American
marathoner and 2008 Olympian Ryan Hall, 26, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, who will
make his NYC Half-Marathon debut.
"This is a glittering lineup of the world's best emerging stars like Tola,
Makau, and Hall, side by side with ageless veterans like Ramaala, Abdi, and
Gharib," said Wittenberg. "It should be a fast and furious race through the
streets of Manhattan."
A trio of the sport's all-time greats-defending champion and two-time
Olympic medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
Deena Kastor of the U.S., and half-marathon world record-holder Lornah
Kiplagat of the Netherlands-headline the women's field.
A one-hour same-day highlights show of the race will air from 11:35 p.m.
until 12:35 a.m. on WABC-TV, Channel 7, in New York City.
Tola, 21, edged Kenya's Patrick Makau in the final meters to win by one
second in last year's NYC Half-Marathon, finishing in 1:00:58. Tola will
make his first trip to New York since running the fastest 10K ever recorded
in Central Park at the 2009 Healthy Kidney 10K in a time of 27:48.
Makau, 24, held on to finish second at the Healthy Kidney 10K in 28:28,
nine seconds slower than his winning performance the previous year. Earlier
this year, Makau ran the second-fastest half-marathon ever (58:52) at the
Ras Al Khaimah Half-Marathon and made his marathon debut at the Fortis
Rotterdam Marathon in April, finishing fourth in a time of 2:06:14.
Abdirahman, 32, of Tucson, AZ, will return to New York after running the
Healthy Kidney 10K, where he finished 11th in 29:02 coming off of a knee
injury. A four-time USA champion at 10,000 meters, he qualified for his
third Olympic team by winning the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympic Team
Trials - Track & Field and finished 15th in the event (27:52.53) at the
Beijing Olympic Games. Abdirahman made his third appearance at the ING New
York City Marathon last November and finished in sixth place (2:14:17).
The only man to ever win two World Championships marathon titles, Gharib,
37, of Morocco, who finished third at the London Marathon earlier this year
in a Moroccan record time of 2:05:27, and four-time Olympian Ramaala, 37,
who holds several South African records, including 59:20 for the
half-marathon, will also compete.
Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the
men's and women's winners each receiving $10,000.
The NYC Half-Marathon continues to attract the world's leading professional
athletes, in addition to a sold-out field of more than 10,000 recreational
runners from around the world. Runners were admitted on a first-come,
first-served basis, a change from the lottery entry process that was used
in previous years. On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC
Half-Marathon will take runners on a loop through Central Park, down
Seventh Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and along the
expansive West Side Highway to Battery Park in the heart of the city's
financial district, finishing with a view of the Statue of Liberty.
New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport
of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding
to community needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards
of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and website
support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more
than 100, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City
Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and
cross country events. NYRR's home base in New York, and its lifelong
identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic
status, attracting the world's top professional runners. Our youth programs
provide running to nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in New York City, around
the country, and in South Africa who would otherwise have few or no fitness
opportunities. For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.
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