Press Release - NYC Half-Marathon - 3/10/10

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Knee Injury Forces Meb Keflezighi Out of NYC Half-Marathon 

March 21 race was to have been his first since winning the ING New York 
City Marathon last year

New York, March 10, 2010—A knee injury has forced 2009 ING New York City 
Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi to withdraw from next week's NYC 
Half-Marathon, it was announced today by New York Road Runners officials. 

The NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 21, is the richest half-marathon in 
the United States, with a prize purse of $100,000. The race boasts a men's 
field led by marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, 
two-time ING New York City Marathon winner Marilson Gomes dos Santos of 
Brazil, and United States Olympians Anthony Famiglietti and Abdi 
Abdirahman. The women's field features 2004 Olympic marathon bronze 
medalist Deena Kastor of the United States and 2009 London Marathon 
runner-up Mara Yamauchi of Great Britain.   

"Due to a setback in my training a few weeks ago, I will not be prepared to 
compete in the NYC Half-Marathon," Keflezighi said in a statement to NYRR 
officials. "The New York Road Runners have assembled a great field once 
again, and I was looking forward to being a top contender. But I developed 
soreness on my left knee that required me to take several days off and cut 
back on mileage for a few weeks. Since I lost most of the build-up phase of 
my marathon training in February, I will have to pass on a tune-up race and 
focus my time on preparing for the Boston Marathon [next month]."

Keflezighi has not raced since his historic victory last November, when he 
became the first American winner in New York since 1982, when Alberto 
Salazar won the last of his three consecutive titles. 
  
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