FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Powerhouse Trio of 2012 U.S. Olympians-
Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman, and Dathan Ritzenhein-
to Lead U.S. Contingent in NYC Half
March 17 Race Will Feature Five 2012 U.S. Olympians,
Including 10,000-meter Runner Janet Bawcom
Event to be Broadcast Live Locally on WABC-TV and Nationally on ESPN3
New York, February 27, 2013-A formidable trio of 2012 U.S. Olympians Meb
Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman, and Dathan Ritzenhein will run the NYC Half
2013 on Sunday, March 17, it was announced today by New York Road Runners
president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
"We are positively thrilled to welcome Meb, Dathan, and Abdi-three of
America's finest and favorite long distance runners-back to NYC as we
celebrate the spirit of NYC," said Wittenberg. "This NYC Half is more than
a run. It's about the spirit of our runners of all types, and especially
this year, it's about the spirit of Lower Manhattan and all of NYC. Meb,
Dathan, and Abdi each have comeback stories of their own to add to the
inspiration of the day."
The announcement of Keflezighi, Abdirahman, and Ritzenhein gives the race
two members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic men's marathon team and one member of
its 10,000-meter team, respectively. Increasing the depth of the American
roster are talented pros Jason Hartmann, Guor Marial, Janet Bawcom, Serena
Burla, Maegan Krifchin, Adriana Nelson, Molly Pritz, Stephanie Rothstein
Bruce, and Lindsey Scherf. Previously announced was Bernard Lagat, a
five-time world champion and international medalist.
Keflezighi, 37, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, finished fourth (and first American)
in the 2012 Olympic Marathon, eight years after his silver-medal
performance in the 2004 Athens Games. He has competed in the NYC Half three
times (2006, 2011, and 2012) and was the top American last year, placing
13th in 1:01:41. The three-time Olympian is also set to compete in the 2013
ING New York City Marathon per a two-year contract with NYRR. In 2009,
Keflezighi became the first American since Alberto Salazar in 1982 to win
the New York City Marathon. He has finished in the race's top 10 six times,
most recently with a sixth-place finish in 2011.
"I am honored to be a part of the great field NYRR has assembled for this
year's NYC Half," said Keflezighi. "This race will serve as a great tune-up
as I prepare for the Boston Marathon. I'm looking forward to racing in
front of my New York City fans and friends."
Abdirahman, 36, of Tucson, AZ, became a four-time Olympian by finishing
third in the U.S. Marathon Trials in January 2012. His best performance in
the NYC Half was a second-place finish in 2007 in 1:00:29, which is
currently the third-fastest half-marathon ever run by an American.-
Ritzenhein, 31, of Portland, OR, finished 13th in the 10,000 meters at the
2012 London Olympics with a time of 27:45:89. He has competed in the NYC
Half twice (2008 and 2012), placing third in 2008 in a time of 1:01:38. In
2009, Ritzenhein took the bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Half-Marathon
Championships. Earlier this month, he finished second in the USA Cross
Country Championships. At the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, he ran
a personal best time of 2:07:47, finishing ninth overall and first among
Americans; the performance put him into third on the all-time U.S. list
behind Khalid Khannouchi and Ryan Hall. "Ritz" is set to return to the Bank
of America Chicago Marathon this year.
"I am very excited to be returning again this year to the NYC Half!" said
Ritzenhein. "I love this race, and it gives me a great opportunity to test
the fitness I have gained from the winter training, and then transition
into the upcoming racing season. The half-marathon is a distance that has
always suited me well and I hope to use the strength I gained from a
healthy 2012 to have a great race on March 17!"
Bawcom, 34, of Flagstaff, AZ, finished 12th in the London Olympic 10,000
meters in a personal best of 31:12.68. She has run the last two editions of
the NYC Half, setting her personal best of 1:09:55 with a fifth-place
finish last year.
Other top U.S. runners entered in the NYC Half 2013:
-Jason Hartmann, 31, of Boulder, CO, has a half-marathon personal
best of 1:03:07, which he ran at the 2003 Houston Half-Marathon. He
finished second in NYRR's 2012 Brooklyn Half-Marathon. Hartmann was the top
American in the 2012 Boston Marathon, finishing fourth in a time of
2:14:31.
-Guor Marial, 28, of Flagstaff, AZ, will be running his first race
as a U.S. citizen in the NYC Half. Originally from South Sudan, he was
permitted to run in the London Olympic Marathon under the flag of the IOC
because he refused to represent Sudan whose soldiers killed 28 members of
his family. Serena Burla, 30, of Falls Church, VA, ran her personal-best
half-marathon of 1:10:08 at the 2010 Houston Half-Marathon.
-Maegan Krifchin, 24, of Ithaca, NY, has a half-marathon personal
best of 1:10:56, which she ran at the 2012 USA Half-Marathon Championships
in Duluth, MN.
-Adriana Nelson, 33, of Ft. Collins, CO, ran her half-marathon
personal best of 1:09:59 at the2005 Lauwersong Half-Marathon. She finished
11th in the 2011 NYC Half in a time of 1:12:03.
-Molly Pritz, 24, of Boulder, CO, has a half-marathon personal
best of 1:10:45 from the 2012 San Francisco 2nd Half-Marathon.
-Stephanie Rothstein Bruce, 29, of Flagstaff, AZ, ran a
half-marathon personal best of 1:12:19 at the 2012 Big Sur Half Marathon.
She finished third at the 2012 Honolulu Marathon. Lindsey Scherf, 26, of
Durham, NC, has a half-marathon personal best of 1:11:45 from the 2012 NYC
Half. She also ran the NYC Half in 2009 and 2011.
NYRR's flagship half-marathon, in its eighth running, will air live locally
on WABC-TV from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and concurrently stream live on ESPN3.
NYRR's On the Run broadcast will air on www.nyrr.org at 8:00 p.m. Friday
and Saturday, March 15 and 16, with a post-race recap Sunday evening.
The NYC Half will offer 15,000 runners a spectacular 13.1 mile tour of
Manhattan as they race through Central Park to Times Square, along the
Hudson River waterfront to finish in lower Manhattan. The race continues to
attract prominent professional athletes and thousands of recreational
runners from around the world. This year's race is "More than a Run,"
offering runners and their family, friends, and fans ways to get involved,
give back, and have fun.
About NYRR
New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate
runners vowed to bring running to the people. Over the past 55 years, NYRR
has grown from a local running club to the world's premier community
running organization. NYRR's mission is to empower everyone, of all ages
and abilities-beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the
elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren-to improve
their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.
NYRR's races, community events, instruction and training resources, and
youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the
motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for
life. NYRR's premier event, the famed ING New York City Marathon, attracts
the world's top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising
millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for
the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow,
passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more
than 150,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50
states, and around the world.
Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model
that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible.
To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.
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