FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2015 United Airlines NYC Half to Feature Elite American and
International Men's Fields for Sunday, March 15 Race
Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi and three-time Olympian Dathan
Ritzenhein will lead the American charge, while top returning entrant
Stephen Sambu and distance running star Wesley Korir, both of Kenya,
headline a deep and diverse international lineup
Race will air live in New York on ABC7 and stream live on WatchABC,
7online, and ESPN3 via WatchESPN
New York, February 18, 2015-Defending Boston Marathon champion Meb
Keflezighi and compatriot Dathan Ritzenhein, running the half-marathon
distance for the first time since the 2013 NYC Half, will lead a resilient
field of American men against a strong international contingent highlighted
by last year's third-place finisher Stephen Sambu and 2012 Boston Marathon
champion Wesley Korir at the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half on March 15,
2015, it was announced today by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New
York Road Runners.
"From Meb and Dathan to Stephen and Wesley, the 2015 United Airlines NYC
Half professional men's field is one of our best ever," said Wittenberg.
"We're especially excited that our lead group of men will be running
alongside the many young runners who will be participating in the event's
inaugural NYRR Times Square Kids' Run on Seventh Avenue, creating an
inspiring and unique moment that will help us celebrate the tenth running
of the race."
Keflezighi, 39, of San Diego, CA, is one of the most decorated American
marathoners of all-time with thrilling victories at the 2014 Boston
Marathon and the 2009 New York City Marathon and a silver medal at the 2004
Olympic Games. This past fall, the three-time Olympian took fourth place at
the TCS New York City Marathon, his seventh top-10 finish at the race. At
the 2012 Olympic Games in the marathon, he took fourth place; his 2004 and
2012 Olympic Games performances are the only top-five finishes by an
American man in the event since 1976. The former American record-holder at
10,000 meters and second-place finisher at the 2006 NYC Half has won more
than 20 national championships in track and field, cross country, and road
racing. He will attempt to defend his Boston Marathon title in April.
"It is always a thrill and an honor to compete in New York City, and NYRR
has been the most consistent supporter of my running career," said
Keflezighi. "As I train to defend my Boston Marathon title in April, there
is no better race to prepare than the United Airlines NYC Half."
Ritzenhein, 32, is one of the best American half-marathon runners in
history. He took home the bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Half-Marathon
Championships with a time of 1:00:00, becoming the first American medalist
at this event; his time is the second-fastest American performance ever,
and he is the only American to run under 1:01:00 more than once. The former
5000-meter American record-holder and three-time Olympian finished third
twice at the NYC Half (2008, 2013) and won the 2007 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K.
He was the top American at the 2009 Olympic marathon, finishing ninth. The
three-time national cross country champion (2005, 2008, 2009) owns a
marathon personal best of 2:07:47, set at the 2012 Chicago Marathon. He
will join Keflezighi at the Boston Marathon in April.
Sambu, 26, of Kenya, is the top returner from last year's NYC Half, where
he finished third with a time of 1:01:18, improving upon his seventh-place
performance in 2013. At the 2014 B.A.A. 10K, the nine-time Division I NCAA
All-American successfully defended his title, clocking a time of 27:25-the
world's fastest road 10K of the year. The 2013 and 2014 B.A.A. Distance
Medley Champion won the 2014 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K by nearly 40 seconds
with a time of 27:39, missing the event record by just four seconds; he
finished third in the same event in 2013. At the 2013 NYC Half, he lowered
his half-marathon personal best at the time by almost two-and-a-half
minutes, and that fall he improved nearly another minute to his current
personal best of 1:00:41 when he finished third at the B.A.A.
Half-Marathon.
"During 2014, I became a more comfortable road racer," said Sambu. "I love
NYRR events and I hope to improve on my third place finish. 2015 marks my
third year as a professional runner. I'm confident, as I have a tremendous
coach in James Li. Last year, I managed to record personal bests for 5K,
8K, 10K, and 10 miles on the road and 10,000 meters on the track. My goals
in 2015 are to improve, win, and set myself up for a 2016 marathon debut.
It was a blast to watch the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon up close [on
the press truck]."
Korir, 32, of Kenya, is the 2012 Boston Marathon champion and a two-time
winner of the Los Angeles Marathon (2009, 2010). He recorded top-five
finishes three times at the Chicago Marathon (2010: fourth, 2011: second,
2012: fifth) and two times at the Boston Marathon (2013: fifth) including
his 2012 victory; he set his personal best of 2:06:13 at Chicago in 2012. A
year after running his half-marathon personal best of 1:01:19 to finish
fourth at the 2012 NYC Half, he was elected to the National Assembly
(Kenyan Parliament). In his role, he has been instrumental in rebuilding
Kenya through humanitarian efforts while continuing to train and race at a
high level.
The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will air live in New York on ABC7 and
WatchABC from 7:00-9:00 a.m. EST and on 7online from 7:00-10:30 a.m.
Outside of the New York area, coverage will also be available on ESPN3 via
WatchESPN from 7:00-10:30 a.m. on computers, tablets, smartphones, Amazon
Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox
One for those who have video or internet subscriptions from affiliated
providers. International viewers can watch the broadcast from 7:00-9:00
a.m. EST via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers
should check local listings).
Additional Top Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances
- Matt Tegenkamp, 33, of Portland, OR, is a two-time Olympian
(2008, 2012) and the two-mile American record-holder. The six-time USA
champion was the fourth American in history to break 13 minutes in the
5,000 meters and he finished fourth at the 2007 IAAF Outdoor Track and
Field Championships at that distance. He was the top American at the 2014
NYC Half with a debut time of 1:02:04 and he placed 10th in his marathon
debut at the 2013 Chicago Marathon.
- Chris Solinsky, 30, of Williamsburg, VA, became the first
non-African to break 27 minutes in the 10,000 meters in 2010 with a time of
26:59.60, a new American record by 14 seconds and a North American record
by nine seconds. The five-time Division I NCAA champion and fourteen-time
All-American is the second-fastest American ever in the 5000 meters with a
personal best of 12:55.53. The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will be his
debut at the distance.
- Andrew Bumbalough, 28, of Portland, OR, is the 2013 USA 5K
champion and a five-time national team member for the United States,
including the 5000 meters at the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field
Championships. In 2014, the eight-time Division I All-American ran under
the 2000-meter American record at the NYRR Millrose Games and finished
second in the 5000 meters at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field
Championships. The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will be his half-marathon
debut.
- Abdi Abdirahman, 38, of Tucson, AZ, qualified for his fourth U.S.
Olympic team in 2012, his first team in the marathon. The 2012 USA
Half-Marathon champion finished third in the 2006 NYC Half and second at
the same event one year later; his time of 1:00:27 is the fastest time ever
run by an American in New York. He is the only American to have run in
three consecutive 10,000-meter Olympic finals and he has placed in the top
10 three times at the New York City Marathon, finishing a career-high of
fifth in 2005.
- Juan Luis Barrios, 31, of Mexico, is a two-time 5000-meter
Olympian, finishing seventh in 2008 and eighth in 2012. The 2011 Pan
American Games 5000-meter gold medalist took fifth in the 2013 NYC Half and
improved to fourth at the same event in 2014. At the recent 2015 Marugame
Half-Marathon, he finished fifth with a personal best of 1:00:46.
- Lusapho April, 32, of South Africa, finished third at the 2013
New York City Marathon, the first podium finish from a South African since
Hendrick Ramaala took third in 2007. Earlier that spring, the 2012 Olympian
set a marathon personal best and course record of 2:08:32 at the Hanover
Marathon. He represented his country at the 2014 IAAF Half-Marathon
Championships, finishing 15th with a personal best of 1:01:16, and owns the
25K national record of 1:15:02, set in 2010.
- Leonard Korir, 28, of Kenya, was a two-time Division I NCAA
Champion and eight-time All-American at the tri-state area's Iona College.
He finished third at the 2014 B.A.A. Half-Marathon with a time of 1:01:50,
contributing to his third-place finish overall in the 2014 B.A.A. Distance
Medley. The 2012 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K runner-up finished fourth at the
2013 NYC Half with a personal best 1:01:19.
- Arne Gabius, 33, of Germany, is the 2012 European Championships
5000-meter silver medalist and 11-time national champion. In his marathon
debut at the BMW Frankfurt Marathon, he finished ninth with a time of
2:09:32, making him the fourth-fastest German ever; he is the first German
in 24 years to run under 2:10:00. Last year, the 2012 Olympian and
four-time IAAF World Championships (two indoors, two outdoors) qualifier
finished eighth at the NYC Half.
- Koki Takada, 21, and Takashi Ichida, 22, of Japan, both qualified for the
2015 United Airlines NYC Half by placing first and second, respectively, at
the 2014 Ageo City Half-Marathon, the deepest half-marathon in the world.
Takada stopped Ichida's title defense with a personal best of 1:02:02, the
third-fastest winning time in race history. Both were teammates at
Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School where they won the 2010 National High School
Ekiden Championships.
Top American Professional Men
| Name |
Personal Best Half-Marathon |
Twitter Handle |
| Dathan Ritzenhein |
1:00:00 |
@djritzenhein |
| Abdi Abdirahman |
1:00:29 |
@Abdi_runs |
| Meb Keflezighi |
1:01:00 |
@runmeb |
| Fernando Cabada |
1:02:00 |
@FernandoCabada |
| Matt Tegenkamp |
1:02:04 |
@MattTegenkamp |
| Brett Gotcher |
1:02:09 |
-- |
| Jeffrey Eggleston |
1:02:41 |
@jde66leston |
| Andrew Bumbalough |
Debut |
@abumbalough |
| Chris Solinsky |
Debut |
@ChrisSolinsky |
Top International Professional Men
| Name |
Personal Best Half-Marathon |
Twitter Handle |
| Stephen Sambu, KEN |
1:00:41 |
@Sksambu |
| Juan Luis Barrios, MEX |
1:00:46 |
@juanlbarrios |
| Lusapho April, RSA |
1:01:15 |
@LusaphoApril |
| Leonard Korir, KEN |
1:01:19 |
-- |
| Wesley Korir, KEN |
1:01:19 |
@weskorir |
| Kevin Chelimo, KEN |
1:01:21 |
-- |
| Koki Takada, JPN |
1:02:02 |
@tkdtkd0613 |
| Takashi Ichida, JPN |
1:02:03 |
@TAKA_supra |
| Arne Gabius, GER |
1:02:09 |
@arnegabius |
| Marcin Chabowski, POL |
1:02:26 |
-- |
New this year at the United Airlines NYC Half is the NYRR Times Square
Kids' Run-a 1500-meter out-and-back road race on Seventh Avenue for
children ages 7 to 18 that starts and ends in Times Square. An expected
1,000 kids, including 700 of NYRR's Young Runners, will compete in the high
school, middle school, and elementary school divisions alongside the
runners in the United Airlines NYC Half.
A total of 20,828 runners crossed the finish line of the 2014 NYC Half,
making it the largest NYC Half yet. Runners from more than 65 countries and
all 50 states participated. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the men's race with
a time of 1:00:50, and Sally Kipyego won the women's race with an
event-record time of 1:08:31.
About the United Airlines NYC Half
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club
to the world's premier community running organization, whose mission is to
help and inspire people through running. The United Airlines NYC Half is
NYRR's signature half-marathon, and the opening event of the NYRR
Five-Borough Series. The race features a talented American and
international professional athlete field, competitive, recreational, and
charity runners, some 1,500 volunteers and thousands of spectators. The
event offers the quintessential New York experience-a 13.1-mile tour of the
Big Apple like no other-from the rolling hills of Central Park, up to
Harlem, down through Times Square, along the Hudson River waterfront, to a
finish in lower Manhattan. United Airlines, New York area's largest
airline, is the title sponsor of the United Airlines NYC Half and an NYRR
foundation partner. To learn more, visit unitedairlinesnychalf.nyrr.org.
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