FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Neely Spence Gracey Ready to Rock 'n' Roll in New Orleans on Sunday
2016 Humana Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & ½ Marathon
attracts more than 22,000 entrants
New Orleans, LA – February 25, 2016 – Neely Spence Gracey boasts the
fastest half marathon time of the professional women entered in Sunday's
Humana Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half Marathon. Spence Gracey,
25, set her personal record of 1 hour, 9 minutes, 59 seconds while winning
the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon on Oct. 31.At the time she was
focused on making her marathon debut at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on
Feb. 14, but she suffered a foot injury and on Jan. 1 made the difficult
decision to pass on the Trials.
"It was definitely frustrating for me when things didn't work out as
planned," said Spence Gracey, one of just 10 American women who have broken
1:10 for the half-marathon. "I like to be in control of everything. But
that's part of the sport. Running injuries are part of the career I chose."
Now she has decided to make her 26.2-mile debut at the Boston Marathon on
April 18. The Humana Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Half Marathon will be a bit
of a test ride for Spence Gracey.
"This is my first opportunity to get in a hard, marathon-pace effort," she
said.
Spence Gracey, you could say, was born to be a distance runner. The day she
was born, April 16, 1990, her father, Steve Spence, ran the Boston
Marathon. Steve won the 1992 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, then finished
12th at the Barcelona Games in 2:15:21.
Raised in Shippensburg, Pa., Spence Gracey watched the high school Foot
Locker Cross Country National Championships on TV in the eighth grade and
decided to follow in her father's footsteps. She later finished eighth and
fourth at Foot Locker, and headed to Shippensburg University, where she was
coached by her father and became an eight-time NCAA Division II National
Champion.
New Orleans' history for record road performances combined with its flat
course makes it an ideal spring running destination. In addition to Spence
Gracey, the women's field includes Canada's Dayna Pidhoresky, who owns a
1:11:45 personal best, and Sanna Mustonen of Sweden, a track runner who
will be making her half-marathon debut on the roads. The men's
half-marathon field will be led by Emil Dobrowolski and Jakub Nowak of
Poland, who finished 1-2 at the Humana Rock 'n' Roll Dallas Half Marathon
last year.
The men's event record is 1:00:59, set by Britain's double Olympic champion
Mo Farah in 2013, while the women's mark is 1:07:36 set by New Zealand's
Kim Smith in 2011. The races begin at 7:30 am in downtown New Orleans on
Poydras Street. With a fast course that starts below sea level, the route
traverses beautiful St. Charles Avenue, running out and back before touring
the historic French Quarter, Esplanade Avenue and iconic City Park.
The races will once again finish on Roosevelt Mall behind the New Orleans
Museum of Art, where local favorite Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be
rocking the Toyota Rock 'n' Roll Concert Series followed by Virginia-based
group, J. Roddy Walston & the Business. In addition to the two headliners,
local bands and live musicians will be stationed along the course to
entertain runners as they make their way to the finish line.
"This year's headliners are going to give us a great mix of authentic New
Orleans jazz and soulful rock 'n' roll," said Keli Kadota, entertainment
manager, Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series. "Preservation Hall Jazz Band has
been established in New Orleans for a long time and has a rich history
here, and we also have J. Roddy Walston & The Business who are sure to
amplify the celebration with their performance."
For more information on the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Series, visit
RunRocknRoll.com or follow @RunRocknRoll on Twitter.
About Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & ½ Marathon
The 7th annual Humana Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans Marathon & Half-Marathon
will take place the weekend of February 26-28, 2016. Runner's World named
the event one of the "Top 10 Most Fun Marathons" in 2016 featuring races
with the biggest parties. Participants get a first class tour of New
Orleans architecture and historical scenery while rocking to the sounds of
live, local bands playing every mile of the 26.2, 13.1-mile, and 10
kilometer courses. Cheer teams will be posted along the course to keep
runners moving. The event concludes with a headliner concert and finish
line festival in City Park where runners can celebrate their
accomplishments with unlimited post run beer. A two-day Health & Fitness
Expo kicks off race weekend at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention
Center. To register for the race or for more information, visit
RunRocknRoll.com.
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