Start Times Announced for Inaugural Kip Keino Mile
The Ceremonies get underway at 11 am The Open Miles will start at 12:10pm Corporate 4*400s 12:45pm The Masters Elite Mile for Women is at 1:15 pm followed by Men Professional Women's Mile 1:45pm Professional Men's Mile 2:00pm
If you are interested in racing email us (space still available in everything except the elite men's mile). Some athletes will be at the Borg Warner Fitness Expo at the Hilton Garden Inn on Saturday for autographs and an informal press conference.
More information on the races below from an earlier press release.
Updated 5/10 Expected Men's Field Athlete
Country Personal bests/Notes
Anthony Famiglietti USA
3:55.71 mile, 3:35.83 1500, 8:17 steeple, 13:11
5k, 27:37 10k, 2004 US Olympian
Nick Willis
New Zealand 3:52.75 mile, 3:32.17
1500, Commonwealth Games Champ, 2004 Olympian, 2005 NCAA mile champ
for Michigan
Mark Carroll
Ireland 3:50.62 mile, 13:03.93 5k,
27:46.82 10k, 2:10:54 marathon, NCAA Champ at Providence in 5k
Boaz Cheboiywo Kenya
3:57.00 mile, 3:35.20 1500, NCAA XC Champ for
Eastern Michigan
Elliud Njubi
Kenya
3: 56.84 mile, 3:38.18 1500, 1:46.79 for 800
Jason Jabaut
USA
3:59.07 mile, 3:40.59 1500
Blake
Boldon
USA
3:59.18 mile, 3:41.36 1500 Matt Lincoln CAN 3:59.39 mile
Sam Bair
USA
4:00.14 mile, trying to become first US father-son sub 4 combo. Runs
collegiately for Pittsburgh.
Matt
Kerr
Canada 4:00.41 mile, 3:41.76
1500,
Dylan
Wykes Canada 401.1 mile, 7:58.7 3k,
13:57 5k
Pat
Tarpy
USA 4:
01.44 mile
Max King
USA
4:05.55 mile, Cornell '02, Cornell record holder in
the steeplechase, 8:33 steeple PR
Stephen Chemleny Kenya
3:46.29 1500, 4:08.29. Competed for Iona. Martin Fagan Ireland 3:41.89 1500m Stanley Kipchumba Kenya 3:38
Sam Mackenzie
USA
Cornell '05, Will Rabbit race. PB Of 2:25 in 1k, 4:08 in mile.
Expected Women's Field Athlete
Country
Personal bests/Notes
Megan Metcalfe USA
4:31.91 mile, NCAA 5k
champion at West Virginia.
Natalie Hughes
USA
4:40.18 mile, 4:15.72 1500, NCAA runnerup in mile last year for Florida
State.
Amber McGown USA
4: 16.13 1500, Cornell '05. Competes for Oregon Track Club.
Melissa
Cook
USA
4:24.45 1500 Jennifer Davis USA 4:42 mile
Amanda Laytham USA
4:48.96 mile, Ithaca '04.
Allison
Carr
USA
4:31 1500, Competed for Penn State.
Natalie Gingerich USA
Cornell '04, 2: 08.47 for 800.
Kip Keino Mile To Features World's
Best Men's Field to 9 Sub-4 Minute Milers from 5 Different Countries 2006 Commonwealth Olympic Gold Medallist Nick Willis Added To Field
(Editor's note: This is Rojo's quasi-official press release that was designed for the media at large, not LetsRun.com. Certainly in the days to come, you'll see us hyping "Fam" v. Willis I. LetsRun.com's Rojo and Wejo are serving as the elite athlete coordinators with Will Seidel)
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 – Ithaca, NY –
You only have one chance to make a first impression.
The inaugural Kip Keino mile is certainly taking that saying to heart as many of
the world's best will be toeing the line on Sunday, May 13th starting at 11am on
the Harold Porter Track at the Ithaca High School.
Men's Race
The men's elite race will almost certainly produce the first ever sub-four
minute mile in Ithaca, NY as a star studded international field has been
assembled. It arguably is the finest mile/1500 meter field assembled outdoors in
the US so far this year. The field includes 3 Olympians, 3 NCAA
champions, a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, 9 sub four minute milers
including 6 who have run the equivalent of 3:56 or better, and competitors from
the USA, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Kenya.
The men's field is led by US Olympian Anthony
Famiglietti and New Zealand Olympian Nick
Willis. Famiglietti, a 2004 Olympian in the steeplechase, is currently
one of the hottest runners in the US. "Fam" enjoyed a stellar 2006 season as he
pr'd at 1500 meters (3:35.83), one mile (3:55.71 track and 3:55.50 road), 5000
(13:24.47), 10000 (27:37.74) and 10 miles (50:13).
Early in 2007, Fam has showed that by no means is he content to rest on his
laurels as he has been firing on all cylinders so far this year. The Long
Island, NY native and current NYC resident won $12,000 in March by capturing the
USATF 8k road championships in Central Park in a blistering 22:34. He followed
that race up with a US leading 13:11 5,000 meters at Mt. Sac – the #2 time in
the world this year for that distance.
New Zealander Nick Willis will open his 2007 season at the Kip Keino mile as he
bounced back from a stress fracture that was diagnosed at the beginning of the
year.
Willis, who won the 2005 NCAA indoor mile while competing for Michigan, has
blossomed since turning professional in 2005. That year, he broke John Walker's
legendary 30-year old New Zealand national record in the 1,500 with a 3:32.38
clocking. Last year, Willis improved on the mark with a 3:32.17, the
metric equivalent of a 3:49.2 mile. Willis also pr'd in the mile last year with
a 3:52.75. The 2004 Olympian's career highlight came in April of last year
at the Commonwealth Games in Australia when he captured gold medal in the 1500
before nearly 83,000 fans.
Irish 5k and 10k national record holder Mark
Carroll is actually the fastest miler in the field. The 35- year old
Carroll, who ran a 3:50.62 mile in 2000, will be looking to break 4:00 for the
first-time since 2001 as of late he's been more focused on longer races. Carroll
ran a 2:10:54 marathon at the 2002 ING New York City marathon. The 1996 and 2000
Olympian was a former NCAA champion while at Providence and is married to US
Olympian Amy Rudolph.
The field is full of other runners with stellar mile credentials. Kenya's
Boaz Cheboiywo has run the equivalent of
3:53 in the mile (3:35.2 for 1500 meters) in the past. Kenya's
Elliud Njubi has run 3:56 for the mile
while Americans Jason Jabaut (3:59.07) has gone gone
sub-4 as well. Canadian Matt Lincoln
and American Blake Boldon are the the latest entrants to the sub 4 club. Lincoln, a 2006
grad of Penn St, broke four for the first time with a 3:59.39 clocking at Penn
State on January 27, 2007, while Boldon went sub 4 on March 3 (3:59.18) in Ames, Iowa.
The University of Pittsburgh's Sam Bair,
who boasts a pr of 4:00.14, is one of a handful of competitors who will be
looking to break four for the first time ever. If Bair breaks 4:00 in Ithaca,
history will be made as his father Sam Bair Sr. was a 3:56 miler. They
will be the first American father-son sub-4 duo in history.
Also hoping to break four for the first time will be American
Pat Tarpy (4:01.44 pr) and Canadians
Matt Kerr (4:00.41) and
Dylan Wykes (4:01.15).
While New Yorker Anthony Famiglietti likely will have the New York crowd on his
side, the biggest hometown favorite might be Max
King, who competed in Ithaca for four years as a member of the Cornell
class of 2002. King, the Cornell school record holder in the steeplechase,
now runs from the Oregon track club. He achieved his career highlight last year
by making the 2005 USA cross country world championship team. His mile PR is
4:05.55.
2000 US Olympic marathoner Mark Coogan
headlines the men's masters field.
The current expected men's field is as follows: Expected Men's Field Athlete
Country Personal bests/Notes
Anthony Famiglietti USA
3:55.71 mile, 3:35.83 1500, 8:17 steeple, 13:11
5k, 27:37 10k, 2004 US Olympian
Nick Willis
New Zealand 3:52.75 mile, 3:32.17
1500, Commonwealth Games Champ, 2004 Olympian, 2005 NCAA mile champ
for Michigan
Mark Carroll
Ireland 3:50.62 mile, 13:03.93 5k,
27:46.82 10k, 2:10:54 marathon, NCAA Champ at Providence in 5k
Boaz Cheboiywo Kenya
3:57.00 mile, 3:35.20 1500, NCAA XC Champ for
Eastern Michigan
Elliud Njubi
Kenya
3: 56.84 mile, 3:38.18 1500, 1:46.79 for 800
Jason Jabaut
USA
3:59.07 mile, 3:40.59 1500
Blake
Boldon
USA
3:59.18 mile, 3:41.36 1500 Matt Lincoln CAN 3:59.39 mile
Sam Bair
USA
4:00.14 mile, trying to become first US father-son sub 4 combo. Runs
collegiately for Pittsburgh.
Matt
Kerr
Canada 4:00.41 mile, 3:41.76
1500,
Dylan
Wykes Canada 401.1 mile, 7:58.7 3k,
13:57 5k
Pat
Tarpy
USA 4:
01.44 mile
Max King
USA
4:05.55 mile, Cornell '02, Cornell record holder in
the steeplechase, 8:33 steeple PR
Stephen Chemleny Kenya
3:46.29 1500, 4:08.29. Competed for Iona. Martin Fagan Ireland
Sam Mackenzie
USA
Cornell '05, Will Rabbit race. PB Of 2:25 in 1k, 4:08 in mile.
Women's Race
The women's race features top competitors from Ethiopia, Canada and of course
the USA. Canada's Megan Metcalfe, the 2005
NCAA 5k champion for West Virginia, will be a strong contender for the title as
her 4:31.91 pr is the best of all the competitors. Metcalfe will be challenged
by American Natalie Hughes who was the
NCAA runner-up in the mile last year for Florida State (4:40.18) before
finishing 3rd outdoors at NCAAs in the 1500 in a personal record of 4:15.72.
Two competitors with local ties will also compete.
Amber McGown, who graduated from Cornell
in 2005 but now competes for the Oregon Track Club, enters the Ithaca mile in
top form as she just ran two second pr in the metric mile (1500 meters) with a
4:16.13 clocking in California on March 31.
Amanda Laytham, who was a division 3 NCAA
runner-up while competing for the Ithaca College before graduating in 2004, also
has been running well of late as she set an indoor mile pr of 4:48.96 in
January.
The complete expected men's and women's fields as of April 25, 2007:
Expected Women's Field Athlete
Country
Personal bests/Notes
Megan Metcalfe USA
4:31.91 mile, NCAA 5k
champion at West Virginia.
Natalie Hughes
USA
4:40.18 mile, 4:15.72 1500, NCAA runnerup in mile last year for Florida
State.
Amber McGown USA
4: 16.13 1500, Cornell '05. Competes for Oregon Track Club.
Brianna Dahm
USA
4:23.93 1500, 4:47 mile. Competes for Oregon Track Club.
Melissa
Cook
USA
4:24.45 1500 Jennifer Davis USA 4:42 mile
Amanda Laytham USA
4:48.96 mile, Ithaca '04.
Allison
Carr
USA
4:31 1500, Competed for Penn State.
Natalie Gingerich USA
Cornell '04, 2: 08.47 for 800.
Kip KeinoFoundation, Sister City, BorgWarner Health & Fitness Expo, BorgWarner Corporate Challenge The weekend of events provides the
Kip Keino Foundation, Inc. a NYS
not-for-profit 501(c)3, with the opportunity to support
Dr. Kipchoge 'Kip' Keino for his ongoing
humanitarian and elite sports programs in Eldoret, Kenya. Beyond this weekend,
the Foundation will continue to exchange culture and ideas between Ithaca and
Eldoret by establishing a sister city relationship proposed by Mayor Carolyn
Peterson. Cornell University and many local businesses have already begun this
community-university-foundation relationship after Dr. Keino's visit to Ithaca
in December, 2006. In addition to the professional and masters miles on Sunday, there is a
BorgWarner Health and Fitness Expo from
11am to 4pm on Saturday/May 12th. This event will be held at the
Hilton Garden Inn and is free and open to
the public. A donation of new or gently used running shoes will be accepted for
the
Cornell
University Mortar Board National Honor Society 'SPIKES'
shoe project. Team and individual race registration will be at the Expo since
there will not be any race day registration. In addition on
Sunday/May 13th there will be the
BorgWarner
Corporate Challenge featuring heats of 4*400m Men/Women/Co-ed
relays from Corporate, Club, Collegiate and Open teams. There will also be a
men's and women's open mile, in addition to the masters and elite miles. All
entrants must pay a fee of $25 in advance. Spectators may purchase tickets to
the race at the Expo on Saturday/May 12th or at the gate on Sunday/May 13th for
$5 per person. Children 13 and under are free.
Come to Ithaca to Compete, Watch And/Or Attend the Kip Keino Mile For general information, sponsorship and donations, email the race at
raceinfo@kipfound.org,
go to http://www.kipkeinotraining.org or contact Michelle Thompson at
607.227.8374.
We still are looking for athletes in the open miles, masters miles, and 4*400 relays. Please contact Weldon Johnson, LetsRun.com, for information on
competing at
Editor's Note: When first published, this story talked about a VIP dinner with Kip Keino on Saturday. Due to scheduling difficulties, the dinner has been cancelled.