Where Your Dreams Become
Reality
Where Your Dreams Become
Reality
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The Worlds Best, Including Tadese Tola, Patrick Makau, Abdi Abdirahman, Hendrick Ramaala, and Jaouad Gharib, to Compete at NYC Half-Marathon U.S. star marathoner Ryan Hall previously announced for the race on Sunday, August 16 New York, July 30, 2009Some of the worlds best long-distance runners, including defending champion Tadese Tola of Ethiopia, two-time IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist Patrick Makau of Kenya, three-time 10,000-meter Olympian Abdi Abdirahman of the United States, ING New York City Marathon 2004 winner Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, and 2008 Olympic marathon silver medalist and two-time World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, will duel on the streets of Manhattan at the NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, August 16, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. Previously announced for the fourth annual 13.1-mile race was top American marathoner and 2008 Olympian Ryan Hall, 26, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, who will make his NYC Half-Marathon debut. This is a glittering lineup of the worlds best emerging stars like Tola, Makau, and Hall, side by side with ageless veterans like Ramaala, Abdi, and Gharib, said Wittenberg. It should be a fast and furious race through the streets of Manhattan. A trio of the sports all-time greatsdefending champion and two-time Olympic medalist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor of the U.S., and half-marathon world record-holder Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlandsheadline the womens field. A one-hour same-day highlights show of the race will air from 11:35 p.m. until 12:35 a.m. on WABC-TV, Channel 7, in New York City. Tola, 21, edged Kenyas Patrick Makau in the final meters to win by one second in last years NYC Half-Marathon, finishing in 1:00:58. Tola will make his first trip to New York since running the fastest 10K ever recorded in Central Park at the 2009 Healthy Kidney 10K in a time of 27:48. Makau, 24, held on to finish second at the Healthy Kidney 10K in 28:28, nine seconds slower than his winning performance the previous year. Earlier this year, Makau ran the second-fastest half-marathon ever (58:52) at the Ras Al Khaimah Half-Marathon and made his marathon debut at the Fortis Rotterdam Marathon in April, finishing fourth in a time of 2:06:14. Abdirahman, 32, of Tucson, AZ, will return to New York after running the Healthy Kidney 10K, where he finished 11th in 29:02 coming off of a knee injury. A four-time USA champion at 10,000 meters, he qualified for his third Olympic team by winning the 10,000 meters at the 2008 Olympic Team Trials Track & Field and finished 15th in the event (27:52.53) at the Beijing Olympic Games. Abdirahman made his third appearance at the ING New York City Marathon last November and finished in sixth place (2:14:17). The only man to ever win two World Championships marathon titles, Gharib, 37, of Morocco, who finished third at the London Marathon earlier this year in a Moroccan record time of 2:05:27, and four-time Olympian Ramaala, 37, who holds several South African records, including 59:20 for the half-marathon, will also compete. Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the mens and womens winners each receiving $10,000. The NYC Half-Marathon continues to attract the worlds leading professional athletes, in addition to a sold-out field of more than 10,000 recreational runners from around the world. Runners were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, a change from the lottery entry process that was used in previous years. On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC Half-Marathon will take runners on a loop through Central Park, down Seventh Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and along the expansive West Side Highway to Battery Park in the heart of the citys financial district, finishing with a view of the Statue of Liberty. JUST THE FACTS The Top Internationals
New York Road Runners New York Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRRs home base in New York, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the worlds top professional runners. Our youth programs provide running to nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in New York City, around the country, and in South Africa who would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities. For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.
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