Photo above by www.photorun.net: Chris Lukezic of Alexandria, VA in his 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials 1500m semi-final. He placed tenth (3:43.26) in the Men's 1500m final on Sunday, July 6 in Eugene, OR.

Bernard Lagat and Shannon Rowbury Debut on Road
American Olympic mile stars Bernard Lagat and Shannon Rowbury will close out their 2008 seasons with their road racing debuts at the famed Continental Airlines(R) Fifth Avenue Mile on Sunday, September 21, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Lagat and Rowbury headline a deep professional field of 10 Olympians competing in the 28th running of the world-famous mile road race down Fifth Avenue, including Americans Nick Symmonds, Erin Donohue, Nick Willis of New Zealand, and Lisa Dobriskey of Great Britain.

"Featuring a blockbuster cast of stars like Bernard, Shannon, Nick, and others, the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile promises to deliver a big finale as the curtain drops on this long and dramatic Olympic season for many in the field," said Wittenberg. "Speed will be the name of the game on the world's most famous street on Sunday."

Lagat, 33, of Tucson, AZ, was a two-time Olympic medalist for Kenya in 2000 and 2004 before becoming an American citizen and going on to win the 1500 and 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track and Field in June. In 2007, Lagat captured double gold at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan. A six-time winner of the renowned Wanamaker Mile, Lagat can become only the second man in history to win both the Fifth Avenue and Wanamaker miles in the same year. Only Isaac Viciosa of Spain in 1997 has won the Wanamaker Mile and Fifth Avenue Mile double.

Symmonds, 24, of Eugene, OR, made headlines around the country with his victory in an epic 800m race at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Symmonds finished fifth in his Beijing Olympic Games semifinal. Earlier in the year, he took sixth at the World Indoor Championships.

Willis, 25, earned one of nine overall New Zealand medals at the Olympic Games, winning bronze in the 1500m in Beijing. A three-time NCAA champion for the University of Michigan, Willis was the gold medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the 1500m. He holds New Zealand records at the 1500m and 3000m distances.

Rowbury, 23, of San Francisco, CA, had a breakout season, running 4:20.34 to become America's second fastest female miler ever (behind Mary Decker Slaney's 4:16.71). Rowbury, who will turn 24 two days before the race, finished seventh in the 1500m Olympic final. In February, she won the indoor 3000m title at the USA Championships in Boston, MA.

Donohue, 25, of Chapel Hill, NC, earned a spot on her first Olympic team with a second-place finish in the 1500 at the U.S. Olympic Trials. A New Jersey native who grew up running in New York, Donohue was also a World Championship semifinalist in 2007. She finished third in the Fifth Avenue Mile in 2006.

Dobriskey, 24, narrowly missed the podium in the 1500m at the 2008 Olympic Games, finishing fourth in a personal best 4:02.10. She was the Commonwealth Games 1500m gold medalist in 2006.

The race down the world-famous thoroughfare begins near East 80th Street and finishes at East 60th Street. The wheelchair and handcycle race will kick off the event at 9:00 am. After that, entrants will run in heats according to age and gender. The professional women's race is scheduled to start at 12:45 pm, followed by the professional men's race at 1:05 pm.

Photo below by www.photorun.net: Nikeya Green of Reston, VA in her 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials 800m semi-final. She placed twelfth (2:07.05) in the Women's 800m final on Monday, June 30 in Eugene, OR.

Women's Field--Country, Top Accomplishment

1) Lisa Dobriskey (Great Britain) Fourth, 2008 Olympic Games 
1500m
2) Erin Donohue (United States) 2008 Olympian 1500m
3) Lindsey Gallo (United States) Six-time Big Ten Champion
4) Nikeya Green (Reston, VA) 2007 USA Indoor 800m Champion
5) Sara Hall (United States) 2006 Continental Airlines Fifth 
Avenue Mile Champion
6) Sarah Jamieson (Australia) 2008 Olympian 1500m
7) Rose Kosgei (Kenya) 2008 Carlsbad 5000m Runner-up
8) Meskerem Legesse (Ethiopia) World Junior Record, Indoor 800m 
(2:01.03)
9) Amy Mortimer (United States) 2007 Continental Airlines Fifth 
Avenue Mile Runner-up
10) Marina Muncan (Serbia) National Record-Holder, 1500m 
(4:08.02)
11) Shannon Rowbury (United States) 7th, 2008 Olympic Games 
1500m

Men's Field--Country, Top Accomplishment

1) Adrian Blincoe (New Zealand) 2008 Olympian 5000m
2) Nate Brannen (Canada) 2008 Olympian 1500m
3) Bernard Lagat (United States) 2008 Olympian; 2007 World 
1500m & 5000m Champion
4) Will Leer (United States) Fourth, U.S. Olympic Trials 1500m
5) Chris Lukezic (Alexandria, VA) 7th, 2006 World Indoor 
Championships 1500m
6) Jon Rankin (United States) 3rd, 2007 Continental Airlines 
Fifth Avenue Mile
7) John Richardson (United States) NCAA Championships Qualifier
8) Phil Sakala (United States) 2004 IC4A champion 1500m
9) Chris Solinsky (United States) 5th, U.S. Olympic Trials 5000m
10) Kevin Sullivan (Canada) 2008 Olympian 1500m
11) Nick Symmonds (United States) 2008 Olympian; U.S. Olympic 
Trials 800m Champion
12) James Thie (Great Britain) Two-time Welsh Champion
13) David Torrence (United States) University of California 
School Record, mile (3:58.62) 
14) Nick Willis (New Zealand) 2008 Olympic Games Bronze Medalist

Learn more at the New York Road Runners Web site.

New York Road Runners is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2008. NYRR is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. Their road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with a magazine and website, NYRR supports and promotes professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stage the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race in New York City nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRR's home base in Manhattan, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the world's top professional runners. NYRR youth programs provide running opportunities to 50,000 schoolchildren in New York City and around the country; many students have little access to other fitness activities.