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American Women's Marathon Record-Holder Deena Kastor Will Miss ING NYC Marathon Due to Pregnancy
By David Monti, (c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
New York, NY
August 26, 2010
Photo above courtesy of New York Road Runners: Deena Kastor after finishing second at the 2010 NYC Half-Marathon
Kastor Will Participate in Marathon Week Activities
American marathon record holder and Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor is expecting her first child next March and will miss this year's ING New York City Marathon being held on Sunday, November 7. The announcement was made jointly today by Kastor and the New York Road Runners.
"I was looking forward to returning to New York this fall to attempt to fulfill my longtime dream of winning there," Kastor said through a prepared statement. "Since my marathon debut in 2001, winning the ING New York City Marathon has been on my list of running goals."
Kastor, 37, had been training steadily for New York during the summer but noticed that she was feeling unusually tired. On the advice of her coach Terrence Mahon she took a routine blood test earlier this month and found out that she was pregnant. She quickly notified New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg and cut back her training.
"Andrew's and my life has changed greatly over the past couple weeks as we found out I am three months pregnant," she continued. "We always postponed starting a family, but to hear this news was really exciting and we never imagined it would be so rewarding even long before the baby is born. I am especially grateful to have felt fantastic except for feeling a bit sluggish in workouts and tired during the day. As soon as we heard the news, I stopped hard workouts. I am running easy days with my Mammoth Track Club teammates but have chosen to forgo any hard efforts in order that every bit of my energy goes into making sure the baby will be healthy and strong. I don't look pregnant yet, but I hear it seems to happen overnight."
Kastor made her marathon debut in New York in 2001 less than two months after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. (She could see the smoke rising from Ground Zero as she rode the bus to the starting line). She finished seventh overall in 2:26:58, winning the USA marathon title and setting what was then an American debut record. She ran the race again in 2004 after winning her Olympic Marathon bronze medal in Athens but was forced to drop out at 25K. She also ran in 2006 and finished sixth in 2:27:54.
"Deena is like family to us at NYRR," said Wittenberg. "We are ecstatic for her and Andrew. There will always be another ING New York City Marathon. There's no better reason to miss our race than pregnancy!"
More from New York Road Runners:
"Despite my withdrawal from this year's ING New York City Marathon, I intend to be there marathon week to take part in all the activities surrounding this fantastic race," said Deena Kastor. "Since my marathon debut in 2001, I have returned to New York each year whether to race, help host charity events, or help with the television coverage. This year is no exception. For a fan of the sport, New York is the place to be come November."
Kastor won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic marathon, and she set the American record with her 2:19:36 victory at the 2006 London Marathon. She has won two World Marathon Majors titles: Chicago in 2005 and London in 2006. Earlier this year she finished second at the NYC Half-Marathon and won the P.F. Chang's Rock-N-Roll Arizona Half-Marathon in Phoenix.
The ING New York City Marathon will feature the marathon debuts of United States Olympian Shalane Flanagan and reigning World Half-Marathon champion Mary Keitany of Kenya; the women's field also includes Mara Yamauchi of Great Britain, who finished sixth at the Beijing Olympic Marathon in 2008.
New York Road Runners
Headquartered in New York City, New York Road Runners is dedicated to advancing the sport of running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and meeting our community's needs. NYRR's goal is to use the expertise acquired in its 52-year history to empower all people to live fitter, healthier lives through participation in races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs. NYRR races and other events draw more than 300,000 people each year. The ING New York City Marathon, NYRR's premier event, is the largest and most inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world's top professional runners every year and raising nearly $25 million for charity in 2009. NYRR's running-based youth programs, which currently serve more than 100,000 children in hundreds of schools and community centers, promote children's health and fitness, character development, and personal achievement in underserved communities. For more information, see www.nyrr.org.
The ING New York City Marathon
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing nearly 105,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and a worldwide broadcast reach of 330 million. As any one of the more than 830,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is a great thrill. For more information, see www.ingnycmarathon.org.