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ING New York City Marathon: Champion Gebre Gebremariam Defending Men's Title
Leading Americans are Meb Keflezighi, Jen Rhines
From the New York Road RunnersApril 27, 2011; updated 10/18/11
New York, NY
Update from NYRR 10/18/11: A knee injury has forced defending champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya out of next month’s ING New York City Marathon. New York Road Runners officials made the announcement on October 5.
Edna Kiplagat, 32, hurt her left knee in a fall during the IAAF World Championships marathon in Daegu, South Korea, in August. She got up and won that race, but she was unable to fully recover from the injury in time for her title defense on Sunday, November 6.
''I am thankful for NYC giving me the opportunity to come back, but unfortunately I am not in a position to defend my title at this year's ING New York City Marathon,” Kiplagat said in an email to NYRR officials. “As I said last year upon winning in New York, it was the greatest day of my athletic career. The New York City experience was just fantastic, and I was very much looking forward to trying to win again this year.”
“Unfortunately, the physical therapy and treatment I had to do for my knee after falling in Daegu took much more time than I expected. Although I am now able to train well and there is no lingering pain, the recovery and treatment took more or less the whole month of September. I was only able to train once a day in September.”
“After discussing it more this weekend with my husband Gilbert, who is also my coach, we decided that with less than five weeks until New York, I will not be able to be in top shape for the race there. I know from last year that athletes need to be in peak condition to compete to win in New York City, so the best decision is to withdraw from this year's race. This was a very difficult decision, because of the great treatment I have received from everybody in New York during the past year, and also because the World Marathon Majors title is still undecided, but we think it is best to not run when I will not be at 100%.”
Original press release from NYRR: New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg has announced the return of a trio of champions to this year's ING New York City Marathon. Headlining the field on Sunday, November 6, will be the 2010 winners Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia (men) and Edna Kiplagat of Kenya (women), and 2009 men's champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States. Meb Keflezighi is the first American male to win the race since Alberto Salazar in 1982.
NYRR President Mary Wittenberg also introduced three-time U.S. Olympian Jen Rhines and eight-time Olympic speed skating medalist Apolo Anton Ohno as entrants for November's race in New York City.
“Opening day, our launch to marathon season, is the starting line for our extended marathon family of professionals like Meb, Gebre, Edna, and Jen, our celebrity stars like Apolo, all the runners from around the country and the world who have secured coveted spots in the race, and their friends, family, and fans, who are now all on the road to the finish at the greatest day in running, the ING New York City Marathon,” said Mary Wittenberg.
Meb Keflezighi, 35, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, is a New York favorite who will be running the race for the seventh time. The 2004 Olympic marathon silver medalist has showed remarkable consistency, with five finishes in the top ten--including his historic triumph in 2009 (photo at left by www.photorun.net)--and last year’s sixth-place finish as the top American. He’ll get extra attention this year, as he’s looking to run both New York and the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials race hosted by Houston in January 2012. “Marathons are always challenging, but I’m challenging myself further with the goal to run both the 2011 ING New York City Marathon and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials,” commented Meb Keflezighi. “This timing and challenge is very similar to 2004, when I won the silver medal at the Olympic Games and was the runner-up in the ING New York City Marathon 70 days later. This experience gives me, Coach Bob Larsen, and the rest of my team the confidence to pursue the goal of winning the ING New York City Marathon again, and making a third U.S. Olympic team.”
Meb Keflezighi will match up against the defending champion, Gebre Gebremariam, 26, of Ethiopia. Since winning the ING New York City Marathon in 2:08:14, Gebremariam has finished second at the NYC Half in March (1:00:25), and third at the Boston Marathon on April 18 (2:04:53).
Apolo Ohno, 28, of Seattle, WA is the most decorated USA Winter Olympian of all time, having skated his way to two gold, two silver, and four bronze short-track speed skating medals. He has already demonstrated his excellence off his skates by winning the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars in 2007, but running his first 26.2-mile race will be by far one of his biggest career challenges.
“Running a marathon is something that I’ve never done, and I am super excited to take on this incredible challenge,” noted Apolo Ohno, who hopes to match fellow Subway® enthusiast Jared Fogle, who finished last year’s ING New York City Marathon. “I hope my journey can serve as an inspiration for others to meet their health goals, get their nutrition in order, and ultimately make smarter lifestyle choices.”
Edna Kiplagat, 31, of Kenya, continued her success after her New York City victory, taking second place at the NYC Half in Ma
rch (1:09:00). She finished third (2:20:46) at the Virgin London Marathon on April 17.Jen Rhines, 36, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, is coming off a five-year marathon hiatus after finishing fourth (2:29:32) in the 2006 Rome Marathon. She competed in the 2004 Olympic marathon, but has recently focused on shorter distances, including the 5000 meters, which she raced in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rhines has already won two national titles this year, claiming women's titles at the USA Half-Marathon Championships (photo at left by www.photorun.net) in January and at the USA 15K Championships in March.
“It is with great excitement and anticipation that I return to the streets of New York this fall,” remarked Jen Rhines, who last raced New York in 2005 (18th, 2:37:07). “My training this year shows me that I am stronger than ever, and I will be ready to reach a new personal best. I can’t wait to be fighting for a place on the podium this November!”
The findings of a NYRR study based on a survey of more than 1,000 participants from last year’s race indicates a total economic impact of approximately $340 million for New York City, NYRR President Mary Wittenberg announced. This represents a 25-percent jump since the last study, done in 2006, and was accompanied by a growth in the charity program that raised more than $30 million in 2010.
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 community needs. NYRR's goal is to use the expertise acquired in its 53-year history to empower all people to live fitter, healthier lives through participation in NYRR races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs. NYRR races and other events attract more than 300,000 people each year. The ING New York City Marathon, NYRR’s premier event, is the largest marathon in the world, attracting the world’s top professional runners every year and raising $30.8 million for charity in 2010. 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, selecting 45,000 registrants via lottery. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the $800,000 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 875,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, see www.ingnycmarathon.org.