FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
University of Illinois' Tatyana McFadden Headlines
Elite Wheelchair Athlete Field at 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Men's Race Features Returning Champions
Josh Cassidy, Kurt Fearnley and Heinz Frei
CHICAGO - The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced that
Paralympic gold medalist and defending champion Tatyana McFadden headlines
a star-studded wheelchair athlete field at the 36th annual race on October
13. McFadden is vying for her third Chicago title in a row and fourth in
the last five years. Since winning her first marathon at the 2009 race, the
23-year-old Champaign, Ill.-based athlete has rapidly ascended to the
highest levels of the sport. A student at the University of Illinois (U of
I), she's the latest in a long line of world-class athletes to emerge from
the storied U of I wheelchair racing team.
"Tatyana arrived at the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon having never
competed in a marathon and she won in a thrilling sprint finish. She's
never looked back," said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "We're
proud of our relationship with the University of Illinois racing team and
continually impressed by their performances on what has become their home
course. Several athletes, like Tatyana, have gotten their start here and
gone on to win all over the world."
After accumulating bronze and silver medals at the 2004 Athens and 2008
Beijing Paralympic Games, McFadden struck gold at the 2012 London Games,
winning the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter races. This summer, she became the
first woman to win six gold medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships
in Lyon, France, sweeping the 100- through 5,000-meter races. In April, she
won the Boston and Virgin London marathons within the same week. With
victories at the Chicago and ING New York City marathons this fall, she
could become the first racer to win four World Marathon Majors within the
same year. For her groundbreaking accomplishments, McFadden was a 2013 ESPY
Award finalist, and is a Women's Sports Foundation's 2013 Sportswoman of
the Year nominee.
"I am very excited to run the Chicago Marathon," said Tatyana McFadden.
"The field coming into this marathon is going to make the race fast and
extremely tough. We will have a deep field of elite athletes who are
experienced record holders and Paralympic gold medalists. This year's race
will be exciting to watch and I am looking forward to being a part of it
again this year." Challenging McFadden will be her U of I teammate and
fellow three-time Chicago Marathon champion Amanda McGrory of Savoy, Ill.,
as well as Shirley Reilly of Tucson, Ariz., the 2012 Paralympic Games
Marathon gold medalist and 2012 Boston Marathon winner. The Americans will
face stiff competition from Australia's Christie Dawes, runner-up at the
2011 Chicago Marathon and bronze medalist in the 5,000-meters at the London
Paralympics; Canada's Diane Roy, the 2009 runner-up and 2011 third-place
Chicago finisher; and Switzerland's Manuela Schaer, the 2013 IPC World
Championships Marathon gold medalist.
The men's division will feature a showdown of the last three Chicago
Marathon champions Canada's Josh Cassidy, Australia's Kurt Fearnley and
Switzerland's Heinz Frei. Defending champion Cassidy owns the world's
fastest marathon time with his 1:18:25 victory at the 2012 Boston Marathon.
Fearnley is Chicago's most decorated male wheelchair champion with four
titles, including three in a row from 2007 to 2009. He is also a three-time
Paralympic Games gold medalist and past winner of the London and New York
City marathons. Frei is the Chicago course record-holder from his 2010
victory in 1:26:56. He was runner-up to Fearnley in 2011 and is a
three-time London Marathon champion.
The competition also includes two other former Chicago champions three-time
winner Joshua George and 2002 champion Adam Bleakney, both of the U of I
racing team. Bleakney is head coach of U of I's wheelchair athlete program
and was runner-up to Cassidy last year. South Africa's Ernst Van Dyke
returns after a fourth-place showing in 2010. He's the most decorated
athlete in Boston Marathon history with nine victories in a 10-year span
from 2001 to 2010.
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 36th year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants, including a
world-class elite runner and wheelchair athlete field, and an estimated 1.7
million spectators. As a result of its national and international draw, the
iconic race assists in raising millions of dollars for a variety of
charitable causes while generating $243 million in annual economic impact
to its host city according to a report by the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign's Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (R.E.A.L.).
The 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Grant
Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 13. In advance of the race,
a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention
Center on Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12. For more
information about the event and how to get involved, go to
www.chicagomarathon.com.
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