FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eleven Olympians Led by Medalists Shalane Flanagan (USA), Nick Willis
(New Zealand), and Sally Kipyego (Kenya) to Run NYRR Dash to the
Finish Line 5K on Saturday, November 2
World-class fields also include American Olympians Molly Huddle and Kim
Conley, along with 2013 USA Cross Country Champion Chris Derrick and World
Championships team member Ben True.
New York, October 16, 2013-American Olympic medalist Shalane Flanagan will
headline the professional athlete fields for the NYRR Dash to the Finish
Line 5K on Saturday, November 2. New Zealand's Nick Willis and Kenya's
Sally Kipyego are also among the Olympic medalists who will be part of the
incredibly competitive fields assembled for the race, to be run during ING
New York City Marathon weekend, it was announced today by New York Road
Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
The field also includes American Olympian and eight-time USA Champion Molly
Huddle and her 2012 Olympic teammate Kim Conley. Chris Derrick, the 2013
USA cross country champion, and his IAAF World Cross Country Championships
teammate Ben True will also add to the strength of the field, unparalleled
by any other 5K in the world this year, which includes 11 London Olympians,
three Olympic medalists, 13 women with personal bests under 15:30, 16 men
with personal bests under 13:30, 12 current and former USA Champions, and
18 former NCAA Champions. Additional athletes, notable performances,
personal best 5K times, and Twitter handles are listed below.
The NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K brings together more than 5,000
runners, families, and friends from around the world to partake in the ING
New York City Marathon race weekend. The event allows everyone to be a part
of the infectious Marathon excitement. You'll see another famous athlete
"dashing" through the city: Professional women's basketball player with the
Connecticut Sun, and Team USA 2008 Olympic gold medalist Kara Lawson. The
race, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 2, near the
United Nations building, allows runners to take a high-speed tour of
midtown Manhattan and finish at the famed Marathon Finish Line.
Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances
- Flanagan, 32, of Portland, OR, won the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon
Trials in a time of 2:25:38 and went on to finish 10th in the Olympic
Marathon. She is the American record-holder at 3000 and 5000 meters indoors
and 10,000 meters outdoors. Flanagan was second at the 2010 ING New York
City Marathon in her debut at the distance.
- Huddle, 28, of Providence, RI, set the American 5000-meter record
of 14:44.76 in 2010 at the Memorial Van Damme Diamond League meet in
Brussels. Huddle also made the U.S. Olympic team for London, where she
finished 11th in the 5000 meter; her sixth-place finish in the 5000 meters
at the World Championships in August was the highest-ever finish by an
American in that event.
- Conley, 26, of West Sacramento, CA, was third at the 2012 Olympic
Trials at 5000 meters (15: 19.79), and she also competed in the 2013 IAAF
World Championships, 5000 meters, placing 12th in 15:36.58.
- Willis, 30, of Ann Arbor, MI, was the 2008 Beijing Olympic
1500-meter silver medalist. He placed ninth in the 2012 London Olympic
1500 meters. Willis won the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile in September in a time
of 3:52.1, his second title on Fifth Avenue.
- Evan Jager, 23, of Portland , OR is the American record-holder in
the 3000-meter steeplechase. He finished sixth in that event at the London
Olympics, and fifth at the World Championships in Moscow.
- Lopez Lomong, 27, of Beaverton, OR is a two-time Olympian. He won
the NYRR Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in February, and broke the
American record in the indoor 5000 meters at New York's Armory Track &
Field Center in March.
- Derrick, 23, of Portland, OR, is the 2013 USA Cross Country
Champion and finished third in the 2013 USA Outdoor Championships 10,000
meters. Derrick was a fourteen-time NCAA Division I All-American and has a
5000-meter personal best of 13:08.04.
True, 27, of Hanover, NH, is a two-time USA 5K champion and a two-time
champion at the B.A.A. 5K on Boston Marathon weekend. He established a new
5000-meter personal best of 13:11.59 in Monaco in July.
Professional Women
First Name Last Name Personal Best 5K, Location, Year Twitter Handle
Sarah Groff 16:42, Boston, 2011 @sgroffy
Brie Felnagle 15:14.33, Oxy, 2013 @BrieFelnagle
Shalane Flanagan 14:44.80, Mt. SAC, 2007 @ShalaneFlanagan
Sara Hall 15:20.88, Naimette, 2006 @SaraHall3
Genna Hartung 16:38.32(i), Boston, 2012 @GennaHartung
Stephanie Herrick None
Ashley Higginson 16:02.32, Mt. SAC, 2010 @AshleyHigz
Molly Huddle 14:44.76, Brussels, 2010 (NR) @MollyHuddle
Emily Infeld 15:28.60, Eugene, 2012 @emily_infeld
Allie Kieffer 15:52.37, Stanford, 2011 @AllieKieffer
Caroline King None
Sally Kipyego 14:30.42, Zurich, 2011 @sallykipyego
Erin Koch None
Katie Mackey 15:23.65, Stanford, 2013 @KatiefMackey
Alexi Pappas 15:47.13(i), Fayetteville, 2013 @AlexiPappas
Lauren Penney 15:56.80, Stanford, 2013 @lpenney
Caitlin Phillips None
Cydney Ross None @cydmarie16
Nicole Schappert 16:09, Providence, 2011
Neely Spence Gracey 15:26.51, Mt. SAC, 2013 @neelyspenceG
Rebeka Stowe 16:08.77, Stanford, 2013 @rdstowe7
Renee Tomlin 17:02, New York, 2011 @ReneeTomlin
Nicol Traynor 16:10.37, Walnut, 2011 @nicolwithnoE
Lisa Uhl 14:55.74, Saint-Denis, 2010 @lisa_uhl
Amanda Winslow 15:54.66, Raleigh, 2013 @awin250
Jane Vongvorachoti None
Betsy Saina 15:12.05, Stanford, 2013 @bcsaina
Professional Men
First Name Last Name Personal Best 5K, Location, Year Twitter Handle
Donn Cabral 13:40.62, Des Moines, 2011 @DonnCabral
Gian-Paul Caccia 14:46, New York, 2011 @GPCaccia
Nick Crits None
Chris Derrick 13:08.04, Brussels, 2013 @CDerrickRun
German Fernandez 13:25.46, Eugene, 2009 (NJR) @german_ferndz
Kevin Fitzgerald None
Elliott Heath 13:26.14, Stanford, 2011 @elliottheathbar
Garrett Heath 13:20.01, Stanford, 2013
Brian Hill None
Evan Jager 13:22.18, Eugene, 2009 @evanjager
Will Leer 13:21.55, Mt. SAC, 2013 @william_leer
Lopez Lomong 13:11.62, Stanford, 2012 @lopezlomong
Travis Mahoney 13:48.76, Stanford, 2012 @UrbanSteepler
Kyle Merber 14:02.91, Princeton, 2010 @TheRealMerb
Ford Palmer None 4:01.90i mile)
Gabe Proctor 13:55.37(i), Seattle, 2013
Ben Scheetz None (1:47.43i 800m) @TheRealBScheetz
Chris Solinsky 12:55.53, Stockholm, 2010 @ChrisSolinsky
Joe Stilin 13:33.13, Oxy, 2013 @StilinIt
David Torrence 13:16.53, Stanford, 2012 @David_Torrence
Ben TRUE 13:20.53, Ninove, 2012 @BenTrue
Trevor Van Ackeren None
Nick Willis 13:27.54, Sacramento, 2005 @nickwillis
Thomas Young None
Samuel Chelanga 13:09.67, Eugene, 2012 @SamChelanga
Quotes
Shalane Flanagan
"I am very excited to be invited by New York Road Runners to compete in the
Dash to the Finish Line 5k. I will be soaking up all the inspiration and
positive energy of the ING New York City Marathon without having to do all
the training! The 5k is going to be a great way to kick-start a memorable
weekend."
Nick Willis
"I am pumped to be returning to the Big Apple only a few weeks after a
thrilling experience winning the Fifth Avenue Mile. The step up to 5K will
pose a different challenge, and I can't wait to test myself over the longer
distance. Who knows, maybe I'll even get a taste of the marathon distance
being in New York City during marathon weekend!"
Mary Wittenberg
"The Dash to the Finish Line 5K is another fantastic way to get everyone
involved in the ING New York City Marathon weekend. Whether you want to run
or spectate at one of the most fun 5Ks this year, this event gives everyone
a reason to come out and experience the Marathon Finish Line. We are
thrilled to have such a talented group of professional athletes, including
Shalane Flanagan and Lopez Lomong, running this race with us and more than
5,000 other runners-all coming together in celebration of New York City."
About the ING New York City Marathon
NYRR's premier event, the ING New York City Marathon is the most loved and
most inclusive marathon in the world, attracting elite athletes and
recreational runners alike for the challenge and thrill of a lifetime. The
race has grown tremendously since it began in 1970 with just 127 runners
racing four laps of Central Park. Now, some 48,000 participants from all
over the globe flock to New York City every November for an
adrenaline-filled road tour of all five boroughs, starting on Staten Island
at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and ending in Central Park.
Some run for prize money or bragging rights, others for charity or their
personal best. All are cheered on by more than two million live spectators
and a TV audience of 330 million.
NYRR is proud to be a part of the World Marathon Majors-an alliance with
the Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, BMW Berlin, and Bank of America
Chicago marathons-to advance the sport, raise awareness and increase
interest and involvement in participatory and professional marathon running
globally. A signature element is the WMM series, which offers a $1 million
prize purse to be split equally between the top male and the top female
marathoner in the world.
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