FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
World Championships Medalist Feyisa Lilesa, Half-marathon Sensation Matthew
Kisorio, and Two-time European Championships Medalist Inga Abitova Added to
ING New York City Marathon 2011 Field
Kenya's Stephen Kibet, Ethiopia's Firehiwot Dado, and Morocco's Abdellah
Falil also join championship field for November 6 race
Werknesh Kidane, former World Cross Country Champion and wife of defending
ING New York City Marathon champion Gebre Gebremariam, completes the field
New York, October 20, 2011-The 2011 IAAF World Championships Marathon
bronze medalist, Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia, and the second-fastest
half-marathoner in the world this year, Matthew Kisorio of Kenya, lead a
group of late additions to the ING New York City Marathon field, it was
announced today by New York Road Runners officials.
Joining them on the starting line for the five-borough spectacle will be
2010 Virgin London Marathon runner-up Inga Abitova of Russia, three-time
Rome Marathon champion Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia, 2010 SportZone
Half-Marathon (Portugal) champion Stephen Kibet of Kenya, and Moroccan
Olympian Abdellah Falil. Also announced for the race is former World Cross
Country champion and World Championships medalist Werknesh Kidane of
Ethiopia, whose husband, Gebre Gebremariam, will defend his title in the
men's race.
Lilesa, 21, will be making his ING New York City Marathon debut, as will
Kibet, 24, Dado, 27, and Kidane, 29, who had hoped to run the race last
year but was kept from starting by a calf injury. Kisorio, 22, will be
running his first marathon ever. Abitova, 29, is coming back to New York
after her fourth-place finish last year.
Previously announced runners for the men's race include Gebre Gebremariam
of Ethiopia, 2009 champion Meb Keflezighi of the USA, 2011 Virgin London
Marathon champion Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya, Olympians Juan Luis Barrios of
Mexico and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco, reigning Boston Marathon champion
Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, Ethiopian Olympic and World Championships medalist
Tsegaye Kebede, and American debut marathoners Bobby Curtis and Ed Moran.
Two-time ING New York City Marathon champion Martin Lel of Kenya was forced
to withdraw from the field due to injury.
In the women's race, previously announced runners include three-time U.S.
Olympian Jen Rhines, New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith, British Olympian Jo
Pavey, Portugal's championship long-distance duo of Jéssica Augusto and Ana
Dulce Félix, U.S. debut marathoners Lauren Fleshman and Molly Pritz,
reigning Boston Marathon champion Caroline Kilel of Kenya, 2011 London
winner Mary Keitany of Kenya, 2011 Honda L.A. Marathon champion Buzunesh
Deba of Ethiopia, Swedish marathon record-holder Isabellah Andersson, and
Galina Bogomolova, Russia's second-fastest marathoner ever. Reigning ING
New York City Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya was forced to
withdraw from the field due to a knee injury.
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. Our goal is to use the expertise acquired in
our 53-year history to empower all people to live fitter, healthier lives
through participation in our races, community events, instruction and
training resources, and youth programs. Our 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
$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, visit 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 some 140,000 applicants.
The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the
$650,000 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, visit
www.ingnycmarathon.org.
###
|
