FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Deep U.S. Women's Field Set for 2012 ING New York City Marathon
2012 Olympic Trials Champions Julie Culley and Amy Hastings and
Olympian Janet Bawcom to compete in November 4 race
Wheelchair Field to Feature Defending Champion and Course Record-Holder
Amanda McGrory, 2010 Champion Tatyana McFadden, and
2012 Boston Marathon Champion Shirley Reilly
New York, September 6, 2012-A strong field of 2012 U.S. Olympians are set
to compete in the 2012 ING New York City Marathon. Olympic Trials champions
Julie Culley (5000 meters) and Amy Hastings (10,000 meters) are among the
competitors, as is 10,000-meter Olympic team member Janet Bawcom, it was
announced today by New York Road Runners President and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
Amanda McGrory, Tatyana McFadden, and Shirley Reilly will highlight the
women's American wheelchair field.
Previously announced women runners in the race include New Zealand Olympian
Kim Smith. The men's field will include previously announced three-time
U.S. Olympian and 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi,
four-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, 2012 Boston Marathon fourth-placer
Jason Hartmann, and 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials fifth-placer Brett
Gotcher.
Nationally, the telecast will be available on ESPN2, online at
WatchESPN.com, and-for fans who receive their video subscription from an
affiliated provider-on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app.
Locally, New Yorkers can watch the race on WABC-TV and 7online.com.
"We are honored to welcome a blockbuster field of up and coming American
women," said Wittenberg. "Our Olympians, Amy, Janet, and Julie will lead
the U.S. team and it will be a special treat to host "local" Julie Culley
in her marathon debut."
Culley, 30, of Annandale, NJ, qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games by
winning the women's 5000 meters at the U.S. Trials in a then–personal best
time of 15:13.77; she lowered that to 15:05.38 in her semifinal race in
London to qualify for the Olympic final. This will be Culley's marathon
debut. She was the 2011 USA 5K champion on the roads and the 2011 USA
10-Mile Championships runner-up. Culley finished second in the 2011 NYRR
Dash to the Finish Line 5K on ING New York City Marathon weekend, and she
ran the 2012 NYC Half in March, finishing in 1:13:31.
"It is only fitting I cap off the most memorable racing season of my career
where it all began early this year," said Culley. "Beginning with my first
half-marathon at the NYC Half in March, 2012 was a year of firsts,
including my first National Championship on the track at the Olympic Trials
in the 5000 meters, my first Olympic Team birth, and now my first marathon.
My "Road to London" started last fall with an exciting road racing season
topped off with an incredible experience at the Dash to the Finish Line 5K
and a personal tour of the ING New York City Marathon course on the women's
lead truck. My connection to the Marathon and the City itself runs deep as
a member of NYRR and an ASICS athlete, a member of the N York Athletic
Club, training locally with the New Jersey/New York Track Club, attending
Rutgers University, and utilizing the city weekly for its resources,
doctors, and therapists. I couldn't be more excited and honored to
represent my "home turf" on November 4 on the streets of New York City."
Hastings, 28, of Leavenworth, KS, also triumphed at the Olympic Trials,
winning the 10,000 meters in 31:58.36. She led the U.S. women in the London
10,000 meters, placing 11th, just one spot ahead of Bawcom. Hastings took
second at the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon in 2:27:03, the third-fastest debut
in U.S. history; she finished 15th in the 2009 NYRR New York Mini 10K
(34:40) and sixth at the 2011 NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5K (16:07).
"2012 has been the most incredible year of my running life," said Hastings.
"There have been ups and downs to try and make the Olympic team, but that
only made it better when I finally was able to race in front of the Olympic
torch for the U.S. For me, there is only one fitting way to finish a year
like this, only one way that can live up to the hype of the Olympics, and
that is by racing on the shut-down streets of Manhattan for the famous ING
New York City Marathon. It is a race I have dreamed about running for
years, but racing my first one in 2012 just seems right."
Bawcom, 34, of Flagstaff, AZ, won the USA Championships in Grand Rapids,
MI, earlier this year in a new American record time of 1:24:36. After
finishing fifth at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January, Bawcom
qualified for the Games in the 10,000 meters, and she finished 12th in
London in a personal-best 31:12.68. Earlier this spring, Bawcom won the USA
15K Championships in a blistering 49:41. She has run the last two editions
of the NYC Half, setting her personal best of 1:09:55 in the 2012 race this
past March.
Other top U.S. women competing this year include:
·Michelle Frey, 29, of Minneapolis, MN, who placed third in the 2012 USA
Half- Marathon Championships
·Alisha Williams, 29, of Colorado Springs, CO, who finished fifth at the
2012 Olympic Trials 10,000 meters
·Serena Burla, 28, of Falls Church, VA, the fifth-ranked American
marathoner in 2012
·Molly Pritz, 24, of Boulder, CO, who returns to the race after finishing
first among American women in her 2011 debut
In the wheelchair division, Amanda McGrory, 25, of Champaign, IL, will
return to defend her 2011 title. McGrory holds the course record of
1:50:24, which she set last year. Earlier in 2012, McGrory won the Paris
Marathon in 1:55:50 and the 2011 London Marathon in 1:46:31, also a course
record. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, she was the 5000-meter gold
medalist and the marathon silver medalist.
Tatyana McFadden, 24, of Clarksville, MD, won the 2010 ING New York City
Marathon and took third last year. She was the Bank of America Chicago
Marathon champion in both 2009 and 2011. At the 2008 Paralympics in
Beijing, she won silver medals at 200, 400, and 800 meters and a bronze in
the 4x100-meter relay. McFadden is a member of the 2012 Paralympic team,
and she recently won gold in the 400 meters.
Shirley Reilly, 27, of Tucson, AZ, won the 2012 Boston Marathon in a
personal-best time of 1:37:36. She followed that victory by finishing
fourth at the 2012 London Marathon. Reilly was a member of the 2004 and
2008 Paralympic teams and is competing on the 2012 team in London, where
she took second in the 5000 meters. This will be her fifth appearance at
the ING New York City Marathon; most recently, she placed seventh in 2009.
"The U.S. women who will compete in the wheelchair division this year are
currently in London for the Paralympics Games, entered in track races from
400 to 5000 meters," said Wheelchair Division Coordinator Bob Laufer. "Most
will also compete on the road against the world's best in the marathon,
which will be contested on Sunday, September 9. Each of the three women
featured here-McGrory, McFadden, and Reilly-has already won one or more of
the world's major marathons, and any of them could arrive in New York as
the 2012 Paralympic Champion."
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, more than 47,000 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.
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