FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marathon Greats Wilson Kipsang and Meb Keflezighi
Lead 2015 TCS New York City Marathon Men's Field
Former champion Keflezighi returns as a NYRR Team for Kids
Ambassador to support NYRR's free youth running programs
New York, September 14, 2015—Defending champion Wilson Kipsang of Kenya
will join American marathon icon Meb Keflezighi, running as an NYRR Team
for Kids Ambassador for the second consecutive year, to headline a
world-class professional men's field at the 2015 TCS New York City
Marathon, set for Sunday, November 1, it was announced today by Peter
Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of
the TCS New York City Marathon.
Joining Kipsang and Keflezighi will be 2014 runner-up Lelisa Desisa, winner
of this year's Boston Marathon, and 2014 third-place finisher Gebre
Gebremariam, both of Ethiopia, as well as previously announced IAAF World
Championships 10,000-meter silver-medalist Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya.
"We're thrilled to welcome back our defending champion Wilson Kipsang,
along with Meb Keflezighi, America's top marathoner, and this year's Boston
Marathon champion, Lelisa Desisa, for the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon,"
said Ciaccia. "Fans lining the 26.2-mile route across the city will get to
see the world's top marathoners, many of whom will be running for their
home countries in the 2016 Olympic Games next summer in Rio. This is one of
our most exciting fields in years and a key race in the Abbott World
Marathon Majors Series IX. More than a million people will watch the race
live while the global television broadcast will make it available to 500
million homes worldwide."
As an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, Keflezighi will support the
organization's charity running team in their efforts to reach a fundraising
goal of $5 million, lead training runs, and participate in a variety of
race-week activities. NYRR's Team for Kids, the TCS New York City
Marathon's largest charity, is a committed group of adult runners from
around the world who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR's
free youth running programs, which serve more than 200,000 kids locally and
nationally, including more than 120,000 in New York's five boroughs.
"Our mission at New York Road Runners is to help and inspire through
running, whether in one of our more than 50 events a year like the TCS New
York City Marathon or in a youth running program at a local school," said
Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. "Having the
world's top professional athletes running through the neighborhoods of the
five boroughs is an important part of our efforts. Role models are
important, and that's why Meb's commitment to serving as a Team for Kids
Ambassador is so exciting. He'll lead a group of 2,000 NYRR Team for Kids
charity runners in the marathon to help raise awareness and funds that
support our free youth running programs throughout New York City and the
nation, introducing the benefits of the sport to 200,000 kids, one of whom
might just become the next Meb Keflezighi."
Kipsang, 33, of Kenya, is the defending TCS New York City Marathon champion
and the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series VIII champion. He earned a
bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Marathon and has run under 2:05 six
times—the most in history. Kipsang, the former marathon world-record
holder, ran his personal best of 2:03:23 to win the 2013 Berlin Marathon.
He won the London Marathon in 2013 and 2014, the latter in a course record
of 2:04:29, and placed second at the same event in 2015. Kipsang won the
2013 NYC Half with a time of 1:01:02.
"My training is going very well and I am very happy to come back to race
the streets of New York City again and defend my title," said Kipsang.
Keflezighi, 40, of San Diego, CA, is the 2014 Boston Marathon and 2009 New
York City Marathon champion. He earned a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic
Games and finished fourth in 2012. Keflezighi, a three-time Olympian, took
fourth place at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, while running as a
Team for Kids Ambassador, his seventh top-10 finish at the race. He has won
more than 20 national championships in track and field, cross country, and
road racing.
"I am so excited to announce that I will be back in the Big Apple for my
10th TCS New York City Marathon this November," said Keflezighi. "The New
York Road Runners has been a great source of support throughout my career.
I love supporting this great organization and race. This year, I will once
again serve as a Team for Kids Ambassador."
Kamworor, 22, won the gold medal at both the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country
Championships and the 2014 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships and
earned the 2015 world outdoor 10,000-meter silver medal; he is only the
third person in history to accomplish such a feat. In his marathon debut at
the 2012 Berlin Marathon, he finished third in 2:06:12; at the same event
in 2013 and 2014 he finished third and fourth, respectively. In 2013, he
ran a 58:54 at the RAK Half-Marathon, becoming the ninth-fastest performer
of all time and the fastest half-marathoner that year.
Desisa, 25, finished as the runner-up at the 2014 TCS New York City
Marathon and is a two-time Boston Marathon champion (2013, 2015), making
him the only Ethiopian man to attain two Boston Marathon victories. In
2013, he earned a silver medal at the IAAF World Marathon Championships and
won the Dubai Marathon; he placed second at the 2015 Dubai Marathon.
Gebremariam, 31, won the 2010 New York City Marathon in 2:08:14 in his
marathon debut; he finished third in 2014 and fourth in 2011. He is the
2009 IAAF World Cross Country champion and finished third at both the 2011
and 2013 Boston Marathons. Gebremariam, a two-time Olympian, was the 2011
NYC Half runner-up and won the 2010 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K.
Additional Select Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances
•Yemane Tsegaye, 30, of Ethiopia, earned the silver medal at the 2015 IAAF
World Marathon Championships; this performance, in addition to his
second-place finish at the 2015 Boston Marathon, currently ranks him first
in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX standings. He ran a personal
best of 2:04:48 to win the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon.
•Juan Luis Barrios, 32, of Mexico, finished third at the 2015 United
Airlines NYC Half. He is a two-time Olympian and won the gold medal in the
5000 meters at the 2011 Pan American Games. He took fifth in the 2013 NYC
Half and improved to fourth at the same event in 2014. He has won seven
gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Track and Field
Championships.
•Stanley Biwott, 29, of Kenya, is the second-fastest half-marathon runner
in the world this year, recording a time of 59:20 at the City-Pier-City
Half Marathon. He was the runner-up in the 2014 London Marathon and winner
of the 2012 Paris Marathon, where he set the course record of 2:05:11.
•Nick Arciniaga, 31, of Flagstaff, AZ, USA, is the 2013 USA Marathon
champion. He represented the United States at the 2011 IAAF World
Championships and finished seventh at the 2014 Boston Marathon. He finished
10th at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon and eighth in 2009. He has a
personal best of 2:11:30 from the 2011 Houston Marathon, where he finished
second.
•Daniele Meucci, 29, of Italy, is the 2014 European Marathon champion. In
the 10,000 meters, he won the silver medal at the 2012 European
Championships and the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships.
Meucci, a 2012 Olympian, won the 2012 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K and finished
second at the 2013 NYC Half.
Name |
Marathon
Personal
Best |
Twitter |
| Wilson Kipsang, KEN |
2:03:23 |
@Kipsang_2_03_23 |
| Lelisa Desisa, ETH |
2:04:45 |
|
| Yemane Tsegaye, ETH |
2:04:47 |
|
| Gebre Gebremariam, ETH |
2:04:53 |
|
| Stanley Biwott, KEN |
2:04:55 |
|
| Geoffrey Kamworor, KEN |
2:06:12 |
@kipsangkamworor |
| Yuki Kawauchi, JPN |
2:08:14 |
|
| Meb Keflezighi, USA |
2:08:37 |
@runmeb |
| Daniele Meucci, ITA |
2:11:08 |
@MeucciDaniele |
| Nick Arciniaga, USA |
2:11:30 |
@NickArciniaga |
| Zicheng Li, CHN |
2:13:12 |
|
| Craig Leon, USA |
2:13:53 |
@cleonrun |
| Juan Luis Barrios, MEX |
2:14:20 |
@JLBRunniingTeam |
| Stefano Sciani, ITA |
2:16:26 |
|
| Harbert Okuti, UGA |
2:17:30 |
|
| Matt Flaherty, USA |
2:21:20 |
@MattAFlaherty |
| Kevin Chelimo, KEN |
2:29:40 |
|
| Will Nation, USA |
Debut |
|
| Chris Bendtsen, USA |
Debut |
@chrisbendtsen |
The 2015 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday,
November 1, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tri-state area from 9:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be live on abc7NY.com and via the
WatchABC app, as well as via WatchESPN on computers, tablets, smartphones,
Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and
Xbox One for those who have video subscriptions from affiliated providers.
Additionally, the race will be available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes+.
Pre-race coverage will be carried live in the New York tri-state area on
WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET and pre- and post-race
coverage will be also be carried live nationally on ESPN's live
multi-screen sports network ESPN3 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET and from 12:30
to 2:00 p.m. ET. ESPN3 will also present a view of the finish line from
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Additional race-weekend events will be carried
live in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV, Channel 7 on Friday,
October 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. ET and Saturday, October 31, from 7:30
to 8:00 p.m. A national compilation show will air after the race from 4:00
to 6:00 p.m. ET on ABC. International viewers can watch the broadcast from
7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET via a variety of global broadcast partners
(international viewers should check local listings).
For the latest TCS New York City Marathon news and media information and to
apply for a TCS New York City Marathon credential to cover the event on
race day, please visit the NYRR online media center at nyrr.org/mediacenter
and follow us on Twitter @nyrrnews.
About the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road
Runners (NYRR) and the largest marathon in the world. Held annually on the
first Sunday in November, the race features the world's top professional
athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity
runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants running four laps
around Central Park, and expanded citywide in 1976. In 2014, a record
50,530 runners from 130 countries toured New York City's five boroughs,
including the one-millionth finisher in the history of the event, starting
on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and running
through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, before ending
in Manhattan at the iconic Central Park finish line. More than one million
spectators line the city streets to cheer on the runners, while millions
more watch the live television broadcast in the United States and around
the world. The race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series
featuring the world's top marathons—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago,
and New York—and crowning the top professional male and female marathoners
of the series. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT
services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the premier
partner of NYRR and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. To
learn more, visit www.tcsnycmarathon.com.
###
|
