FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador Meb Keflezighi to Pick 'Meb's Final
Marathoner' as Last Chance Entrant to Run 2017 TCS New York City Marathon
Keflezighi to race 26th and final marathon of his professional career on
Sunday, November 5 in New York City
New York, March 3, 2017 - The 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will be the
26th and final marathon of NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador Meb Keflezighi's
professional career, and in honor of that, after the event's official
drawing is completed the four-time Olympian will select the race's final
participant as "Meb's Final Marathoner."
To commemorate his 26th and final marathon, for a 26-hour period from 12:00
p.m. on March 6 to 2:00 p.m. on March 7, runners who were not accepted into
the TCS New York City Marathon drawing can apply to be "Meb's Final
Marathoner" by submitting the reason they want to run the race. Runners can
submit their reason for running via a link that will be provided on March 6
via the TCS New York City Marathon social media accounts. The contest
winner - to be announced on March 16 by Keflezighi - will receive a
complimentary race entry to the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon, in
addition to two $500 United Airlines vouchers, and will have the chance to
meet Keflezighi in-person prior to race day.
"I'm both excited and sad to be ending my professional marathon career at
the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon," Keflezighi said. "Toeing the start
line on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a thrill I have looked forward to
every year for the last 15 years. I'm honored to be able to pick the final
marathoner selected to run the streets of New York City with me and 50,000
others on November 5. Whether you're an experienced marathoner or a
first-time marathoner, there is nothing like running down the streets of
New York City with millions of people cheering you on."
Keflezighi, 41, of San Diego, CA, won a silver medal in the Athens 2004
Olympic Marathon, was the first American in 27 years to win the New York
City Marathon in 2009, and five years later he was victorious at the Boston
Marathon. Last November, he joined four other members of the U.S. Olympic
Marathon Team as a Grand Marshal of the TCS New York City Marathon Team.
Approximately 50,000 runners are expected to finish the 2017 TCS New York
City Marathon. The race, which is the premier event of New York Road
Runners, will take place on Sunday, November 5.
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. Over 1,000,000 people
have finished the race since its first running in 1970 with just 127
entrants and 55 finishers running four laps around Central Park. The race
expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 and just celebrated its 40th year as
a five-borough affair. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the
race features over 50,000 runners including the world's top professional
athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity
runners. Participants from approximately 125 countries tour the city,
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. The NYRR Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City
Marathon covered 1.8 miles of the race course in Central Park, beginning
near mile 24 and finishing at the famed TCS New York City Marathon finish
line. More than one million spectators and thousands of volunteers line the
city streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the
television broadcast in 175 countries and territories, including viewers in
the New York area on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and via
various international broadcast partners. The race is part of the Abbott
World Marathon Majors, which features the world's top marathons-Tokyo,
Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York-and crowns the top
professional male and female marathoners each year. 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. The 47th running of the TCS New
York City Marathon is set for November 5, 2017. To learn more, visit
www.tcsnycmarathon.org.
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