FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three-Time Champion Mary Keitany and Five-Time Champion Tatyana McFadden
Aim to Reclaim Top Podium Spots at the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon
on Sunday, November 4
Keitany and Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot join
2016 TCS New York City Marathon podium finisher Molly Huddle in racing
previously announced defending champion Shalane Flanagan and Boston
Marathon champion Des Linden in star-studded women's open division
McFadden to challenge defending champion Manuela Schär as she goes for
record-setting sixth career title in New York City
New York, August 21, 2018 - Three-time champion Mary Keitany of Kenya will
look to reclaim her crown this year in the open division and Tatyana
McFadden of the United States will race for a record sixth title in the
wheelchair division at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November
4.
Keitany and her compatriot, 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion
Vivian Cheruiyot, will join previously announced 2017 TCS New York City
Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des
Linden of the United States in a women's open division that features 10
Olympians and three Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.
McFadden, racing as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, will face stiff
competition from last year's winner, Manuela Schär of Switzerland, in a
field that features eight Paralympians and five Abbott World Marathon
Majors race champions.
"With Mary, Vivian, Shalane, Des, Tatyana, and Manuela, this year's TCS New
York City Marathon is stacked with some of the most competitive women's
professional athlete fields ever to compete in New York," said Peter
Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York
City Marathon. "In the open division, the best group of American women
marathoners will be assembled since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and along
with Mary and Vivian, the competition will be fierce. In the wheelchair
division, with Tatyana chasing after history, this year's race is bound to
have a storybook ending."
Keitany, 36, is the women's only marathon record-holder who finished as
runner-up at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon after having won the race
each of the three previous years. In 2016, she had a dominating performance
in which she surged ahead at Mile 14 to finish the course on a solo run in
2:24:26. Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women's race
since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz
to win the event three years in a row. Keitany is a two-time winner of the
Abbott World Marathon Majors, taking the series titles in 2012 and 2016. In
April 2017, she won her third career Virgin Money London Marathon, breaking
the women's only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01. Earlier
this year in New York, she won her third NYRR New York Mini 10K in a time
of 30:59, the fifth-fastest time in the event's 47-year history.
Joining Keitany from the international side will be two Ethiopians,
reigning IAAF World Half Marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta and 2017 TCS New
York City Marathon third-place finisher Mamitu Daska. The trio will be
challenged by a blockbuster lineup of American women that includes:
Flanagan, Linden, three-time United Airlines NYC Half champion and 2016 TCS
New York City Marathon third-place finisher Molly Huddle, 2018 Boston
Marathon runner-up Sarah Sellers, 2016 TCS New York City Marathon runner-up
Sally Kipyego, and 2017 TCS New York City Marathon fifth-place finisher
Allie Kieffer.
McFadden, 29, is a 17-time Paralympic medalist and the first-ever winner of
the Abbott World Marathon Majors wheelchair series. She has won five career
New York City Marathons, including the last four consecutively from
2013-2016 before finishing as runner-up last year to Schär. With another
victory on the five-borough course, McFadden would surpass Edith Hunkeler
and Kurt Fearnley for the most career wins - by a male or female - in the
wheelchair division. Within the last year, McFadden has also set a new
course record to win the Bank of Chicago Marathon and triumphed at the
Boston Marathon for her 22nd victory in an Abbott World Marathon Majors
race, more than any other female athlete.
In the women's wheelchair division, in addition to racing the defending
champion Schär, she will face competition from 2018 Virgin Money London
Marathon champion Madison de Rozario of Australia, two-time New York City
Marathon champion Amanda McGrory of the United States, and the first-ever
winner of the NYRR New York Mini 10K wheelchair race Susannah Scaroni of
the United States.
Quotes from top professional women racing the 2018 TCS New York City
Marathon:
"I was disappointed not to defend my title last year, but I was not 100
percent healthy and Shalane ran a strong race. I am happy for her historic
win. When I came back to New York to win the NYRR New York Mini 10K in
June, I showed that I am still in top shape. I will train harder than ever
to win my fourth TCS New York City Marathon title in November."
-Mary Keitany
"Running a marathon is always a special experience, but I'm really excited
to line up with such a great group of American women in New York this year.
I'm so inspired by what Shalane and Des have accomplished over the last 12
months, and I'm eager to add my name to that list."
-Molly Huddle
"I am very excited to make my first appearance in the New York marathon on
November 4. I know as the London Marathon champion, the other athletes will
be watching me and it will not be easy, but I aim to keep my marathon
winning streak alive in New York."
-Vivian Cheruiyot
"After finishing as runner up last year, I cannot wait to get to the start
line to try to reclaim my TCS New York City Marathon title. It's been an
exciting year for me, winning the Boston Marathon while also working on my
career goals outside of racing. I'm now focused on chasing a sixth career
title in New York, which would be the most ever at the event for a
wheelchair athlete."
-Tatyana McFadden
Top Professional Women - Open Division
Name Personal Best Marathon Twitter Handle
Meseret Ali Basa, ETH 2:40:41
Serkalem Biset Abrha, ETH 2:31:40
Samantha Bluske, USA 2:31:55 @Samantha_Bluske
Kelsey Bruce, USA 2:34:03 @2KelseyMae
Stephanie Bruce, USA 2:29:35 @Steph_Rothstein
Brittany Charboneau, USA 2:36:26
Vivian Cheruiyot, KEN 2:18:31 @VivianCheruiyot
Jessica Chichester, USA 2:45:23
Adriana Da Silva, BRA 2:29:17
Mamitu Daska, ETH 2:21:59 @Mamitu_Daska
Sydney Devore, USA 2:32:39 @DevoreSydney
Carrie Dimoff, USA 2:30:53
Sara Dossena, ITA 2:27:53 @Sarydossy
Belaynesh Fikadu, ETH 2:39:01
Shalane Flanagan, USA 2:21:14 @ShalaneFlanagan
Bizuwork Getahun Kasaye, ETH 2:38:15
Kaitlin Goodman, USA 2:32:08 @runnerKG
Roberta Groner, USA 2:30:37 @Marathongirl245
Netsanet Gudeta, ETH 2:29:15
Molly Huddle, USA 2:28:13 @MollyHuddle
Mary Keitany, KEN 2:17:01 @KeitanyMary
Allie Kieffer, USA 2:29:17 @AllieKieffer
Do-Yeon Kim, KOR 2:25:41
Sally Kipyego, USA 2:28:01 @SallyKipyego
Desiree Linden, USA 2:22:28 @des_linden
Askale Merachi, ETH 2:30:18
Angela Ortiz, USA 2:42:55 @AngelaOrtiz
Charlotte Purdue, GBR 2:29:23 @CharliePurdue
Beverly Ramos, PUR 2:36:31 @Beverly_Ramos
Sarah Sellers, USA 2:44:04 @SarahWhoSellers
Gerda Steyn, RSA 2:37:22 @GerdaRun
Maor Tiyouri, ISR 2:42:22 @tiyouri
Rahma Tusa, ETH 2:23:46
Aliphine Tuliamuk, USA 2:33:18 @aliphinetuliamu
Eva Vail, USA 2:45:54
Lisa Weightman, AUS 2:25:15 @lisaweighman
Eva Vrabcova, CZE 2:26:31 @evavrabcova
Top Professional Women - Wheelchair Division
Name Personal Best Marathon Twitter Handle
Madison de Rozario, AUS 1:49:34 @madiderozario
Aline Dos Rochas, BRA 1:41:40 @alinerochacr
Katrina Gerhard, USA 1:40:34
Sandra Graf, SUI 1:35:52
Zou Lihong, CHN 1:38:44
Tatyana McFadden, USA 1:35:05 @TatyanaMcFadden
Amanda McGrory, USA 1:33:13 @alittlechipped
Susannah Scaroni, USA 1:33:17 @KenyanScaroni
Manuela Schär, SUI 1:28:17 @manuelaschaer
Margriet Van Den Broek, NED 1:38:33 @margrietvdbroek
The TCS New York City Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors,
a series made up of the world's six largest and most renowned road races -
the Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, Bank of America Chicago, and TCS
New York City Marathons. Points are allocated to the top five finishers in
each race, with the top three men's and women's finishers in both the open
and wheelchair divisions earning prize money.
The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday,
November 4, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tristate 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.
About the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world and the
signature event of New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world's premier
community running organization. The race is held annually on the first
Sunday of November and includes over 50,000 runners, from the world's top
professional athletes to runners of all ages and abilities, including over
9,000 charity runners. Participants from approximately 140 countries tour
the diverse neighborhoods of New York City's five boroughs—Staten Island,
Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Race morning also features the
Rising New York Road Runners Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City
Marathon, a race within Central Park that finishes at the same finish line
being crossed hours later by the marathon field. More than one million
spectators and 10,000 volunteers line the city's streets in support of the
runners, while millions more watch the globally televised broadcast. 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 48th running of the
TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 4, 2018. To learn more,
visit www.tcsnycmarathon.org.
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