FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Five-Time Olympian Bernard Lagat to Make Marathon Debut
in Talented Men's Professional Athlete Field
at TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4
Nine Olympians and 14 Paralympians to race in men's professional open and
wheelchair divisions, joining previously announced defending champions
Geoffrey Kamworor and Marcel Hug
New York, August 23, 2018 – Five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat of the United
States will make his highly anticipated marathon debut at the TCS New York
City Marathon on Sunday, November 4, as the five-time world champion will
join defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya to lead a men's
professional open division that features nine Olympians and three Abbott
World Marathon Majors race champions.
Australia's Kurt Fearnley will look for a record sixth New York City
Marathon title in the men's wheelchair division, joining previously
announced defending champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland and past champions
David Weir of Great Britain and Ernst van Dyk of South Africa in a field
that includes 14 Paralympians and eight Abbott World Marathon Majors race
winners.
"This year's TCS New York City Marathon professional men's fields will
provide an impressive mix of veterans and young up-and-comers," said Peter
Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York
City Marathon. "With a long history at our races in New York, both Bernard
and Kurt will be looking to add to their list of remarkable
accomplishments. Bernard is ready to test out new grounds by taking on the
marathon distance, and Kurt is set to go after an unmatched sixth title.
Both the open and wheelchair divisions on the men's side are chocked full
of storylines, bringing international talent from every corner of the globe
to the world's largest marathon right here in the five boroughs."
Lagat, 43, has competed at every summer Olympics on the track since the
Sydney 2000 Games, winning silver and bronze over 1500 meters in 2004 and
2000, respectively, when representing Kenya. He became a U.S. citizen in
2004 and began racing for Team USA the following year. In 2007, he became
the first American to win an outdoor world championship gold medal over
1500 meters, making it the first Olympic or world championship gold in the
event for the U.S. at the time since 1908, and followed that up with
another gold over 5000 meters. In 2012, Lagat finished fourth in the
5000-meter race at the London Olympics, crossing the line 1.33 seconds
behind Mo Farah after being tripped during the race. At the Rio 2016
Olympics, he was the oldest member of the U.S. track and field team at age
41, finishing fifth in the 5000-meter final. He has 11 world championship
medals to his name in the 1500, 3000, and 5000-meter distances, including
five golds. He is also the American record-holder in all three distances.
Lining up against Lagat and Kamworor will be a talented group of American
and international runners that includes Ethiopia's 2013 and 2015 Boston
Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa and 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon
runner-up Shura Kitata; Mexico's two-time Olympian Juan Luis Barrios;
Kenya's 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru; and the
United States' four-time U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, Rio 2016 Olympian
Jared Ward, 2018 Boston Marathon third-place finisher Shadrack Biwott.
Fearnley, 37, has won a record five New York City Marathon titles,
including four consecutive from 2006 to 2009, and his event-record time of
1:29:22 from 2006 still stands. He has captured 13 individual medals across
five Paralympic Games, including silver in the marathon and bronze in the
5000 meters at the Rio 2016 Games where he served as Australia's
co-captain. Fearnley has won two Paralympic marathon gold medals, two IPC
Athletics World Championship marathon golds, and marathon races in London,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Seoul, Rome, Paris, Sydney, and Port Elizabeth.
In the men's wheelchair division, Fearnley will face fierce competition
from Great Britain's eight-time London Marathon champion Weir, South
Africa's 10-time Boston Marathon champion Van Dyk, Japan's 2018 Tokyo
Marathon winner Hiroyuki Yamamoto, and the United States' five-time
Paralympic medalist Josh George and world-record holder Daniel Romanchuk.
Quotes from top professional men racing the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon:
"I first competed in New York City in 2001 at the Millrose Games, and fell
in love with the city on that trip. I've been back again and again, and now
have eight Wanamaker Mile titles, five podium finishes at the Fifth Avenue
Mile, and I set the U.S. 5000-meter indoor record there. A few years ago, I
was able to watch the TCS New York City Marathon from one of the lead
vehicles, and I knew that when I ran a marathon someday, I wanted it to be
in New York. I'm so excited to return for this new challenge and hope to
continue the success I've had there."
-Bernard Lagat
"For 16 years New York City has been like a second home to me, and it's
where I've had some of the best races of my career. I've been training hard
for this race in the mountains of Flagstaff with my friends Bernard (Lagat)
and Juan Luis (Barrios), and we're ready to put it all out there on
November 4. May the best man win, baby."
-Abdi Abdirahman
"Many people were surprised by my runner-up result in London in April, but
I wasn't. I am excited to run on the New York City course, where I hope I
will join the names of the great Ethiopian marathon runners that came
before me. My coach has a great history in New York, and he will have me
ready for the course and the competition."
-Shura Kitata
"The New York City Marathon has been a highlight of my year since I got my
first start in 2005. I feel incredibly privileged to have won this race
five times. Those wins are a jewel in my career. I'm always excited to be
back on the TCS New York City Marathon start line. With the field as strong
as I have ever seen it, a sixth win will be more challenging than ever, but
always in the back of my mind."
-Kurt Fearnley
Top Professional Men – Open Division
Name Personal Best Twitter
Abdi Abdirahman, USA 2:08:56 @abdi_runs
Juan Luis Barrios, MEX 2:10:55 @juanlbarrios
Shadrack Biwott, USA 2:12:01 @skiptoob
Ryan Blood, USA Debut @rblood13
Florent Caelen, BEL 2:12:51
Mizael Carrera, PUR 2:21:50 @MizCarrera
Andrew Davies, GBR 2:15:11 @fellrunningandy
Chris Derrick, USA 2:12:50 @CDerrickRun
Lelisa Desisa, ETH 2:04:45 @LelisaDesisa
Scott Fauble, USA 2:12:35 @scottfaubs
Senbeto Geneti Guteta, ETH 2:11:12
Nicholas Hilton, USA 2:16:20 @nackhilton
Geoffrey Kamworor, KEN 2:06:12 @kipsangkamworor
Birhanu Dare Kemal, ETH 2:12:21
Shura Kitata, ETH 2:04:49 @ShuraKitata
Bernard Lagat, USA Debut @lagat1500
Eric Loeffler, USA 2:16:50 @EricLoeffler262
Jonny Mellor, GBR 2:12:57 @jonnymellor9
Alex Monroe, USA Debut @alexmonroe10
Harbert Okuti, UGA 2:17:30
Tim Ritchie, USA 2:11:55 @TimRitchieWTD
Alphonce Simbu, TAN 2:09:10
Scott Smith, USA 2:12:21 @scott_n_ready
Festus Talam, KEN 2:06:13
Fikadu Girma Teferi, ETH 2:09:34
Chris Thompson, GBR 2:11:19 @Thommo10K
Tamirat Tola, ETH 2:04:06
Daniel Wanjiru, KEN 2:05:21 @DanielWanjiru13
Jared Ward, USA 2:11:30 @jwardy21
Top Professional Men – Wheelchair Division
Name Personal Best Marathon Twitter
Rafael Botello, ESP 1:22:09 @rafabotello79
Josh Cassidy, CAN 1:18:00 @JoshCassidy84
Kurt Fearnley, AUS 1:20:28 @kurtfearnley
Josh George, USA 1:21:47 @jsgeorge
Marcel Hug, SUI 1:18:04 @marcelerichug
Simon Lawson, GBR 1:25:06 @_SL74
Aaron Pike, USA 1:22:09
Daniel Romanchuk, USA 1:26:26
Brian Siemann, USA 1:26:46 @bsiemann
John Smith, GBR 1:31:44
Masazumi Soejima, JPN 1:18:50
Ernst van Dyk, RSA 1:18:04 @ErnstvanDyk
Sho Watanabe, JPN 1:26:22
David Weir, GBR 1:26:17 @davidweir2012
Hiroyuki Yamamoto, JPN 1:19:32
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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