Posted: September 14, 2005

Athletics: Brown And Mayock Lead British Invasion Of NYCM

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Britons Jon Brown and John Mayock have committed to run the 2005 ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, it was announced today by the New York Road Runners, race founders and organizers.

"Jon knows how to prepare for the big races, and he's proven himself by twice finishing fourth at the Olympic Games," said New York Road Runners President and CEO, Mary Wittenberg in a prepared statement. "What is missing from Jon's resume is that one performance that puts him on the podium of a major marathon."

Brown, 34, has twice lined up in New York for the marathon. In 2001 he finished sixth in 2:11:24, but was forced to drop out in 2002 with a torn calf. In his most recent marathon, Brown finished sixth in a personal best 2:09:31 in London this past April. He is expected to run the Great North Run half-marathon on Sunday in Newcastle, England, then compete in the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Edmonton, Canada on October 1.

Mayock, 35, best known as a 1500m/3000m runner, will be making his marathon debut. The double Commonwealth Games medalist who lives in Cardiff, Wales, is a two-time Olympian and a five-time European Indoor Championships medalist.

"Like Jon Brown, John Mayock has proven himself at the highest levels of athletics," added Wittenberg. "It should be exciting to see how he can do in what will be his longest race to date."

Also announced today were Kenyan Martin Lel, the 2003 ING New York City Marathon champion and the 2005 London Marathon champion (2:07:26 PB), and Latvian Jelena Prokopcuka, the 2005 Osaka International Ladies Marathon champion. She has a personal best time of 2:22:56.