Posted: October 3, 2005

Athletics: Chepkemei, Okayo And Petrova Added To NYCM Field

From David Monti

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

NEW YORK (03-Oct) -- The New York Road Runners announced today that two former champions and last Saturday's bronze medalist at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships have been added to an already strong field for the 36th running of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.

Margaret Okayo, the Kenyan who holds the course record and who won the race in both 2001 and 2003, will attempt to mount the podium for a third time after finishing fourth last year in 2:26:31. She placed fourth at the 2005 Flora London Marathon in 2:25:22 and has a career best time of 2:20:43 set in Boston in 2002.

Ludmila Petrova of Russia was the surprise winner in 2000, and is one of the most consistent runners in the history of the storied Five Borough race. She's competed in New York five times, and with the exception of her DNF last year, has never finished worse than eighth. She has a best time of 2:22:33.

Susan Chepkemei earned her fourth medal at the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships last weekend, this time a bronze to go with her three silvers. With a 2:23:12 personal best, she has an enviable record at New York twice finishing second, including a narrow three-second loss to Paula Radcliffe at last year's race.

Lyubov Denisova, another Russian, was also added to the field. Like Chepkemei, she has twice finished on the podium in New York (second in 2002 and and third in 2004) and is twice the City of Los Angeles Marathon champion and course record holder. She has a personal best time of 2:25:18.

With special financial support from the Dutch financial powerhouse, ING, in connection with their Run for Something Better program, this year's marathon in New York is offering an unprecedented prize money purse for women, including a $130,000 first prize, the highest in all of road running.

"This is a historic year for women as they chase the largest first-place purse in the sport, and we have put together a formidable field of athletes who all know how to win," said race director and New York Road Runners President CEO, Mary Wittenberg. "It's anybody's race to take home the $130,000 champion's prize."

Later today Wittenberg will join World Half-Marathon silver medalist, Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands, at Public School 69 in the Bronx, one of the New York Road Runners Foundation's after-school programs that will directly benefit from money being donated by ING on behalf of the top women finishers as part of the ING Run for Something Better program.

NOTE: Race Results Weekly provides elite athlete consulting to the New York Road Runners --Ed.