Posted: July 20, 2006

Athletics: Tergat And Ndereba Headline Inaugural NYC Half-Marathon

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic medalist, Paul Tergat, and former marathon world record holder and world champion, Catherine Ndereba, will headline the inaugural NYC Half-Marathon presented by NIKE, scheduled for Sunday, August 27 in New York City.

Perhaps best known for their marathon accomplishments, Kenyans Tergat and Ndereba have stellar records over half the distance as well. With a 59:06 personal best, the third fastest performance of all-time, Tergat has broken the one hour mark seven times, more than any other athlete in history. He won the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships gold medal twice, in 1999 and 2000, and was a six-time winner of the Stramilano half-marathon where he set a world record (since surpassed) of 59:17 in 1998.

"The NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE will be a great chance to check my fitness leading up to the ING New York City Marathon in November," said Tergat in a press release from race organizers, the New York Road Runners.

Ndereba has one of the best half-marathon records of any athlete, with fourteen victories in 20 starts. In half of those races, she has broken the 70-minute barrier, and has a personal best of 1:07:54 set at The Hague in 2001. She is a six-time winner of the Jefferson Hospital Philadelphia Distance Run, a three-time winner of the Sapporo International Half-Marathon, and won the bronze medal at the 1999 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships.

"I know that the new half-marathon will be a big race for New York," said Ndereba. "I know the crowds will be great and it's always so exciting to be in New York City."

The race has a $60,000 prize money purse with the winners each receiving $10,000. The event will begin with a loop of Central Park, then run through Times Square and across West 42nd Street, before heading down the West Side Highway to Battery Park for the finish.

"Paul and Catherine are two of the all-time greatest runners at any distance, and we are thrilled to have them help launch this spectacular new race through the streets of Manhattan," said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "With 10,000 runners on board, the first-ever NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE is well on its way to becoming a truly international sporting event."

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