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By Bob Ramsak
Reigning Olympic Marathon silver medalist, Meb Keflezighi, and former IAAF World Championships 5000m bronze medalist, Tom Nyariki, have joined the field for the inaugural NYC Half-Marathon presented by NIKE set for Sunday in New York City. Both Keflezighi, 31, and Nyariki, 34, will be making their half-marathon debuts.
Race organizers, the New York Road Runners, added these two stars after world marathon record holder, Paul Tergat, was forced to withdraw from the race when his wife, Monica, permaturely gave birth to their fourth child, daughter Jepchumba.
"While we hate to lose Paul, we gain Meb, so as far as trades go, this is a pretty good swap," said race director Mary Wittenberg, who is also the president and CEO of the Road Runners. "With two top-three finishes in the last two ING New York City Marathons, Meb knows how to run well on the city streets, and we expect that he is going to be one to watch on Broadway."
Keflezighi and Nyariki will be facing strong challenges from Americans Alan Culpepper and Abdi Abdirahman, Moroccan Mohamed Aymn and Australian Andrew Letherby. Americans Matt Downin and Peter Gilmore are also in the field looking to run personal best times.
The brand new half-marathon course begins in Central Park near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, makes one 10 km loop of the park, before heading south to go through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and all the way downtown to the Battery via the West Side Highway.
The women's race will also feature top-notch competition, including Olympic silver medalist and former World Marathon champion, Catherine Ndereba; 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Champion, Benita Johnson; 2005 IAAF World Half-Marathon Champion, Constantina Tomescu-Dita; four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck; and 1:10:28 half-marathoner, Yuri Kano.
A prize money purse of $60,000 is on offer with $10,000 going to the male and female winners.
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