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The Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile will be held on Saturday in New York City extending an end-of-season tradition which dates back to 1981. This year's edition, the 26th, features eight Olympians competing for a $20,000 prize money purse, according to race founders and organizers, the New York Road Runners.
"The race is on for the title of winner of the world's most famous mile race," said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg in a press release.
Wittenberg and her staff worked with sponsorship partners Continental Airlines and Reebok to bring in a quality field led by the 1500m gold and silver medalists from this year's Commonwealth Games, Nick Willis of New Zealand and Nate Brannen of Canada. They will face reigning IAAF World Indoor Championships 1500m bronze medalist, Elkanah Angwenyi of Kenya, U.S. 4-K cross country champion Adam Goucher, Canadian 1500m record holder Kevin Sullivan, and 2006 U.S. 1500m and 5000m championships runners-up Gabe Jennings and Matt Tegenkamp. U.S. steeplechaser, Anthony Famiglietti, should also be in the mix for the title.
On the women's side, the United States' only women's 1500m Olympian in 2004, Carrie Tollefson, leads the field. The Minnesotan will be challenged by Yelena Kanales of Russia who, with a 4:02.23 1500m personal best, is the fastest athlete entered. Other contenders include U.S. 5000m champion Lauren Fleshman, multiple New Zealand national record holder Kim Smith, Canadian 5000m champion Megan Metcalfe, and former UNC star, Erin Donohue.
The professional race winners will not only earn $4,000 but will have 70,000 Continental Airlines OnePass miles deposited into their frequent flyer accounts.
The slightly downhill course, a straight run down Fifth Avenue from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to East 60th Street, is very fast and boasts one of the oldest event records in the history of U.S. road running. In the inaugural edition of the race, American Sydney Maree ran 3:47.52, a time which has never been beaten. The women's course record is comparatively just as fast: 4:16.68 by American PattiSue Plumer set in 1990.
The event features a full slate of miles for athletes of all abilities beginning with wheelchair and handcycle athletes at 9:00 a.m., and is capped by the women's professional race at 12:35 p.m. and the men's professional race at 12:50 p.m. The official website for the event is linked to the New York Road Runners homepage at NYRR.org.
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