Hall returns to the streets of New York as a leading contender in the 40th running of the five-borough classic in November and at the famed NYC Half-Marathon in August
NEW YORK - (July 23, 2009) - America's best marathoner, Ryan Hall, will make his long-awaited debut at this year's most famous New York running events, the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, and at the NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, August 16, it has been announced by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
"Many have been waiting for this day, including all of us at NYRR," Wittenberg said. "We are so glad that this is the year that Ryan Hall will take on the history, the hills, the competition and all that New York can throw at an athlete in his or her quest to be not only America's best, but one of the world's best. It is doubly exciting to announce Ryan in both the NYC Half-Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon."
Hall, 26, of Mammoth Lakes, CA, had one of his career's finest performances in New York's Central Park at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon when he broke the Olympic Trials record with his winning time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 2 seconds. Hall went on to finish 10th in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon in 2:12:33. The first American to finish the Boston Marathon earlier this year, placing third overall in 2:09:40, Hall will be making his ING New York City Marathon debut.
"I've been out to New York to watch the marathon every year since 2006, and now I'm thrilled to run on the streets of New York for what will be my sixth marathon," Hall said. "My previous marathons and thousands of miles logged in training have prepared me for the opportunity to try and win in New York. I couldn't ask for a bigger stage to get to compete on, and I'm honored to be a part of the great American and international field that NYRR are bringing out."
Hall has been one of America's top marathoners since his compelling debut at the distance in London in 2007, when he finished seventh in 2:08:24, the fastest debut marathon ever run by an American. In 2008, he became the second-fastest U.S. marathoner of all-time when he ran 2:06:17 to take fifth place at that year's Flora London Marathon.
Hall and his previously announced 2008 Olympian teammate, Brian Sell, are the first invited entrants in the ING New York City Marathon 2009 (and USA Men's Marathon Championship).
Hall will also be a leading contender in the NYC Half-Marathon, which attracts the world's leading professional athletes, in addition to a sold-out field of more than 10,000 runners from around the world. Runners were admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, a change from the lottery entry process that was used in previous years. Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the men's and women's winners each receiving $10,000.
On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC Half-Marathon will take runners on a loop through Central Park, down Seventh Avenue through Times Square, across 42nd Street, and along the expansive West Side Highway to Battery Park in the heart of the city's financial district, finishing with a view of the Statue of Liberty.
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon is one of the world's great road races, drawing nearly 105,000 applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and more than 300 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the nearly 788,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit: www.INGnycmarathon.org
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