Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba running in Bogata (© Victah Sailer)
New York, USAThe opportunity to become the first ever New York City Half Marathon champion passed from the reigning NYC Marathon champion Paul Tergat to Olympic medallist Mebrahtom Keflezighi, when Tergat withdrew from Sunday’s (27 August) half marathon. Tergat’s wife Monica prematurely gave birth to the couple’s fourth daughter in their native Kenya, prompting him to cancel his trip to be with his family, who are reported to be doing well.
The 2004 Olympic marathon silver medallist Keflezighi of the U.S., who took second in New York the same year, was added to Sunday’s field, which already includes former World 5000m bronze medalist Tom Nyariki of Kenya, winner of the Beach to Beacon 10K in Maine this month, and Americans Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper, who placed in the top five at the 2005 NYC and 2006 Boston marathons respectively. The Eritrean-born Keflezighi is the 2006 U.S. national 10,000m runner-up and will make his official half-marathon debut in New York.
“While we hate to lose Paul, we gain Meb, so as far as trades go, this is a pretty good swap,” Mary Wittenberg, CEO of the race organizer, New York Road Runners, said. “With two top-three finishes in the last two ING New York City Marathons, Meb knows how to run well on the city streets.”
The course of Sunday’s race cuts across key New York landmarks, including Central Park and Times Square, and follows the Hudson River to the financial district.
“Catherine the Great” and the reigning World Half Marathon Champion
The first woman to run a sub-2:19 marathon, Catherine Ndereba of Kenya will be looking to take the first NYC Half Marathon women’s title ahead of a strong field Sunday. In 2006, “Catherine the Great” won the Osaka Ladies’ Marathon in January and Bogota Half Marathon in July, adding to a list of victories that includes four Boston and two Chicago marathon wins since 2000.
The Olympic and World marathon silver medallist will face a stiff challenge from Romania’s Constantina Tomescu-Dita, who last autumn took bronze behind Ndereba at the 2005 Worlds in Helsinki and then went on to win the World Half Marathon Championships in Edmonton and take second in the Chicago marathon.
Sunday’s field also includes two former World Cross Country medallists: Australia’s 2004 World Champion Benita Johnson, who placed fourth over both the long and short course races in 2006; and South African native Colleen De Reuck of the U.S., the 2002 World bronze medallist and 2006 U.S. second-placer.
Sabrina Yohannes for the IAAF
