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Olympian
Ryan Hall to Make Debuts at ING New York City Marathon 2009 and NYC
Half-Marathon
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, 2009ÛÓAmerica’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 was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary
Wittenberg.
“Many have been waiting for
this day, including all of us at NYRR,Û¢bCrLf 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.Û¢bCrLf
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 ÛÓ
Men’s Marathon when he broke the Olympic Trials record with his winning
time of two hours, nine minutes, and two seconds. Hall went on to finish 10th
in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon in a time of 2:12:33. The first American
to finish the Boston Marathon earlier this year, placing third overall in a
time of 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,Û¢bCrLf 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.Û¢bCrLf
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
American 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.
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.
New
York Road Runners
New York
Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance
running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community
needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000
runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and
promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100,
assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as
well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country
events. NYRR’s home base in New York, and its lifelong identification
with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the
world’s top professional runners. Our youth programs provide
running to nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in New York City, around the country,
and in South Africa who would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities.
For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.
The ING New York City Marathon
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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