Gebrselassie Leads Stellar Field at NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE – Ndereba to defend crown; $70,000 prize purse; 10,000 plus field

NEW YORK – (August 2, 2007) – A stellar field with Olympic and World Championship medalists and world record holders plus over 10,000 participants are expected for the 2nd NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE set for Sunday, August 5. The inaugural race had 10,294 finishers and the New York Road Runners expect a larger turnout this year.

The men’s field, arguably the strongest ever assembled for the distance in the United States, is led by running legend Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, in his New York City debut, reigning Boston and LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya and American Olympians Abdi Abdirahman and Alan Culpepper. Khalid Khannouchi, the U.S. marathon record holder, has withdrawn due to a biomechanical problem.

Kenyan Catherine Ndereba, 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist and defending race champion, tops the women’s field which also includes countrywoman Hilda Kibet, Madai Perez of Mexico, Yuri Kano of Japan and Nina Rillstone of New Zealand.

Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the male and female champions each receiving $10,000.

On a course designed to celebrate New York City, the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE 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.

Sunday’s New York City weather forecast calls for mostly sunny and morning temperatures in the 70s.

2007 NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE by the numbers:
* Two men who have won four of the current 2006-07 World Marathon Majors Series races between them
* Two current or former world record holders
* Three World Championships individual medalists
* Three men who have broken one hour for the half-marathon and one who has broken 59 minutes
* Six Olympians
* Seven national record holders
* Ten 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials marathon qualifiers

The complete professional fields are posted below, with bib numbers, nationalities, team affiliations, age on race day and personal best HM times (venue / year):

MEN
1 Gebrselassie, Haile, ETH, adidas, 34, 58:55 (Phoenix, 2006)
2 Cheruiyot, Robert K., KEN, Nike, 28, 59:21 (Lisbon, 2005)
3 Abdirahman, Abdi, Tucson, AZ, USA, Nike, 30, 1:01:07 (Philadelphia, 2006)
6 Ramaala, Hendrick, RSA, adidas, 35, 59:20 (Lisbon, 2000)
7 Kwambai, James, KEN, Nike, 24, 1:00:45 (Roma-Ostia, 2005)
9 Korir, John, KEN, Nike, 31, 1:02:22 (Virginia Beach, 2005)
10 Röthlin, Viktor, SUI, 32, 1:02:16 (Milano, 2006)
11 Culpepper, Alan, Lafayette, CO, USA, Nike, 34, 1:03:11 (Austin, 2006)
12 Ndereba, Samuel, KEN, Nike, 30, 1:01:50 (Philadelphia, 2006)
14 Ngolepus, Charles, KEN, Shoe4Africa, 19, 1:01:07 (Vienna, 2006)
15 Tefera, Demesse, New York, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 24, 1:02:23 (Austin, 2007)
17 Beyi, Worku, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 20, 1:03:41 (NYC Half, 2006)
18 Deniboba, Derese, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 25, 1:05:17 (Philadelphia, 2006)
19 Gilmore, Peter, Menlo Park, CA, USA, MarathonGuide.com, 30, 1:04:31 (Boston, 2006)
21 Leslie, Brandon, Albuquerque, NM, USA, Brooks, 31, 1:03:10 (Houston, 2006)
22 Megerssa, Gurmessa, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 27, Debut
23 Too, Solomon, Peekskill, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 22, Debut
24 Too, Daniel, Peekskill, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 30, 1:02:15 (Gargnano, 2001)
25 Tufa, Genna, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 23, Debut
26 Wykes, Dylan, Providence, RI, CAN, BAA, 24, Debut
27 Yuot, Macharia, Philadelphia, PA, SUD, Unattached, 25, 1:06:19 (Philadelphia, 2006)
28 Little, Jon, Indianapolis, IN, USA, Kansas City Smoke, 26, 1:08:16 (Pacific Shoreline, 2006)
29 Kabiso, Kassahun, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 23, 1:05:31 (NYC Half, 2006)
30 El Boumlili, Khalid, MAR, Unattached, 29, 1:03:20 (Layoune, 2005)
31 Awol, Mohamed, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 28, 1:06:13 (Fairfield, 2007)
32 Cannon, Robert, Toms River, NJ, USA, Unattached, 24, 1:08:59 (NYC Half, 2006)
33 Chemlany, Stephen, Peekskill, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 25, Debut
34 Bouazza, Abidi, Peekskill, NY, USA, Westchester TC, 36, 1:12:48 (New Bedford, 1998)
35 Feyissa, Retta, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 31, 1:09:34 (Staten Island, 2004)
36 Psitet, Timothy, Peekskill, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 26, 1:07:10 (Fairfield, 2007)
37 Rundell, Carl, Birmingham, MI, USA, FCA-Endurance, 39, 1:08:38 (Houston, 2004)
38 Gapak, Edward, New York, NY, UKR, Warren Street, 24, 1:09:21 (Brooklyn, 2007)
39 Horneck, Brian, USA, Brooks Manhattan TC, Debut

WOMEN
50 Ndereba, Catherine, KEN, Nike, 35, 1:07:54 (The Hague, 2001)
51 Kibet, Hilda, KEN, adidas, 26, 1:09:43 (Den Haag, 2007)
52 Perez, Madai, MEX, Nike, 27, 1:10:36 (Monterrey, 2005)
53 Kano, Yuri, JPN, Second Wind A.C., 28, 1:10:28 (Miyazaki, 2003)
54 Rillstone, Nina, NZL, adidas, 32, 1:10:49 (Christchurch, 2005)
55 Oshima, Megumi, JPN, Shimamura, 31, 1:09:59 (Sapporo, 2005)
56 Ozaki, Akemi, JPN, Second Wind AC, 29, 1:10:31 (Marugame, 2003)
57 Misganaw, Alemteshay, New York, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 26, 1:15:03 (Austin, 2006)
58 Gomez, Zoila, Alamosa, CO, USA, TBD, 28, 1:13:49 (Houston, 2007)
59 Akbar, Samia, Herndon, VA, USA, Reebok, 25, 1:13:12 (Philadelphia, 2006)
60 Loken, Susan, Phoenix, AZ, USA, ASICS, 44, 1:16:26 (Austin, 2004)
61 Camargo, Claudia, Danbury, CT, ARG, West Side Runners, 36, 1:13:39 (NYC Half, 2006)
62 Aliyu, Aziza, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 21, 1:15:18 (NYC Half/debut, 2006)
63 Ketema, Atalelech, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 24, Debut
64 Berhe, Leteyesus, Peekskill, NY, ETH, Westchester TC, 29, 1:16:16 (Grete’s Gallop, 2001)
65 Bierbaum, Caroline, New York, NY, USA, Nike, 23, Debut
66 Chelanga, Emmily, Peekskill, NY, KEN, Westchester TC, 26, Debut
67 Field, Arianne, New York, NY, USA, NYAC, 22, Debut
68 Mullen, Catha, USA, NYAC, 22, Debut (16:04.75 5000m)

Men’s bios at:
www.nyrr.org/races/pro/nychalf/07bios_men.asp

Women’s bios at:
www.nyrr.org/races/pro/nychalf/07bios_women.asp

For more information, visit:
NYRR.org

Source/Courtesy: Running USA – RunningUSA.org

Ryan Lamppa,
Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232
Ryan@RunningUSA.org |
www.RunningUSA.org