KEFLEZIGHI AND KASTOR COMMIT TO ING NYC MARATHON
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
NEW YORK (07-Apr) -- Olympic marathon medallists Meb Keflezighi and
Deena Kastor, both of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., committed today to run the
2010 ING New York City Marathon, the New York Road Runners announced
here today. Keflezighi will attempt to retain the ING NYC Marathon
title he won last year --the first by an American in 27 years-- while
Kastor will attempt to win her first.
"With Meb's win last year and Deena's gutsy efforts over the years,
they have become part of the magic and history of our marathon," said
New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg in a statement.
"We are so pleased to welcome them back today, as we warmly welcome
runners from around the globe to our ING NYC Marathon 2010."
For Keflezighi, 34, who will run the Boston Marathon in 12 days, this
will be his sixth ING New York City Marathon appearance. He made his
marathon debut in New York in 2002, then finished second in 2004 and
third in 2005 before winning a two-man duel with Kenyan Robert Kipkoech
Cheruiyot in last year's race, running a personal best 2:09:15.
"The ING New York City Marathon has been the core race in my marathon
career," said Keflezighi in prepared remarks. "I came back several
times looking for that elusive victory and I finally got it. I hope
that my victory on November 1, 2009, teaches us that while we may not
accomplish our dreams and goals overnight, we need to stay committed."
Like Keflezighi, Kastor, 37, began her marathon career in New York.
While the rubble of the fallen World Trade Center still smoldered in
2001, Kastor set a then USA debut record of 2:26:58, finishing seventh
overall and winning her first USA marathon title. Subsequently, she
failed to finish the 2004 race (after winning her Olympic Marathon
bronze medal less than three months before), and finished sixth in
2006. She also participated in the race in 2003 as a special pacer for
women who were trying to qualify for the USA Olympic Marathon Trials.
Kastor has earned World Marathon Majors victories at Chicago in 2005
and London in 2006; she's running the Virgin London Marathon on April
25.
"I was brought to tears when Meb won [last year] against a stellar
field of the world's best, and I'm inspired to commit to succeeding in
New York come November," said Kastor through a statement. "The ING New
York City Marathon is a perfect representation of the diversity that
the city is known for, and it's wonderful to be part of such
high-spirited celebration of running."
On the same day that Keflezighi and Kastor committed to the event's
professional division, the first recreational runners were selected out
of a record pool of 120,000 in the marathon's annual entry lottery (it
was the fourth consecutive year that over 100,000 runners had requested
entry). On a live streaming internet broadcast from the Parker
Meridien Hotel near the race's Central Park finish line, the race
announced that Victoria Salbu of Oslo, Norway, was the first runner to
gain entry.
"A quantum leap in the number of marathon applicants, in the midst of
the recession, speaks volumes about the importance of the ING NEW York
City Marathon in the lives of so many," said Wittenberg, who is
planning for a starting field of 42,000 to 43,000.
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