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Oct-3-2005
Chepkemei, Okayo And Petrova Added To NYCM Field
by David Monti
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
NEW YORK (03-Oct) -- The New York Road Runners announced today that two
former champions and last Saturday's bronze medalist at the IAAF World
Half-Marathon Championships have been added to an already strong field for
the 36th running of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.
Margaret Okayo, the Kenyan who holds the course record and who won the race
in both 2001 and 2003, will attempt to mount the podium for a third time
after finishing fourth last year in 2:26:31. She placed fourth at the 2005
Flora London Marathon in 2:25:22 and has a career best time of 2:20:43 set
in Boston in 2002.
Ludmila Petrova of Russia was the surprise winner in 2000, and is one of the
most consistent runners in the history of the storied Five Borough race.
She's competed in New York five times, and with the exception of her DNF
last year, has never finished worse than eighth. She has a best time of
2:22:33.
Susan Chepkemei earned her fourth medal at the IAAF World Half-Marathon
Championships last weekend, this time a bronze to go with her three silvers.
With a 2:23:12 personal best, she has an enviable record at New York twice
finishing second, including a narrow three-second loss to Paula Radcliffe at
last year's race.
Lyubov Denisova, another Russian, was also added to the field. Like
Chepkemei, she has twice finished on the podium in New York (second in 2002
and and third in 2004) and is twice the City of Los Angeles Marathon
champion and course record holder. She has a personal best time of
2:25:18.
With special financial support from the Dutch financial powerhouse, ING, in
connection with their Run for Something Better program, this year's marathon
in New York is offering an unprecedented prize money purse for women,
including a $130,000 first prize, the highest in all of road running.
"This is a historic year for women as they chase the largest first-place
purse in the sport, and we have put together a formidable field of athletes
who all know how to win," said race director and New York Road Runners
President CEO, Mary Wittenberg. "It's anybody's race to take home the
$130,000 champion's prize."
Later today Wittenberg will join World Half-Marathon silver medalist, Lornah
Kiplagat of the Netherlands, at Public School 69 in the Bronx, one of the
New York Road Runners Foundation's after-school programs that will directly
benefit from money being donated by ING on behalf of the top women finishers
as part of the ING Run for Something Better program.
NOTE: Race Results Weekly provides elite athlete consulting to the New
York Road Runners --Ed.
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