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NYC Half Marathon:
Elite Preview

Posted July 26th, 2008 at 2:30 PM by Cheryl Lowe

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

Thousands of runners will hit the streets of New York City this Sunday, July 27, at 7:00 AM for the NYC Half Marathon presented by Nike. The 13.1-mile race is expected to be a big hit with distance runners, and with a hefty amount of prize money for the top ten finishers, the event is also sure to draw a few elite athletes to the starting line. In addition to the endorphin high and feeling of accomplishment, top male and female finishers in the Open Division will be able to take home $10,000 each. The race is on the final day of the Runner Experience, a four-day-long festival of fitness held at Niketown.

Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) is expected to be among the top American male finishers as he prepares for the marathon race at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China next month. Ritzenhein has had recent success by finishing 8th place in the men’s 10,000 meter race at the Track & Field Olympic Trials on July 4, and with a half-marathon PR of 1:01:25 set in 2006, this race could very likely provide an opportunity to set a new PR.

Adam Goucher (USA) is also slated to run the race tomorrow. Goucher is getting some road racing action in after the same tough 10K race at the Track & Field Olympic Trials where he finished in 7th place, a spot ahead of Ritzenhein.

Felix Limo (KEN), one of the world’s top marathon runners, will be making his first New York appearance by running in the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday. Limo is a top contender for the first-place title, along with fellow Kenyans Patrick Makau and William Kipsang. Makau won the 2008 Healthy Kidney 10K on May 17 in 28:19, the third fastest time in the race’s history. Kipsang broke Limo’s previous course record at the 2008 Rotterdam Marathon in April, breaking the tape in 2:05.49.

In the women’s field, “Catherine the Great” Ndereba (KEN) is a sure favorite to win the title. Ndereba, the first-ever female to break 2:19 in the marathon, is one of the fastest-ever female distance runners from Kenya. She won the inaugural NYC Half Marathon in 2006, and has this year’s field’s fastest PR of 1:07.54. Yuri Kano (JPN) will also be on the starting line. Last month at the 2008 Sapporo Half Marathon, Kano ran her personal best in the distance, clocking a 1:08.57.

Colleen De Reuck (USA) and Zoila Gomez (USA) are the two fastest American women going into tomorow’s race. De Reuck, whose half marathon PR is 1:08.38, finished in 5th place at the inaugural NYC Half Marathon race in 2006. De Reuck has made a come back to the road racing scene since being sidelined from entering the 2008 Olympic Trials Women’s Marathon this past April. Since then, she won the USA Masters 10K Championship race in Austin, TX in 34:17.

Zoila Gomez is expected to be a contender for one of the top spots in the women’s field as well. Gomez leapt to the next level in marathon racing when she unexpectedly finished in fourth place at the 2008 Olympic Trials Women’s Marathon behind Blake Russell. Gomez has a personal best of 1:13.49 in the half marathon distance, and after finishing in eighth place at last year’s NYC Half Marathon, expect her to improve upon her performance this year.

With a total prize purse of more than $70,000, this race will be an exciting one to see unfold as many of the world’s elite distance runners will fight for the top spots on the podium.

The top 20 seeded male elite entries are as follows:

Patrick Makau N’gong KEN adidas 02-Mar-85 23
Dathan Ritzenhein Eugene OR USA NIKE 30-Dec-82 25
Hendrick Ramaala Johannesburg RSA adidas 02-Feb-72 36
William Kipsang Eldoret KEN NIKE 01-Jan-77 31
Felix Limo Eldoret KEN adidas 22-Aug-80 27
Tadesse Tola ETH NIKE 31-Oct-87 20
Khalid El Boumlili MAR NIKE 10-Apr-78 30
Adam Goucher Portland OR USA NIKE 19-Feb-76 32
Hosea Rotich KEN NIKE 02-Aug-79 29
Fasil Bizuneh Flagstaff AZ USA New Balance 05-May-80 28
Girma Tola High Falls NY ETH Westchester TC 15-Oct-75 32
Richard Kiplagat New Rochelle NY KEN New Balance 05-Jan-80 28
Richard Maiyo KEN NIKE 24-Dec-76 31
Fernando Cabada Boulder CO USA Reebok 22-Apr-82 26
Demesse Tefera Bronx NY ETH Westchester TC 15-Dec-82 25
Worku Beyi Bronx NY ETH Westchester TC 25-Feb-87 21
Dagne Alemu New York NY ETH Unat. 15-Oct-81 26
Dylan Wykes Providence RI CAN BAA 06-Jun-83 25

The top 20 seeded elite female entries are as follows:

Catherine Ndereba Nairobi KEN NIKE 21-Jul-72 36
Benita Johnson Canberra AUS NIKE 06-May-79 29
Yuri Kano Tokyo JPN Second Wind 27-Oct-78 29
Madai Perez San Luis Potosi MEX NIKE 02-Feb-80 28
Alice Timbilili KEN NIKE 01-Feb-83 25
Rose Cheruiyot Eldoret KEN NIKE 21-Jul-76 32
Kiyoko Shimahara Tokyo JPN Second Wind 22-Dec-76 31
Alevtina Biktimirova RUS adidas 10-Sep-82 25
Everlyne Lagat Albuquerque NM KEN NIKE 02-Dec-80 27
Colleen De Reuck Boulder CO USA NIKE 13-Jun-64 44
Lyudmila Biktasheva RUS Mizuno 25-Jul-74 34
Zoila Gomez Alamosa CO USA ASICS 07-Jun-79 29
Ann Alyanak Bellbrook OH USA Brooks 16-Sep-78 29
Aziza Aliyu Bronx NY ETH Westchester TC 20-Oct-85 22
Alemteshay Misganaw New York NY ETH Westchester TC 24-Aug-80 27
Sebleledet Mariam High Falls NY ETH Westchester TC 17-Apr-85 23
Meseret Kotu New York NY ETH WSX 20-Jan-81 27
Ilsa Paulson Flagstaff AZ USA Unattached 08-Nov-88 19
Atalelech Asfaw (Ketema) Bronx NY ETH Westchester TC 29-Jan-83 25
Buzunesh Deba Bronx NY ETH Westchester TC 08-Sep-87 20

For more information about the NYC Half Marathon, please visit the official NYRR website.

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