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Lead Stories: Monday, September 8, 2008

NYC Half Marathon: Tola Edges Makau to Win in 1:00:58

Posted July 27th, 2008 at 8:07 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

1. Tola, Tadesse (ETH) 1:00:58
2. Makau, Patrick (KEN) 1:00:59
3. Ritzenhein, Dathan (USA) 1:01:38
4. Maiyo, Richard (KEN) 1:01:55
5. Tola, Girma (ETH) 1:02:58
6. Kipsang, William (KEN) 1:03:25
7. Rotich, Hosea (KEN) 1:03:33
8. Ramaala, Hendrick (SA) 1:04:07
9. Beyi, Worku (ETH) 1:04:07
10. Tefera, Demesse (ETH) 1:04:18

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NYC Half Marathon: Pack of 4 Continue to Lead Men Through Mile 5 in 22:53

Posted July 27th, 2008 at 7:22 AM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The men’s lead pack of four just passed the 5 mile marker in 22:53 at today’s NYC Half-Marathon presented by Nike. The leaders include Tadesse Tola (ETH), Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) and Kenyan compatriots Patrick Makau and Richard Maiyo.

The next pack trails by about 8 seconds and it includes: Girma Tola (ETH), Hosea Rotich (KEN), William Kipsang (KEN), Felix Limo (KEN), Demesse Tefera (ETH) and Worku Beyi (ETH).

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Complete Elite Fields for NYC Half-Marathon

Posted July 24th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Road Racing

The New York Road Runners (NYRR) have announced the complete, wlite fields for this Sunday’s NYC Half-Marathon Presented by Nike. TheFinalSprint.com will be at the race to provide live updates, press conference videos, interviews and more!

Bib First Last City State Nat. Affiliation DOB Age PB

MEN

2 Patrick Makau N’gong KEN adidas 02-Mar-85 23 58:56
3 Dathan Ritzenhein Eugene OR USA NIKE 30-Dec-82 25 1:01:25
4 Hendrick Ramaala Johannesburg RSA adidas 02-Feb-72 36 59:20
5 William Kipsang Eldoret KEN NIKE 01-Jan-77 31 1:00:25
6 Felix Limo Eldoret KEN adidas 22-Aug-80 27 1:01:12
7 Tadesse Tola ETH NIKE 31-Oct-87 20 1:01:37
8 Khalid El Boumlili MAR NIKE 10-Apr-78 30 1:01:12
9 Adam Goucher Portland OR USA NIKE 19-Feb-76 32 1:03:17
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Makau Wins, But Ritzenhein’s Record Still Stands

Posted May 17th, 2008 at 12:09 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Given that it was his first trip to the United States, Patrick Makau wanted to make sure it was a memorable one. So, on a glorious spring morning in Central Park here, the silver medalist from last year’s IAAF World Road Running Championships bolted from the start of the 4th annual Healthy Kidney 10-K to attack Dathan Ritzenhein’s one year-old course record. A $20,000 bonus awaited him at the finish line if he could break 28:08, a very solid mark considering the difficulty of the course.

“The course record is not so hard,” Makau said at the pre-race press conference last Thursday.

The 23 year-old Kenyan from Ngong rocketed through the first mile –which is uphill– in 4:23, instantly opening up a big gap on the field. Makau didn’t let up, running the second mile in 4:24 and the third (which includes a significant climb in the north end of the park) in 4:31. By the time he hit the 5-K in 13:51 he was 23 seconds up on Ritzenhein’s record.
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Injury Forces Ritzenhein Out of Healthy Kidney 10-K

Posted May 8th, 2008 at 3:30 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Road Racing

Defending champion and event record holder Dathan Ritzenhein has been forced to withdraw from the 4th annual Healthy Kidney 10-K scheduled for Saturday, May 17, in New York City.

“We’re very disappointed not to be able to return to New York for the Healthy Kidney 10-K,” Ritzenhein told reporters on a conference call today hosted by the New York Road Runners, the founders and organizers of the race. “With a whole array of ailments, it hasn’t come together in time for me to take on the great field that’s been assembled for the race. Knowing that it might set back my preparation [for Beijing], it was with regret that we made the decision to withdraw.”

Ritzenhein, 25, of Eugene, Ore., said that the injury to the third metatarsal of his left foot, which he sustained at the USA Cross Country Championships in February, has persisted.
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Dathan Ritzenhein Returns to Action to Defend Title at 2008 Healthy Kidney 10K

Posted April 29th, 2008 at 12:00 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results

U.S Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein will return to the roads of Central Park to defend his title in the Healthy Kidney 10K on Saturday, May 17, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

Ritzenhein will face stiff competition from an international field that includes ING New York City Marathon 2006 champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil and 2007 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist Patrick Makau of Kenya.

Race sponsor Embassy of the United Arab Emirates has once again established a prize-money purse of $23,500—$7,500 for the champion—plus a $20,000 bonus for breaking the Central Park 10K record of 28 minutes, 8 seconds, which Ritzenhein set at last year’s race. Ritzenhein donated his 2007 first-place check of $7,500 to the National Kidney Foundation.

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Exciting Sprint Finishes Highlight RAK Half

Posted February 8th, 2008 at 11:00 AM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

No half-marathon in the world pays more prize money than the Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates, and it looks like race organizers got their money’s worth with today’s edition.

The road race, in only its second year, wrapped up this morning with thrilling sprint finishes on both the men’s and women’s sides. When all the dust had settled, Kenyans Patrick Makau and Salina Kosgei were declared the winners, and will take home USD 25,000 (tax free!).

Makau, a lanky and boyish athlete at age 22, continued to be impressive over his signature distance of 21,097 meters, dipping under the one-hour mark for the fifth time in his still-budding career.
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CPC Half to Feature Three Sub-60:00 Athletes

Posted February 5th, 2008 at 4:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Organizers of the City-Pier-City Half-Marathon announced yesterday that three men who have broken 60 minutes for the half-marathon distance had agreed to run in their event in The Hagur on Saturday, March 15.

It will be the 34th running of what could be called the world’s fastest half-marathon since the men’s world record of 58:33 was set there last year by Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya.

The three men are Kenyans Patrick Makau and Francis Kibiwott, and Ethiopian Deribe Merga.
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WMM Champ Cheruiyot Joins RAK Half-Marathon Field

Posted January 30th, 2008 at 3:31 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, the Kenyan whose bank account was fattened by the $500,000 he won as the inaugural World Marathon Majors champion last year, has joined the field for the Ras Al Khaimah Half-Marathon set for Friday, Feb. 8.

The “RAK Half” as it has come to be known, which was only held for the first time one year ago, has quickly established itself as the world’s top winter half-marathon. At last year’s competition, Samuel Wanjiru blazed the flat course in 58:53, then a world record. Wanjiru led two other men, Patrick Makau and Deriba Merga, under the one hour mark. Eight men broke 61 minutes.
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Makau To Run Ras Al Khaimah International Half-Marathon

Posted December 12th, 2007 at 5:15 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results

The third-fastest man ever for the half-marathon distance, Kenyan Patrick Makau, has agreed to run the 2008 Ras Al Khaimah International Half-Marathon in the United Arab Emirates next February 8, organizers announced today.

Makau, 22, has a personal best time for 21.097 km of 58:56 set in Berlin in 2007 (see attached photo), and has run 59:19 or better for the distance four times. He earned the silver medal at the IAAF World Road Running Championships last October in Udine, Italy, finishing just three seconds out of first place.
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