KIPSANG, SMITH LEAD INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE FOR NYC HALF
By David Monti
(c) 2013 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

NEW YORK (06-Mar) -- Olympic bronze medalist, Wilson Kipsang from Kenya, and the fastest-ever half-marathoner on American soil, Kim Smith of New Zealand, will lead the international challenge at the 8th NYC Half on Sunday, March 17, the New York Road Runners announced today.  Kipsang and Smith are just two of 20 Olympians who have committed to the richest and most competitive half-marathon in the United States.

Kipsang, 31, from Iten, has the fastest personal best of any man in the field: 58:59.  He was the #1 marathoner in the world last year with victories at both London and Honolulu and a third place finish in the Olympic Games.  Kipsang is using the NYC Half to tune-up for his title defense at the Virgin London Marathon in April.

"I'm glad to come back to New York," said Kipsang through a statement, who was scheduled to run the ING New York City Marathon last November before its cancellation in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. "At the moment, I train a few times a week with Geoffrey Mutai, and my preparation is going well for my spring marathon in April. My preparation for the half-marathon in New York is OK, and I hope I can run a time below 60 minutes—that's my goal."

Besides American stars Abdi Abdirahman, Meb Keflezighi, Bernard Lagat, and Dathan Ritzenhein, Kipsang will have to beat several other international medalists in order to win in New York.  His chief international rival is likely to be 2012 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist Deressa Chimsa of Ethiopia (60:51 PB) who, like Kipsang, will be running his first-ever race in New York.  Three-time Pan Am Games medalist Juan Luis Barrios of Mexico (61:48), also hopes to be in the mix as does 2009 IAAF World Championships steeplechase bronze medalist Bob Tahri of France (debut), and two-time European Championships 10,000m silver medalist Daniele Meucci of Italy (62:30).  Former NCAA champions --all Kenyans-- Sam Chelanga (Liberty University, 61:19), Stephen Sambu (University of Arizona, 63:02) and Leonard Korir (Iona College, debut) are also competing.

On the women's side, Smith hopes to move up one place from her runner-up position in last year's race where she was drafted by Ethiopia's Firehiwot Dado until the final meters before the finish when Dado sprinted past her to get the win.  Smith's career best is 67:11, the fastest-ever half-marathon run on U.S. soil, set at the Rock 'n' Roll Philadelphia Half-Marathon in 2011.

"I'm really looking forward to racing my favorite distance at the NYC Half again this year," said Smith, 31, who lives in Providence, R.I., and is still trained by her college coach Ray Treacy. "After coming close to winning last year, I want to come back and get the top spot on the podium. I hope that doing half-marathons early in the year will set me up for some fast times at the shorter distance of five and 10 kilometers this summer."

But race director and NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg hasn't made it easy for Smith.  She'll face three of Europe's best distance runners, including newly crowned European Indoor 3000m champion Sara Moreira of Portugal (70:08 PB), Italian marathon record holder Valeria Straneo (67:46), and three-time German Olympian Sabrina Mockenhaupt (68:45).  Also hoping for top placings will be Kenya's Caroline Rotich (68:52); New Zealand's Mary Davies (71:49); Britain's Claire Hallissey (72:02), Susan Partridge (70:32), and Frey Ross (72:23); Croatia's Lisa Stublic (70:31); Japan's Tomomi Tanaka (69:47); Brazil's Adriana Da Silva (73:16); Mexico's Madai Perez (69:45); the Netherlands' Adrienne Herzog (debut), and Burundi's Diane Nukuri-Johnson (70:55).

"We are privileged to host Wilson Kipsang and Kim Smith here in New York again, and welcome every opportunity for them to run through the streets of the City," said Wittenberg, an avid runner. "The diversity of this field is similar to the diversity of New York.  Just like the runners who travel across the country for this event share their stories with friends and families back home, these decorated international athletes bring a piece of NYC back to their countries."

The NYC Half has a prize money purse of $100,000, with $20,000 going to both the male and female winners.  The event records are both held by Ethiopians: 59:24 by Haile Gebrselassie (2007) and 68:35 by Firehiwot Dado (2012).  The race will be broadcast LIVE on WABC-TV from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and online at 7online.com. It will also stream live nationally on ESPN3.com.

ENDS

PHOTO: Wilson Kipsang winning the 2012 Honolulu Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)