KEFLEZIGHI TO LEAD AMERICAN CHARGE AT NYC HALF-MARATHON
By David Monti
(c) 2010 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - used with permission

NEW YORK (11-Feb) -- Reigning ING New York City Marathon champion and Olympic silver medallist Meb Keflezighi will lead the home country charge at the NYC Half-Marathon here on Sunday, March 21, the New York Road Runners announced here today.

For Keflezighi, 34, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., the 21-kilometer race from Central Park, through Times Square, to Battery Park will be his first competition since last November when he became the first American man to win the ING New York City Marathon since Alberto Salazar in 1983.  Keflezighi, who has won 20 national titles and has a half-marathon personal best of 61:00, will be using the half-marathon here to prepare himself for the Boston Marathon one month later.

"Coming back to race in New York after the victory in the ING New York City Marathon will be very special for me and my supporters," Keflezighi explained through a prepared statement.  "I was a part of the inaugural NYC Half-Marathon in 2006 and I am delighted to be competing in the new spring edition."

The first four editions of the race had been held in the summer, and despite warm and humid conditions produced fast times.  Marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie ran 59:24 on the course when he won the race in 2007, still the second-fastest half-marathon ever run in the United States.  Like Keflezighi, Gebrselassie has also committed to this year's race.

The NYRR also announced three other American men who will compete here.  Abdi Abdirahman, 33, of Tucson, Ariz., will make his fourth appearance at the NYC Half-Marathon, the site of one of the greatest performances of his career.  In 2007, he surged just north of Times Square to drop four-time Boston Marathon champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and was beaten only by Gebrselassie.  He ran a career best 60:29.  Abdirahman, a three-time Olympian, has won 12 national titles, and has been the USA 10,000m champion four times.  He's running the Virgin London Marathon in April.

Also competing, and making his half-marathon debut, will be two-time Olympian Anthony Famiglietti, 31, of Knoxville, Tenn.  A steeplechaser for most of his career with a personal best of 8:17.34 and two national titles, Famiglietti has made a noteworthy transition to the roads.  He's won four USA road running titles since 2006, and was the USA 15-K champion in 2009.  He has a 10,000m personal best of 27:37.74.

Josh Rohatinsky, 27, of Portland, Ore., brings a half-marathon best of 62:45 to the race.  The 2006 NCAA cross country champion will be making his NYC Half-Marathon debut.

"Meb and the American athletes are stronger than ever," said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.  "Each will be looking to take on Haile and the others in what promises to be a spectacular run through the city streets."

The NYC Half-Marathon features a $100,000 prize money purse, the largest of any half-marathon in the United States, with $20,000 going to the winners.  Wittenberg said that some 20,000 runners applied for the race through a lottery, and more than 10,000 will complete the course on race day.

ENDS