Former Champion Keflezighi Returns as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador to Support NYRR’s Free Youth Running Programs

NYRR Press Release

New York, September 14, 2015—Defending champion Wilson Kipsang of Kenya will join American marathon icon Meb Keflezighi, running as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador for the second consecutive year, to headline a world-class professional men’s field at the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, set for Sunday, November 1, it was announced today by Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon.

Joining Kipsang and Keflezighi will be 2014 runner-up Lelisa Desisa, winner of this year’s Boston Marathon, and 2014 third-place finisher Gebre Gebremariam, both of Ethiopia, as well as previously announced IAAF World Championships 10,000-meter silver-medalist Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya.

“We’re thrilled to welcome back our defending champion Wilson Kipsang, along with Meb Keflezighi, America’s top marathoner, and this year’s Boston Marathon champion, Lelisa Desisa, for the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon,” said Ciaccia. “Fans lining the 26.2-mile route across the city will get to see the world’s top marathoners, many of whom will be running for their home countries in the 2016 Olympic Games next summer in Rio. This is one of our most exciting fields in years and a key race in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX. More than a million people will watch the race live while the global television broadcast will make it available to 500 million homes worldwide.”

As an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, Keflezighi will support the organization’s charity running team in their efforts to reach a fundraising goal of $5 million, lead training runs, and participate in a variety of race-week activities. NYRR’s Team for Kids, the TCS New York City Marathon’s largest charity, is a committed group of adult runners from around the world who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR’s free youth running programs, which serve more than 200,000 kids locally and nationally, including more than 120,000 in New York’s five boroughs.

“Our mission at New York Road Runners is to help and inspire through running, whether in one of our more than 50 events a year like the TCS New York City Marathon or in a youth running program at a local school,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “Having the world’s top professional athletes running through the neighborhoods of the five boroughs is an important part of our efforts. Role models are important, and that’s why Meb’s commitment to serving as a Team for Kids Ambassador is so exciting. He’ll lead a group of 2,000 NYRR Team for Kids charity runners in the marathon to help raise awareness and funds that support our free youth running programs throughout New York City and the nation, introducing the benefits of the sport to 200,000 kids, one of whom might just become the next Meb Keflezighi.”

Kipsang, 33, of Kenya, is the defending TCS New York City Marathon champion and the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series VIII champion. He earned a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Marathon and has run under 2:05 six times—the most in history. Kipsang, the former marathon world-record holder, ran his personal best of 2:03:23 to win the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He won the London Marathon in 2013 and 2014, the latter in a course record of 2:04:29, and placed second at the same event in 2015. Kipsang won the 2013 NYC Half with a time of 1:01:02.

“My training is going very well and I am very happy to come back to race the streets of New York City again and defend my title,” said Kipsang.

Keflezighi, 40, of San Diego, CA, is the 2014 Boston Marathon and 2009 New York City Marathon champion. He earned a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games and finished fourth in 2012. Keflezighi, a three-time Olympian, took fourth place at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, while running as a Team for Kids Ambassador, his seventh top-10 finish at the race. He has won more than 20 national championships in track and field, cross country, and road racing.

“I am so excited to announce that I will be back in the Big Apple for my 10th TCS New York City Marathon this November,” said Keflezighi. “The New York Road Runners has been a great source of support throughout my career. I love supporting this great organization and race. This year, I will once again serve as a Team for Kids Ambassador.”

Kamworor, 22, won the gold medal at both the 2015 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2014 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships and earned the 2015 world outdoor 10,000-meter silver medal; he is only the third person in history to accomplish such a feat. In his marathon debut at the 2012 Berlin Marathon, he finished third in 2:06:12; at the same event in 2013 and 2014 he finished third and fourth, respectively. In 2013, he ran a 58:54 at the RAK Half-Marathon, becoming the ninth-fastest performer of all time and the fastest half-marathoner that year.

Desisa, 25, finished as the runner-up at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon and is a two-time Boston Marathon champion (2013, 2015), making him the only Ethiopian man to attain two Boston Marathon victories. In 2013, he earned a silver medal at the IAAF World Marathon Championships and won the Dubai Marathon; he placed second at the 2015 Dubai Marathon.

Gebremariam, 31, won the 2010 New York City Marathon in 2:08:14 in his marathon debut; he finished third in 2014 and fourth in 2011. He is the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country champion and finished third at both the 2011 and 2013 Boston Marathons. Gebremariam, a two-time Olympian, was the 2011 NYC Half runner-up and won the 2010 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K.

Additional Select Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances

·         Yemane Tsegaye, 30, of Ethiopia, earned the silver medal at the 2015 IAAF World Marathon Championships; this performance, in addition to his second-place finish at the 2015 Boston Marathon, currently ranks him first in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series IX standings. He ran a personal best of 2:04:48 to win the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon.

·         Juan Luis Barrios, 32, of Mexico, finished third at the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half. He is a two-time Olympian and won the gold medal in the 5000 meters at the 2011 Pan American Games. He took fifth in the 2013 NYC Half and improved to fourth at the same event in 2014. He has won seven gold medals at the Central American and Caribbean Track and Field Championships.

·         Stanley Biwott, 29, of Kenya, is the second-fastest half-marathon runner in the world this year, recording a time of 59:20 at the City-Pier-City Half Marathon. He was the runner-up in the 2014 London Marathon and winner of the 2012 Paris Marathon, where he set the course record of 2:05:11.

·         Nick Arciniaga, 31, of Flagstaff, AZ, USA, is the 2013 USA Marathon champion. He represented the United States at the 2011 IAAF World Championships and finished seventh at the 2014 Boston Marathon. He finished 10th at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon and eighth in 2009. He has a personal best of 2:11:30 from the 2011 Houston Marathon, where he finished second.

·         Daniele Meucci, 29, of Italy, is the 2014 European Marathon champion. In the 10,000 meters, he won the silver medal at the 2012 European Championships and the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championships. Meucci, a 2012 Olympian, won the 2012 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K and finished second at the 2013 NYC Half.

The 2015 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, November 1, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tri-state area from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be live on abc7NY.com and via the WatchABC app, as well as via WatchESPN on computers, tablets, smartphones, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One for those who have video subscriptions from affiliated providers. Additionally, the race will be available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes+. Pre-race coverage will be carried live in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET and pre- and post-race coverage will be also be carried live nationally on ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network ESPN3 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. ET and from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. ET. ESPN3 will also present a view of the finish line from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Additional race-weekend events will be carried live in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV, Channel 7 on Friday, October 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. ET and Saturday, October 31, from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. A national compilation show will air after the race from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. ET on ABC. International viewers can watch the broadcast from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).

For the latest TCS New York City Marathon news and media information and to apply for a TCS New York City Marathon credential to cover the event on race day, please visit the NYRR online media center at nyrr.org/mediacenter and follow us on Twitter@nyrrnews.