Marielle Hall, Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, Eric Jenkins, and Scott Fauble to race 5K before taking part in the NYRR Lead Vehicle Program at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon
Thousands of local runners and people visiting from around the world to join run from midtown Manhattan to iconic TCS New York City Marathon finish line
New York, October 25, 2016 - Defending champions Donn Cabral (USA) and Alexi Pappas (GRE), both fresh off their appearances at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, will headline the elite athlete fields at the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K on Saturday, November 5, it was announced by New York Road Runners.
Lead Vehicle Program participant Eric Jenkins (L) and Defending Champion Alexi Pappas (R)
Over 10,000 runners from New York City and around the world will participate in the celebratory race as a prelude to the next day’s TCS New York City Marathon.
Since her 2015 victory, Pappas represented Greece in the Olympics, finishing 17th in the highly competitive women’s 10,000 meters with a time of 31:36.16, a Greek national record. In June her film "Tracktown," which she co-directed and stars in, premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The film, which follows an aspiring Olympic athlete who’s forced to take a day off, will be featured in a special screening at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion on Wednesday, November 2.
Cabral has also experienced success since he broke the tape in 2015. The two-time Olympian, who trains with the New Jersey*New York Track Club, finished in eighth place with a time of 8:25.81 in the Rio 2016 Olympic 3000-meter steeplechase. Cabral’s strong showing in Rio has become a part of what many have called the new era of American distance running.
The USA’s Marielle Hall and Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal are also among the Olympians who will be part of the elite fields. They will be joined by 2016 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile champion Eric Jenkins and USA Half Marathon Championships runner-up Scott Fauble in the event, and all four will participate in this year’s NYRR Lead Vehicle Program at the TCS New York City Marathon the following day.
Since 2005, the NYRR Lead Vehicle Program has provided world-class runners who have yet to debut at the marathon distance with the chance to experience the energy and excitement of the TCS New York City Marathon while riding in a lead vehicle ahead of the professional athlete fields. As part of the program, participants also take part in race-week activities and participate in the TCS New York City Marathon professional athlete experience.
Hall represented the U.S. at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games after finishing third in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials 10,000 meters behind Molly Huddle and Emily Infield.
Representing Norway in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Bjerkeli Grøvdal has become one of Europe’s top distance runners. She finished in the top 10 of both the 5000 and 10,000 meters in Rio.
Jenkins narrowly missed an Olympic berth with a fourth-place finish in the 5000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, but then outkicked 2016 Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz for the top spot at the 2016 New Balance 5th Avenue Mile.
Fauble, who also just missed an appearance in Rio with a fourth-place finish in the U.S. Olympic Trials 10,000 meters, finished the 2016 USA Half Marathon Championships in second place with a personal best time of 1:03:06.
Past athletes who have participated in the Lead Vehicle Program and gone on to run the New York City Marathon include: 2008 New York City Marathon third-place finisher Kara Goucher, 2010 New York City Marathon runner-up Shalane Flanagan, U.S. Olympic marathoners Dathan Ritzenhein and Ryan Hall, and New Zealand record-holder Kim Smith. Pappas, who will be defending her Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K title, participated in the program in 2015.
In Abbott’s first year as title sponsor of the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, the global healthcare company is excited to support a race that helps runners at all levels join in the thrill of the TCS New York City Marathon weekend. Abbott is currently the title sponsor of the World Marathon Majors (AWMM), which features the world’s top six marathons, including the TCS New York City Marathon. A true force in the running community, Abbott supports events that help people push past what they ever thought was possible, whether that be finishing a 26.2-mile run or a 3.1-mile run.
The Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 5, on the East Side of Manhattan near the United Nations building, and finishes at the iconic TCS New York City Marathon finish line. Registration for the high-speed tour of Midtown Manhattan is open interested participants can register here.
Top Male Elite Athletes
|
Name |
Personal Best 5,000m |
Twitter Handle |
|
Eric Jenkins (USA)* |
13:07.33 |
@_EricJenkins |
|
Will Geoghegan (USA) |
13:17.85 |
@GeoghegaNation |
|
Donn Cabral (USA) |
13:22.19 |
@DonnCabral |
|
Ben Bruce (USA) |
13:30.79 |
@bbjamin |
|
Stephen Pifer (USA) |
13:33.69 |
@StephenPifer |
|
Travis Mahoney (USA) |
13:48.76 |
@UrbanSteepler |
|
Scott Fauble (USA)* |
14:00.35 |
@scottfaubs |
|
Kyle Merber (USA) |
14:02.91 |
@TheRealMerb |
|
Johnny Gregorek (USA) |
14:12.48 |
@JohnnyGregorek |
|
Colby Alexander (USA) |
14:23.02 |
@okaycolby |
|
Ford Palmer (USA) |
N/A |
@GoFordPalmer |
|
Bram Som (NED) |
N/A |
@SomBram |
Top Female Elite Athletes
|
Name |
Personal Best 5,000m |
Twitter Handle |
|
Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (NOR)* |
14:57.53 |
@KarolineBGrvdal |
|
Marielle Hall (USA)* |
15:06.45 |
|
|
Ashley Higginson (USA) |
15:18.53 |
@AshleyHigz |
|
Amy Van Alstine (USA) |
15:22.98 |
@alynne77 |
|
Alexi Pappas (GRE) |
15:28.38 |
@AlexiPappas |
|
Nicol Traynor (USA) |
15:35.97 |
@ntraynor12 |
|
Rachel Johnson (USA) |
15:39.42 |
@rachrunsworld |
|
Mary Cain (USA) |
15:45.56 |
@runmarycain |
|
Stephanie Bruce (USA) |
15:49.40 |
@Steph_Rothstein |
|
Melissa Salerno (USA) |
16:07.71 |
@mesalerno |
|
Jenna Hill (GBR) |
16:07.86 |
@JennaAnnejllih |
*Part of the 2016 Lead Vehicle Program at the TCS New York City Marathon
Defending champions in bold
"I’m very excited to end my Olympic year in New York City for the TCS New York City Marathon. From competing in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K on Saturday, to riding in a lead vehicle in front of the marathon on Sunday, it will be a very special weekend. My fellow Norwegians Ingrid Kristiansen and Grete Waitz had great success in the New York City Marathon, and someday I hope to follow in their footsteps."
-Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, NYRR Lead Vehicle Program participant
"Every fall I gear up for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving, and the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K will be my first real chance to test out where I'm at. Without any time off after the Olympics I seem to be building up from a solid point, far from Square One. I think a very competitive field will be trying to prevent me from three-peating this year so it'll take more fitness than I've brought to this race in the past, not to mention a tactically well-run performance. I can't wait for the opportunity to race through the streets of Manhattan again and experience all that the marathon weekend has to offer!"
-Donn Cabral, defending champion
"Over 10,000 runners will participate in the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K on the eve of the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon, an event that encompasses the true spirit of the Marathon as well as Abbott and NYRR’s shared mission to improve the health and wellness of people all over the world."
-Michael Capiraso, NYRR President and CEO
"We are thrilled to have our defending champions and NYRR Lead Vehicle Program athletes highlighting the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, and joining the thousands of runners from around the world running through the streets of Manhattan to a celebrated finish at the world-famous TCS New York City Marathon finish line."
-Peter Ciaccia, NYRR President, Events, and Race Director, TCS New York City Marathon
"Even though I am a competitor and elite athlete within the sport of professional running, I am also a huge fan on the sport. As a fan, I can't wait to take in one of the most historic and famous races first hand from the lead vehicle of the TCS New York City Marathon. As a future marathoner, it will be an invaluable experience to watch some of the best runners in the world battle it out on the streets of New York. As a fan, it will be an unforgettable experience to watch so many world class athletes compete in such a historic event."
-Scott Fauble, NYRR Lead Vehicle Program participant
"The opportunity to participate in the Lead Vehicle Program in such a prestigious race in one of the greatest cities in the world, is both humbling and exciting. Experiencing 26.2 miles with everyone from first time marathoners to some of the best athletes in the world will be something I'm sure to never forget!"
-Marielle Hall, NYRR Lead Vehicle Program Participant
"I am really honored and excited to be riding in the lead vehicle this year in New York, especially since the field assembled includes so many great Americans. The Marathon is the ultimate test for a distance runner and I look forward to it being a part of my career in the future."
-Eric Jenkins, NYRR Lead Vehicle Program participant
"I am beyond excited to come back and be a part of TCS New York City Marathon week! I've run the Dash to the Finish Line 5k twice now--once when I was just beginning my elite running journey and then again last year, when I won! I will fight until the finish again this year. I feel inspired when I run the Dash because it carries the energy and spirit of the Marathon-- we even get to finish the 5k across the same finish line as the marathoners will the following day! I am also honored that NYRR will host the NYC premiere of my latest feature film, Tracktown, in Central Park!! It is going to be beyond epic to gather in the Marathon Pavilion with 400 other people for this special (and sold out!) screening Wednesday before the Marathon. Then, of course, I will cheer for my friends in the Marathon. I feel lucky to have had the chance to train with Sara Hall a bit during this final month leading into the Marathon and I can't wait to cheer her on."
-Alexi Pappas, defending champion, ‘Tracktown’ co-director and star
About New York Road Runners
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit NYRR.org.
About Abbott
At Abbott, we're committed to helping you live your best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world – in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals – that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 74,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.
Connect with us at Abbott.com, on Facebook and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.
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