RunnersWeb (RRW) Athletics: Olympic Champion Jepchirchir To Run TCS NYC Marathon

(19-Aug) -- Fall marathon news continued apace today when moments ago New York Road Runners (NYRR) announced that reigning women's Olympic Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya would run the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7, and that three-time Olympic gold medalist Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia would double-back from the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 26, and would also make his New York City Marathon debut. The race, which was founded in 1970 and cancelled in both 2012 due to super storm Sandy and again last year due to the pandemic, will be held for the 50th time this year.

PHOTO: Peres Jepchirchir setting the world half-marathon record for a women-only race in Prague on September 4, 2020 (photo courtesy of RunCzech)

"Twenty twenty-one has already been a magical year, and I am excited that it is not yet over," Jepchirchir said through a statement. "I am happy about competing in the TCS New York City Marathon. The excitement in Kenya around my performance in the Olympic Games has been very high, and I know that a victory in New York will mean so much to the people of Kenya. The 50th year of something is often called its 'golden anniversary,' so how fitting it will be that for New York City’s 50th running I will run as the Olympic gold medalist."

Jepchirchir, 27, dominated the women's Olympic Marathon in Sapporo on August 7. In hot and humid conditions with little shade, she ran a conservative first half of 1:15:14 before coming back in the second half in 1:12:06 to become just the second Kenyan woman to win the Olympic Marathon title. She will run in New York on a 92-day turnaround, as will bronze medalist Molly Seidel of the USA (announced yesterday).

Bekele, 39, will be attempting an unusual --and risky-- double. The Berlin and New York marathons are only 42 days apart, a very short turnaround for an elite marathoner. Bekele has struggled with injuries the last several years. Since 2015 he has been contracted to run ten marathons, but only finished five of them. He dropped out of the Dubai Marathon in both 2015 and 2017, Berlin in 2017, and Amsterdam in 2018 (after running 41 kilometers). At last October's special elite-only Virgin Money London Marathon he scratched from the race just two day before after arriving in London and even doing a pre-race press conference. He hasn't finished a marathon in nearly two years, although there have been scarce race opportunities due to the pandemic.

Nonetheless, his last completed marathon was brilliant. He clocked 2:01:41 in Berlin in 2019 which remains the second-fastest of all time, and only two seconds off of Eliud Kipchoge's world record. His long-time manager, Jos Hermens, said that the Berlin/New York double was a good program for Bekele and well within his current capabilities.

"Yes, that's the idea," Hermens told Race Results Weekly in a text message. "He can do that."

Several other marathon stars will be running in New York, NYRR officials said. Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, the recently crowned men's Olympic Marathon silver medalist, will make his debut at the race as will Namibian Helalia Johannes, the women's 2019 World Athletics Championships Marathon bronze medalist. Kenya's Kibiwot Kandie, the half-marathon world record holder, will make his marathon debut in New York as will American veteran Ben True.

Finally, in the wheelchair division Daniel Romanchuk will try for his third consecutive TCS New York City Marathon title.

The complete elite fields are below with personal best times.

Women's Open Division: Peres Jepchirchir, KEN, 2:17:16 Ruti Aga, ETH, 2:18:34 Helalia Johannes (40+), NAM, 2:19:52 Ababel Yeshaneh, ETH, 2:20:51 Nancy Kiprop (40+), KEN, 2:22:12 Des Linden, Charlevoix, Mich., 2:22:28 Emily Sisson, Phoenix, Ariz., 2:23:08 Kellyn Taylor, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:24:29 Sally Kipyego, Eugene, Ore., 2:25:10 Molly Seidel, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:25:13 Laura Thweatt, Superior, Colo., 2:25:38 Andrea Ramirez Limon, MEX, 2:26:34 Haruka Yamaguchi, JPN, 2:26:35 Aliphine Tuliamuk, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:26:50 Stephanie Bruce, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:27:47 Lanni Marchant (CAN), Denver, Colo., 2:28:00 Krista Duchene (40+), CAN, 2:28:32 Hanna Lindholm, SWE, 2:28:59 Roberta Groner (40+), Ledgewood, N.J., 2:29:09 Samantha Roecker, Philadelphia, Pa., 2:29:59 Rebecca Gentry (GBR), Brooklyn, N.Y., 2:32:01 Rachel Hannah, CAN, 2:32:09 Lindsey Scherf, White Plains, N.Y., 2:32:19 Beverly Ramos, PUR, 2:32:43 Grace Kahura (KEN), Longmont, Colo., 2:33:34 Alexi Pappas (GRE), Woodland Hills, Calif., 2:34:26 Obsie Birru, Phoenix, Ariz., 2:35:51 Ivette Mejia, New York, N.Y., 2:38:23 Bose Gemeda Asefa (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:39:04 Kate Gustafson (CAN), Brooklyn, N.Y, 2:40:06 Liu Ziyang (CHN), Kirkland, Wash., 2:40:17 Meseret Ali Basa (ETH), Bronx, N.Y., 2:40:41 Emma Kertesz, Boulder, Colo., 2:40:56 Leigh Anne Sharek, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2:42:02 Jessica Chichester, Brooklyn, N.Y., 2:42:16 Joanna Thompson, New York, N.Y., 2:43:01 Ana Johnson, New York, N.Y., 2:43:11 Molly Bookmyer, Columbus, Ohio, 2:44:07 Grace Bowen, New York, N.Y., 2:44:49 Aileen Barry, Manhasset, N.Y., 2:44:51 Annie Frisbie, Minneapolis, Minn., Debut (1:15:48 half-marathon) Makenna Myler, Highland, Utah, Debut (1:09:54 half-marathon) Violah Cheptoo, KEN, Debut (1:06:47 half-marathon)

Women's Wheelchair Division: Manuela Schär, SUI, 1:28:17 Susannah Scaroni, Champaign, Ill., 1:30:42 Tatyana McFadden, Champaign, Ill., 1:31:30 Amanda McGrory, Savoy, Ill., 1:33:13 Jenna Fesemyer, Champaign, Ill., 1:37:02 Christie Dawes, AUS, 1:37:12 Margriet van den Broek, NED, 1:38:33 Nikita den Boer, NED, 1:40:07 Arielle Rausin, New York, N.Y., 1:40:51 Vanessa de Souza, BRA, 1:45:19 Michelle Wheeler, Boalsburg, Pa., 1:45:55 Yen Hoang, Champaign, Ill., 2:01:06 Shelly Woods, GBR, 1:37:44

Men's Open Division: Kenenisa Bekele, ETH, 2:01:41 Abdi Nageeye, NED, 2:06:17 Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, ERI, 2:07:11 Eyob Faniel, ITA, 2:07:19 Albert Korir, KEN, 2:08:03 Callum Hawkins, GBR, 2:08:14 Girma Bekele Gebre, ETH, 2:08:23 Noah Droddy, Boulder, Colo., 2:09:09 Mohamed El Aaraby, MAR, 2:09:16 Jared Ward, Mapleton, Utah, 2:09:25 Benjamin Preisner, CAN, 2:10:17 Akira Tomiyasu, JPN, 2:10:29 Jose Santana, MEX, 2:10:54 Thijs Nijhuis, DEN, 2:10:57 Ryan Vail, Portland, Ore., 2:10:57 Nathan Martin, Jackson, Mich., 2:11:05 Matt Llano, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:11:14 Patricio Castillo (MEX), Flushing, N.Y., 2:11:24 Elkanah Kibet, Colorado Springs, Colo., 2:11:31 Temesgen Habtemariam (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:11:42 Shadrack Biwott, Folsom, Calif., 2:12:01 Kevin Lewis, Richfield, Minn., 2:12:02 Urgesa Kedir (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:12:20 Birhanu Dare (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:12:21 Brian Shrader, Boston, Mass., 2:13:27 John Raneri, Flagstaff, Ariz., 2:13:57 Brendan Martin, New York, N.Y., 2:15:30 Joe Stilin, New York, N.Y., 2:17:15 Ryan Archer, New York, N.Y., 2:17:51 Thomas Slattery, Bronx, N.Y., 2:18:35 Alvaro Abreu, DOM, 2:19:15 Abdulmenan Kasim (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:23:08 Abu Kebede (ETH), New York, N.Y., 2:24:30 Augustine Choge, KEN, Debut (59:26 half-marathon) Kibiwott Kandie, KEN, Debut (57:32 half-marathon) Teshome Mekonen (ETH), New York, N.Y., Debut (1:00:02 half-marathon) Ben True, Lebanon, N.H., Debut (1:02:39 half-marathon)

Men's Wheelchair Division: Marcel Hug, SUI, 1:18:04 Ernst van Dyk, RSA, 1:18:04 Aaron Pike, Champaign, Ill., 1:20:59 Daniel Romanchuk, Champaign, Ill., 1:21:36 Josh George, Champaign, Ill., 1:21:47 Rafael Botello, ESP, 1:22:09 Patrick Monahan, IRL, 1:22:23 Simon Lawson, GBR, 1:25:06 David Weir, GBR, 1:26:17 Sho Watanabe, JPN, 1:26:22 Brian Siemann, Champaign, Ill., 1:26:46 Fidel Aguilar, Mesa, Ariz., 1:29:13 Brent Lakatos, CAN, 1:29:41 John Smith, GBR, 1:29:44 Christian Clemmons, Champaign, Ill., 1:38:08