Sally Kipyego after her silver medal-winning run in the Daegu 10,000m (© Gety Images)
World 10,000m silver medallist Sally Kipyego and U.S. Olympians Deena Kastor and Dathan Ritzenhein will be among the headliners of the inaugural NYRR Dash to the Finish Line set for 5 November 2011.
The 5Km race will be part of the weekend festivities surrounding the ING New York City Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, which will be held on Sunday 6 November. The race will offer a flat and fast course through the heart of Manhattan, starting near the United Nations, crossing Midtown on famed 42nd Street, and heading uptown to Central Park for the last dash across the world-renowned New York City Marathon finish line.
Kipyego, 25, of Kenya, attended Texas Tech University, where she was an NCAA standout, equaling the record for most individual NCAA championships in history. She was the 2011 IAAF World Championships silver medallist at 10,000m in Daegu. Most recently, she finished second at the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile in a time of 4:22.6, three-tenths of a second behind winner Jenny Simpson of the U.S., this year's World 1500m champion.
Kipyego will be joined by Kastor, previously announced American 5000me record holder Molly Huddle, as well as Magdalena Lewy Boulet, who was the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Ritzenhein will also be in good company: 2008 Olympians Matt Tegenkamp and Lopez Lomong and two-time USA champion Ben True are all entered.
Kastor, 38, is the U.S. Marathon record holder (2:19:36, London, 2006). She earned the bronze medal in the Marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics. After the birth of her first child in February, Kastor began a comeback to racing at the NYRR New York Mini 10K in June. She recently won the Rock ’n’ Roll San Jose Half-Marathon in 1:12:23.
“As I continue my focus and training for the Olympic Trials marathon in January, this race will certainly be a ‘dash’ for me, but it’s another way to enjoy marathon week in New York City," said Kastor.
Ritzenhein, 28, hasn’t raced since last year’s New York City Marathon, when he finished eighth in 2:12:33. The two-time Olympian is back training after a series of injuries earlier in the year. The 5Km will be Ritzenhein’s first competitive race in his buildup to the Olympic Trials marathon in January.
“This is a great first step for me to making the 2012 Olympic team and putting the past year behind me," Ritzenhein said. "After a full year off from racing, I can’t think of a better place to make my return. I’ve had great comebacks in New York in the past and can’t wait to do it again."
Organisers for the IAAF
