Olympians Ndereba, Johnson, Ramaala, and Pérez join NYC Half-Marathon field

A galaxy of international stars and Olympians featuring reigning IAAF World Championships Marathon champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, former  IAAF World Cross Country Championships winner Benita Johnson of Australia, ING New York City Marathon 2004 winner Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, and Mexican Marathon record holder Madaí Pérez were announced today for the NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE on Sunday, 27 July 27.

All four are looking to use this race as their final tune-up for the Olympic men’s or women’s Marathon next month in Beijing.

“Even more than a major international race, this year’s NYC Half provides a pre-games glimpse at some of our sport’s favorites as they head into Beijing,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “We welcome Catherine, Benita, Hendrick, Madaí - stars in their own right - to our July running summit of Olympians.”

Also announced were last year’s IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships silver medallist Patrick Makau and his Kenyan countryman Felix Limo. Makau, 23, is returning to New York after capturing the Healthy Kidney 10K crown in Central Park in May and will be putting a four-race winning streak at the Half-marathon distance on the line. Limo, 27, is one of the premier Marathon runners in the world, with World Marathon Majors Series crowns at Berlin (2004), Chicago (2005), and London (2006).

On the women’s side, Yuri Kano, 29, of Japan, who took fourth place in the NYC Half in each of the last two years, returns fresh off a personal best of 1:08:57, set in winning the Sapporo Half-Marathon.

Previously announced for the third annual 13.1-mile race were top Americans including two-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, USA Half-Marathon champion James Carney, U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon fourth-place finisher Zoila Gómez, and four-time Olympian Colleen De Reuck.

Ndereba, 36, claimed her second IAAF World Championships Marathon crown last year in Osaka, Japan, after becoming the first African woman to win the title, in 2003 in Helsinki. Ndereba was the silver medalist in the 2004 Olympic Marathon, and she is a four-time Boston Marathon and two-time Chicago Marathon champion. She won the inaugural NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE title in 2006 and returned last year to finish second.

Johnson, 29, was the runner-up here in 2006 to Ndereba and has a sparkling record at the Half-Marathon distance, having never finished lower than third place in seven career races. She has already won this year at the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K and the BUPA Great Edinburgh Run 10K.

Ramaala, 36, is a three-time Olympian and holds several South African records, including 59:20 for the Half-Marathon. Pérez, 28, finished six seconds behind winner Hilda Kibet in 32:49 this June in the NYRR New York Mini 10K. Coached by German Silva, the 1994 and 1995 New York City Marathon winner, Pérez set the Mexican Marathon mark of 2:22:59 in finishing fourth at the 2006 Chicago Marathon.

Athletes will be vying for a prize purse of more than $70,000, with the male and female winners each receiving $10,000.

Sara Hunninghake for the IAAF