FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portugal's Championship Duo of Augusto and Félix Will Run the
ING New York City Marathon
Lisbon, Portugal, September 15, 2011-Portugal's championship long-distance
duo of Jéssica Augusto and Ana Dulce Félix will run their first marathon
together at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, it was
announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.
The announcement was made at a news conference at the Sheraton Hotel, where
Wittenberg was joined by Augusto and Félix.
"Jéssica and Ana are continuing the rich tradition of Portuguese marathon
runners like Olympic champions Rosa Mota and Carlos Lopes," said
Wittenberg. "Jéssica and Ana possess the strength, speed, and determination
that make a marathon champion."
Augusto, 29, and Félix, 28, join a stellar women's field featuring
defending champion and 2011 World Champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya,
three-time U.S. Olympian Jen Rhines, New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith, and Jo
Pavey of Great Britain. With similarities in the difficulty of the New
York and London Olympic marathon courses and the absence of pacemakers in
both races, the race is shaping up as an early preview of next year's
Olympic marathon.
Augusto and Félix both ran in the World Championships 10,000 meters in
Daegu, South Korea, last month. Félix finished eighth and Augusto was 10th.
Augusto will be making her first New York start after auspicious marathon
debut at the Virgin London Marathon in April, where she finished eighth in
a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 33 seconds. She finished seventh at the
NYC Half in March. Augusto won the prestigious Great North Run, a
half-marathon in England, in 2009 in 1:09:08 and will return to that race
this Saturday.
"It's an honor to be invited to the mythical ING New York City Marathon.
It's a race that should be part of every athlete's career," said Augusto,
who competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase and 5000 meters at the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. "It's a dream come true."
Félix returns to New York after having to drop out of last year's edition.
She ran her marathon personal best of 2:26:30 to finish second at the
Vienna Marathon this spring and will look to build on that success. Félix
finished second at the 2010 Great North Run and won the 2009 European Cross
Country Championship.
"I'm ready for the challenge and I'm very proud of being part of this grand
event," said Félix.
New York Road Runners
Headquartered in New York City, New York Road Runners is dedicated to
advancing the sport of running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and
meeting our community's needs. Our goal is to use the expertise acquired in
our 52-year history to empower all people to live fitter, healthier lives
through participation in our races, community events, instruction and
training resources, and youth programs. Our races and other events draw
more than 300,000 people each year. The ING New York City Marathon, NYRR's
premier event, is the largest and most inclusive marathon in the world,
attracting the world's top professional runners every year and raising
$30.8 million for charity in 2010. NYRR's running-based youth programs,
which currently serve more than 100,000 children in hundreds of schools and
community centers, promote children's health and fitness, character
development, and personal achievement in underserved communities. For more
information, visit www.nyrr.org.
The ING New York City Marathon
The premier event of New York Road Runners, the ING New York City Marathon
is one of the world's great road races, drawing some 140,000 applicants.
The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not only for the
$650,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to excel in the media
capital of the world before two million cheering spectators and a worldwide
broadcast reach of 330 million. As any one of the more than 875,000 past
participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one
of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit
www.ingnycmarathon.org.
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