FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Molly Huddle to Make Marathon Debut at 2016 TCS New York City Marathon
on Sunday, November 6
Huddle to run as NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, supporting NYRR's free
youth running programs, and to pace Girls' Run at NYRR New York Mini 10K on
Saturday, June 11
TCS New York City Marathon total prize purse of $803,000 to include USA
Division for both men's and women's professional runners for first time in
a decade
New York, June 9, 2016 - Reigning U.S. 10,000-meter champion Molly Huddle
will make the jump to the marathon for the first time in her career when
she makes her highly anticipated 26.2-mile debut at the 2016 TCS New York
City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, it was announced today by Peter
Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of
the TCS New York City Marathon.
"Molly is one of the most gifted runners in the USA, and she's already had
fantastic success in NYRR races on the streets of New York City," Ciaccia
said. "She joins an amazing group of women who have made their marathon
debuts in New York City, from American stars such as Deena Kastor, Shalane
Flanagan and Kara Goucher to global greats such as Grete Waitz and Mary
Keitany. We are thrilled to have Molly take the next step in her running
career in New York this November, and are excited that it coincides with
the introduction of our USA division prize purse."
Huddle, 31, resides in Providence, RI, and she is the two-time defending
champion in the United Airlines NYC Half, having won the 2016 edition of
the event by eight hundredths of a second against Kenya's Joyce Chepkirui.
She broke her own event record and American record for an all-women's race
in the process, clocking in at 1:07:41. She is a 21-time national champion
who competed over 5000 meters at the 2012 London Olympics and will try to
earn a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics when she competes at July's U.S.
Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, OR. Last year, she won six national titles -
5K, 10K, 12K, 10-mile, and 20K on the road and 10,000 meters on the track.
She also finished fourth in the 10,000 meters at the IAAF World
Championships.
"It's with excitement that I am going to run my first marathon this fall,
and I am honored and delighted to do so at the TCS New York City Marathon,"
Huddle said. "As a native New Yorker and someone who has watched my
training partners race through the city many times in the past, I felt like
New York has been calling to me for many seasons.
"It feels like running a marathon is a rite of passage as a distance
runner, and with my strength work going better than ever, I finally feel
ready to tackle that distance on a course and in a city whose grit and
vibrancy inspire me. I always love running NYRR races from one mile up to
13.1, and by now the city feels like a home course."
In running the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon as an NYRR Team for Kids
Ambassador, Huddle will represent the organization's charity running team,
a committed group of more than 1,700 adult runners from around the world
who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR's free youth
running programs. The programs serve more than 200,000 kids locally and
nationally, including more than 120,000 in New York City's five boroughs.
"As one of the great American long-distance runners, Molly serves as a role
model to kids across New York City's five boroughs, the country and the
world. New York Road Runners is honored to have her as a Team for Kids
Ambassador," said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road
Runners. "Molly is an inspirational role model for the next generation of
runners, and her commitment to youth will have a profound impact on NYRR's
free youth running programs for years to come."
Huddle will also pace the first-ever Girls' Run at the NYRR New York Mini
10K on Saturday, June 11. As part of NYRR's youth running series, the event
is a 2.25-mile race for girls ages 7-18 that takes place just before the
professional athletes NYRR New York Mini 10K, finishing at the same finish
line as the TCS New York City Marathon. Huddle won the 2014 NYRR New York
Mini 10K, becoming the event's first American champion in a decade.
At the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon, the USA Division of the prize purse
will total $116,000, with the top male and female American finisher each
taking home $25,000. The second-place finisher in each category will
receive $15,000, followed by $10,000 for third place, $5,000 for fourth
place and $3,000 for fifth place. In order to contend for the USA Division
prize, athletes must have U.S. citizenship and not be eligible to represent
another country in international competition.
The 2016 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday,
November 6, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tristate area from 9:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00
a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.
Notable Women's Marathon Debuts in New York City
Year Name Finish
1978 Greite Waitz, NOR 2:32:30 (1st)
1991 Liz McColgan, GBR 2:27:32 (1st)
1994 Tegla Loroupe, KEN 2:27:37 (1st)
2001 Deena Kastor, USA 2:26:58 (7th/1st USA)
2002 Marla Runyan, USA 2:27:10 (4th/1st USA)
2005 Marie Davenport, IRL 2:33:59 (16th)
2008 Kara Goucher, USA 2:25:53 (3rd/1st USA)
2010 Shalane Flanagan, USA 2:28:40 (2nd/1st USA)
2010 Mary Keitany, KEN 2:29:01 (3rd)
2011 Molly Pritz, USA 2:31:52 (12th/1st USA)
2011 Lauren Fleshman, USA 2:37:22 (16th, 2nd USA)
2015 Laura Thweatt, USA 2:28:23 (7th, 1st USA)
About the TCS New York City Marathon
The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road
Runners (NYRR) and the largest marathon in the world. Over 1,000,000 people
have finished the race since its first running in 1970 with just 127
entrants and 55 finishers running four laps around Central Park. The race
expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 and is now in its 40th year as a
five-borough affair. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the
race features 50,000 runners including the world's top professional
athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity
runners. Participants from over 125 countries tour the city, starting on
Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and running
through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before ending
in Manhattan. In 2015, the inaugural NYRR Youth Invitational at the TCS New
York City Marathon gave young runners the opportunity to run 1.8 miles of
the race course in Central Park, beginning near mile 24 and finishing at
the famed TCS New York City Marathon finish line. More than one million
spectators and thousands of volunteers line the city streets in support of
the runners, while millions more watch the live television broadcast in the
New York area on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and via various
international broadcast partners around the world. The race is part of the
Abbott World Marathon Majors, which features the world's top
marathons-Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York-and crowns
the top professional male and female marathoners each year. Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and
business solutions organization, is the premier partner of NYRR and the
title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. The 46th running of the
TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 6, 2016. To learn more,
visit www.tcsnycmarathon.org.
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