FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Richard Finn-(212)423-2229
Maeve Mullally-(212)423-2294
Brown, Mayock, Lel, Prokupcuka
Join Elite Field for the ING New York City Marathon 2005
NEW YORK - (September 14, 2005) - Great Britain's top male marathoner Jon
Brown and countryman and marathon debutant John Mayock will join a
world-class field on November 6 at the ING New York City Marathon, it was
announced by race director and New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary
Wittenberg. The entries of Martin Lel of Kenya, the ING New York City
Marathon 2003 champion and 2005 Flora London Marathon champ, and Jelena
Prokupcuka of Latvia were also announced.
"Jon knows how to prepare for the big races, and he's proven himself by
twice finishing fourth at the Olympic Games," Wittenberg said of Brown, who
finished sixth (2:11:24) in the 2001 New York City Marathon. "What is
missing from Jon's resume is that one performance that puts him on the
podium of a major marathon." In his most recent marathon, Brown finished
sixth in a personal best 2:09:31 in London this past April.
A 34-year-old Welshman, Brown lives in Victoria, British Columbia. He is a
three-time Olympian for Great Britain who placed 10th in the 10,000 meters
in 1996 in Atlanta and fourth at both the Sydney and Athens marathons.
Brown was the European cross country champion in 1996 and earned the bronze
medal in that competition in 1999. He is the British record-holder at 4
miles, 10,000 meters, 12K and 15K.
"Like Jon Brown, John Mayock has proven himself at the highest levels of
athletics and he's got five international championship medals to his
credit," added Wittenberg. "It should be exciting to see how he can do in
what will be his longest race to date."
Mayock, 35, of Cardiff, Wales, made his name as a miler. He has competed
twice in New York City's famed Fifth Avenue Mile, and earlier this year
placed 13th at the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park. A three-time
Olympian, Mayock represented Great Britain at the 1996 and 2000 Games in
the 1500 meters and ran the 5000 meters in Athens. He holds numerous medals
from international competition, including bronze (1994) and silver (1998)
from the Commonwealth Games 1500 and one gold (1998), two silvers (1992,
2005) and two bronze medals (2000, 2002) from the European Indoor
Championships 3000 meters.
Lel, 26, was the ING New York City Marathon 2003 winner in 2:10:30. This
past April he won the Flora London Marathon in 2:07:26, a personal best by
two and a half minutes. Lel, Brown and Mayock join a men's field that is
shaping up to be perhaps the deepest and strongest in the race's history,
including world record-holder Paul Tergat of Kenya, defending ING New York
City Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, 2004 Olympic
silver medalist and last year's runner-up Meb Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes,
Calif., and two-time reigning World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of
Morocco.
Jelena Prokupcuka, the Latvian marathon record-holder and the winner of the
2005 Osaka Ladies International Marathon, has been added to the women's
field. Prokopcuka, 29, finished second at the 2005 Circle of Friends New
York Mini 10K, a New York Road Runners event.
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 more than 85,000
applicants. The race attracts many world-class professional athletes, not
only for the more than $600,000 in prize money, but also for the chance to
excel in the media capital of the world before two million cheering
spectators and 260 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the
635,000 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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