From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Mar 10 2010 - 15:48:39 EST
http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=456973.html Meb forced
to withdraw from NYC Half-Marathon
A knee injury has forced 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion Meb
Keflezighi to withdraw from next week's NYC Half-Marathon, it was announced
today by New York Road Runners officials.
By New York Road Runners | Posted: Mar 10, 11:08a ET | Updated: Mar 10,
11:08a ET
NEW YORK -- A knee injury has forced 2009 ING New York City Marathon
champion Meb Keflezighi to withdraw from next week's NYC Half-Marathon, it
was announced today by New York Road Runners officials.
The NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 21, is the richest half-marathon in
the United States, with a prize purse of $100,000. The race boasts a men's
field led by marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia,
two-time ING New York City Marathon winner Marilson Gomes dos Santos of
Brazil, and United States Olympians Anthony Famiglietti and Abdi Abdirahman.
The women's field features 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena
Kastor of the United States and 2009 London Marathon runner-up Mara Yamauchi
of Great Britain.
"Due to a setback in my training a few weeks ago, I will not be prepared to
compete in the NYC Half-Marathon," Keflezighi said in a statement to NYRR
officials. "The New York Road Runners have assembled a great field once
again, and I was looking forward to being a top contender. But I developed
soreness on my left knee that required me to take several days off and cut
back on mileage for a few weeks. Since I lost most of the build-up phase of
my marathon training in February, I will have to pass on a tune-up race and
focus my time on preparing for the Boston Marathon [next month]."
Keflezighi has not raced since his historic victory last November, when he
became the first American winner in New York since 1982, when Alberto
Salazar won the last of his three consecutive titles.
*Content courtesy of New York Road Runners <http://www.nyrr.org/>*
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