FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John Hancock Financial Announces
2011 Boston Marathon International Elite Field
43 Elite Athletes from Around the World Invited for
115th Running on April 18
Boston Champions, International Champions and Top Americans Lead the Team
BOSTON, Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 26th year as principal sponsor
of the Boston Marathon, John Hancock Financial today announced the elite
field for the 115th running of the Boston Marathon on April 18. A complete
field list follows.
Reigning champions Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot and Teyba Erkesso will defend
their titles, but will be fiercely challenged by one of the fastest and
deepest men's and women's fields ever assembled for the Boston Marathon.
Cheruiyot ran a stunning 2:05:52 course record last year over the difficult
Boston course. In April he will face top contenders that include past and
present marathon champions of New York City, Chicago, Seoul, Amsterdam,
Houston, Xiamen, Torino, Eindhoven, Phoenix, Monaco, Gyeongju, Milan and
Nairobi.
Geoffrey Mutai leads the line-up as the second fastest man in the world
last year with a 2:04:55 best. Joining him are 2:06 men including top
American Ryan Hall, Gilbert Yegon, Tadese Tola, Evans Cheruiyot and 2010
Seoul course record holder Sylvester Teimet.
Challenging this group are the 2010 New York City champion Gebregziabher
Gebremariam, the newly crowned Houston course record holder Bekana Daba and
2010 Boston runner-up Tekeste Kebede.
International newcomers to the course include Philip Sanga, Feleke Cherkos,
Deressa Edae, Stephen Kibiwot, Peter Kamais and 2011 Xiamen winner Robert
Kipchumba. Returning to Boston are Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, Shadrack
Kiplagat and American talent Antonio Vega. Irish Olympian Alistair Cragg
and Kenyan Moses Mosop will make their marathon debuts.
On the women's side, the historic race in Boston has been decided over the
past three years by three seconds or less. Last year Teyba Erkesso
maintained a three second lead to the finish as she held off a charging
Tatyana Pushkareva. This year's race likely will prove just as competitive
with 16 women in the field holding times of 2:26:20 or better.
Past champions Salina Kosgei, Dire Tune and four-time winner Catherine
Ndereba join Erkesso and Pushkareva. The experienced trio will contest a
highly competitive race that includes 2010 international marathon
champions, top Americans and talented newcomers.
Chasing the Boston champions are 2010 international marathon winners
including Sharon Cherop, who edged Tirfi Tsegaye Beyene to win Toronto by
one second, and Caroline Kilel, who won Frankfurt after a duel with Dire
Tune. Carpi champion Hellen Mugo is on the team and she joins Amsterdam
winner Alice Timbilili.
Challenging the group are top Americans Kara Goucher, who finished third in
Boston in 2009, and Desiree Davila, the fastest American of 2010 with her
fourth place finish in Chicago, and Olympian Blake Russell. International
competitors include New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith, former Russian national
record holder Galina Bogomolova and young talent Merima Mohammed from
Ethiopia.
Werknesh Kidane and Florence Kiplagat also bring significant credentials to
the race. Kidane is a multiple junior and senior World Cross Country
champion (2 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze) and Kiplagat, who will make her
marathon debut, is a World Half Marathon and World Cross Country champion.
Both women are married to men in the field: Kidane is married to
Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Kiplagat is married to Moses Mosop.
Additional talent includes Silvia Skvortsova, Teyba Naser, Woynishet Girma
and Yuliya Ruban.
"Throughout our more than two decade-long sponsorship of the Boston
Marathon, John Hancock has each year honored its commitment to bring the
world's top runners to the race and ensure that the historic Boston
Marathon remains among the world's most premier sporting events," said Rob
Friedman, head of Sponsorship and Event Marketing at John Hancock. "This
year's field once again is filled with outstanding runners who no doubt
will provide the millions of spectators and viewers with yet another
thrilling contest. We are counting down the days to April 18th."
"Competitive excellence has been the touchstone for the Boston Marathon for
over a century, both among our full field of runners and the magnificent
field of professional runners from around the world recruited by John
Hancock," said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. "John Hancock
Financial's sponsorship of our premier event over the last 26 years --
including support of professional marathoners -- has resulted in pre-race
excitement, competitive races, and historic performances."
John Hancock's 2011 Elite Boston Marathon Field
Men's Open Field Country Personal Best
Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot Kenya 2:05:52 (Boston, 2010) CR
Geoffrey Mutai Kenya 2:04:55 (Rotterdam, 2010)
Ryan Hall USA 2:06:17 (London, 2008)
Gilbert Yegon Kenya 2:06:18 (Amsterdam, 2009)
Evans Cheruiyot Kenya 2:06:25 (Chicago, 2008)
Tadese Tola Ethiopia 2:06:31 (Frankfurt, 2010)
Sylvester Teimet Kenya 2:06:49 (Seoul, 2010) CR
Bekana Daba Ethiopia 2:07:04 (Houston, 2011) CR
Philip Kimutai Sanga Kenya 2:07:11 (Frankfurt, 2010)
Shadrack Kiplagat Kenya 2:07:53 (Amsterdam, 2007)
Tekeste Kebede Ethiopia 2:07:23 (Boston, 2010)
Feleke Abreham Cherkos Ethiopia 2:07:29 (Amsterdam, 2010)
Deressa Chimsa Edae Ethiopia 2:07:54 (Dubai, 2009)
Stephen Kibiwot Kenya 2:07:54 (Praha, 2009)
Robert Kipchumba Kenya 2:08:07 (Xiamen, 2011) CR
Gebregziabher Gebremariam Ethiopia 2:08:14 (New York City 2010)
Moses Kigen Kipkosgei Kenya 2:10:12 (Nairobi, 2009) CR
Antonio Vega USA 2:13:47 (Boston, 2010)
Peter Kamais Kenya 2:14:58 (New York City, 2010)
Alistair Cragg Ireland Debut
Moses Mosop Kenya Debut
John Hancock's 2011 Elite Boston Marathon Field
Women's Open Field Country Personal Best
Teyba Erkesso Ethiopia 2:23:53 (Houston, 2010) CR
Galina Bogomolova Russia 2:20:47 (Chicago, 2006)
Sharon Cherop Kenya 2:22:43 (Toronto, 2010) CR
Tirfi Tsegaye Beyene Ethiopia 2:22:44 (Toronto, 2010)
Merima Mohammed Ethiopia 2:23:06 (Toronto, 2010)
Salina Kosgei Kenya 2:23:22 (Berlin, 2006)
Caroline Kilel Kenya 2:23:25 (Frankfurt, 2010)
Dire Tune Ethiopia 2:23:44 (Frankfurt, 2010)
Alice Timbilili Kenya 2:25:03 (Amsterdam, 2010)
Kim Smith New Zealand 2:25:21 (London, 2010)
Kara Goucher USA 2:25:52 (New York, 2010)
Tatyana Pushkareva Russia 2:26:14 (Boston, 2010)
Desiree Davila USA 2:26:20 (Chicago, 2010)
Teyba Naser Ethiopia 2:26:20 (Los Angeles, 2010)
Silvia Skvortsova Russia 2:26:24 (Berlin, 2009)
Werknesh Kidane Ethiopia 2:27:15 (Dubai, 2011)
Hellen Mugo Kenya 2:27:16 (Carpi, 2010)
Yuliya Ruban Ukraine 2:27:44 (Frankfurt, 2010)
Woynishet Girma Ethiopia 2:27:51 (Amsterdam, 2010)
Blake Russell USA 2:29:10 (Chicago, 2005)
Florence Kiplagat Kenya Debut
NR = National Record
CR = Course Record
For more information about the Boston Marathon:
www.johnhancock.com/bostonmarathon/index.html Twitter: @JHFS_Boston26
www.baa.org Twitter: @B_A_A
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a
leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of
customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife
Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in
the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse
range of financial protection products and wealth management services
through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution
partners. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for
strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most
significant financial decisions. Funds under management by Manulife
Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$475 billion (US$478 billion) as at
December 31, 2010.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE,
and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the
Internet at www.manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of
the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad
range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed
and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans,
long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business
insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at
www.johnhancock.com.
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