FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pregnant with First Child, Deena Kastor Will Miss
ING New York City Marathon This Fall
New York, August 26, 2010-United States Olympian and national marathon
record-holder Deena Kastor is pregnant and will not run the ING New York
City Marathon 2010 on Sunday, November 7. The announcement was made jointly
by Kastor's management company and New York Road Runners.
"I was looking forward to returning to New York this fall to attempt to
fulfill my longtime dream of winning there," said Kastor, who was entered
to return to run New York for the first time since finishing sixth in 2006.
"Since my marathon debut in 2001, winning the ING New York City Marathon
has been on my list of running goals."
The pregnancy is the first for Kastor, 37, and her husband, Andrew. The
baby is due in March 2011.
"Andrew's and my life has changed greatly over the past couple weeks as we
found out I am three months pregnant. We always postponed starting a
family, but to hear this news was really exciting and we never imagined it
would be so rewarding even long before the baby is born," said Kastor. "I
am especially grateful to have felt fantastic except for feeling a bit
sluggish in workouts and tired during the day. As soon as we heard the
news, I stopped hard workouts. I am running easy days with my Mammoth Track
Club teammates, but have chosen to forgo any hard efforts in order that
every bit of my energy goes into making sure the baby will be healthy and
strong. I don't look pregnant yet, but I hear it seems to happen overnight.
"Despite my withdrawal from this year's ING New York City Marathon, I
intend to be there marathon week to take part in all the activities
surrounding this fantastic race," said Kastor. "Since my marathon debut in
2001, I have returned to New York each year whether to race, help host
charity events, or help with the television coverage. This year is no
exception. For a fan of the sport, New York is the place to be come
November."
Kastor won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic marathon, and she set the
American record with her 2:19:36 victory at the 2006 London Marathon. She
has won two World Marathon Majors titles: Chicago in 2005 and London in
2006. Earlier this year she finished second at the NYC Half-Marathon and
won the P.F. Chang's Rock-N-Roll Arizona Half-Marathon in Phoenix.
"Deena is like family to us at NYRR," said New York Road Runners president
and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "We are ecstatic for her and Andrew. There will
always be another ING New York City Marathon. There's no better reason to
miss our race than pregnancy!"
The ING New York City Marathon will feature the marathon debuts of United
States Olympian Shalane Flanagan and reigning World Half-Marathon champion
Mary Keitany of Kenya; the women's field also includes Mara Yamauchi of
Great Britain, who finished sixth at the Beijing Olympic Marathon in 2008.
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
nearly $25 million for charity in 2009. 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 nearly 105,000 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 a
worldwide broadcast reach of 330 million. As any one of the more than
830,000 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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