2015 United Airlines NYC Half Announces Elite Field

NEW YORK -- Defending Boston Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi and compatriot Dathan Ritzenhein, running the half marathon distance for the first time since the 2013 NYC Half, will lead a resilient field of American men against a strong international contingent at the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half on March 15.

Keflezighi, 39, of San Diego, CA, is one of the most decorated American marathoners of all-time with thrilling victories at the 2014 Boston Marathon and the 2009 New York City Marathon and a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. This past fall, the three-time Olympian took fourth place at the TCS New York City Marathon, his seventh top-10 finish at the race. At the 2012 Olympic Games in the marathon, he took fourth place; his 2004 and 2012 Olympic Games performances are the only top-five finishes by an American man in the event since 1976. The former American record-holder at 10,000 meters and second-place finisher at the 2006 NYC Half has won more than 20 national championships in track and field, cross country, and road racing. He will attempt to defend his Boston Marathon title in April.

Ritzenhein, 32, is one of the best American half-marathon runners in history. He took home the bronze medal at the 2009 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships with a time of 1:00:00, becoming the first American medalist at this event; his time is the second-fastest American performance ever, and he is the only American to run under 1:01:00 more than once. The former 5000-meter American record-holder and three-time Olympian finished third twice at the NYC Half (2008, 2013) and won the 2007 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. He was the top American at the 2009 Olympic marathon, finishing ninth. The three-time national cross country champion (2005, 2008, 2009) owns a marathon personal best of 2:07:47, set at the 2012 Chicago Marathon. He will join Keflezighi at the Boston Marathon in April.

The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will air live in New York on ABC7 and WatchABC from 7:00-9:00 a.m. EST and on 7online from 7:00-10:30 a.m. Outside of the New York area, coverage will also be available on ESPN3 via WatchESPN from 7:00-10:30 a.m. on computers, tablets, smartphones, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One for those who have video or internet subscriptions from affiliated providers. International viewers can watch the broadcast from 7:00-9:00 a.m. EST via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).

Top American Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances

• Matt Tegenkamp, 33, of Portland, OR, is a two-time Olympian (2008, 2012) and the two-mile American record-holder. The six-time USATF champion was the fourth American in history to break 13 minutes in the 5,000 meters and he finished fourth at the 2007 IAAF Outdoor Track and Field Championships at that distance. He was the top American at the 2014 NYC Half with a debut time of 1:02:04 and he placed 10th in his marathon debut at the 2013 Chicago Marathon.
• Chris Solinsky, 30, of Williamsburg, VA, became the first non-African to break 27 minutes in the 10,000 meters in 2010 with a time of 26:59.60, a new American record by 14 seconds and a North American record by nine seconds. The five-time Division I NCAA champion and fourteen-time All-American is the second-fastest American ever in the 5000 meters with a personal best of 12:55.53. The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will be his debut at the distance.
• Andrew Bumbalough, 28, of Portland, OR, is the 2013 USA 5K champion and a five-time national team member for the United States, including the 5000 meters at the 2011 IAAF World Outdoor Track and Field Championships. In 2014, the eight-time Division I All-American ran under the 2000-meter American record at the NYRR Millrose Games and finished second in the 5000 meters at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The 2015 United Airlines NYC Half will be his half-marathon debut.
• Abdi Abdirahman, 38, of Tucson, AZ, qualified for his fourth U.S. Olympic team in 2012, his first team in the marathon. The 2012 USA Half-Marathon champion finished third in the 2006 NYC Half and second at the same event one year later; his time of 1:00:27 is the fastest time ever run by an American in New York. He is the only American to have run in three consecutive 10,000-meter Olympic finals and he has placed in the top 10 three times at the New York City Marathon, finishing a career-high of fifth in 2005.

Top American Professional Men

Courtesy of New York Road Runners

Fosbury Named to SHAPE America Hall of Fame

RESTON, VIRGINIA -- Olympic legend Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the high jump as a high school athlete when he developed a new technique that quickly became known as "the Fosbury Flop," will be inducted into the Hall of Fame of SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators), officials announced. SHAPE America will bestow the honor at the organization's Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, March 20, at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel, during the 130th National Convention & Expo in Seattle, WA.

Joining Fosbury as 2015 Hall of Fame inductees will be Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., founder of The Cooper Institute, and Michael Metzler, Ph.D., professor, Georgia State University. That evening SHAPE America will also honor its National Physical Education Teachers of the Year for Elementary, Middle and High School and National Teachers of the Year for adapted physical education, dance and health at the banquet, which is sponsored by Human Kinetics, an employee-owned company committed to serving the physical activity field.

SHAPE America's Hall of Fame awards are given to honor outstanding individuals who 1) make significant contributions to maintaining sport, physical education and physical activity as an integral part of the total education program; 2) further the image of sport and healthy physical activity for all; 3) accentuate the integral relationships of sport, motor development and physical activity to the total educational process; 4) encourage involvement in meaningful competitive sport or physical activity programs by influential educators and citizens in all walks of life; and 5) symbolize the educational and developmental potentials of physical education and sport.

For the full release, please visit OSUBeavers.com.

Peachtree Road Race registration opens Sunday, March 15

Atlanta Track Club, organizer of the AJC Peachtree Road Race, announced that registration for the 2015 event will open on Sunday, March 15 through an online lottery at AJC.com/peachtree. July 4, 2015 will mark the 46th running of the AJC Peachtree Road Race. Those wishing to be one of the 60,000 participants selected can register for the event lottery online anytime during the eight day period beginning Sunday, March 15 until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 22.

Regardless of the day or time of registration, all individuals who enter the lottery during the eight day period will have an equal chance of being selected for the 2015 AJC Peachtree Road Race. Entrants will be randomly selected after the lottery closes on March 22. All lottery entrants will receive an email by Wednesday, March 25 informing them of whether or not they were selected for the 2015 event. Searchable results of the selection process will also be posted on peachtreeroadrace.org and AJC.com/peachtree on March 25.

Courtesy of Peachtree Road Race