New York, June 19, 2006�Deena Kastor, the American marathon record-holder and the 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist, today announced that she will run the ING New York City Marathon 2006 on Sunday, November 5. Kastor was joined by ING New York City Marathon race director and president and CEO of New York Road Runners Mary Wittenberg on a media conference call this afternoon.
�"The New York and Chicago Marathons are two of the world's greatest marathons and part of the five World Marathon Majors," said Kastor, 33. �"It was a very difficult decision for me to choose which marathon to run this coming fall. My decision to run the ING New York City Marathon got down to the basic fact that I have already won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and I want to win in New York!"
The announcement comes after much discussion about where Kastor would follow up her record setting win at the 2006 Flora London Marathon. Kastor's victory in 2:19:36, an American record, made her the eighth woman in history to break the 2:20 barrier in a marathon and the fourth-fastest female marathoner ever. Kastor had opened her 2006 season three weeks earlier at the Vattenfall Berlin Half-Marathon, where she broke her own American record in a time of 1:07:34. In 2005, Kastor won the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in 2:21:25.
�"To have the opportunity to welcome Deena back to New York is a dream come true," said Wittenberg. �"Deena comes into the race as a top favorite and could be the first American woman to win since Miki Gorman in 1977. Winning in New York would add the exclamation point to an already tremendous year for her." Kastor made her marathon debut in New York in 2001, finishing seventh overall (2:26:58) and winning the USA Marathon Championships. In 2004 she gallantly returned just 11 weeks after her bronze medal finish at the Olympics. Fighting leg cramps, she was forced to retire midway through the race.
A resident of Mammoth Lakes, California, Kastor is the first professional female athlete announced for the ING New York City Marathon 2006. Her decision to run in New York adds to the excitement surrounding her first-place standing in the World Marathon Majors, a two-year series that showcases the sport's top athletes and awards an unprecedented $1 million champion's prize. The WMM also includes the Boston Marathon, the Flora London Marathon, the BMW Berlin-Marathon, and the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.
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