Reigning ING New York City Marathon Champion Hendrick Ramaala to Return in 2005
Posted Friday, 8 July, 2005
Contacts:
Richard Finn, (212) 423-2229 / Maeve Mullally, (212) 423-2294
Media Relations Department, New York Road Runners
NEW YORK - (July 7, 2005) - Reigning ING New York City Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, ranked 10th in the world last year, will return to defend his title at the ING New York City Marathon 2005 on Sunday, November 6, it was announced today by New York Road Runners.
"Hendrick's win last year was a breakthrough performance for him, and he has continued to shine with a string of standout performances," said ING New York City Marathon race director and New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "However, the pressure will be on him here in New York, as no man has won back-to-back titles since John Kagwe of Kenya in 1997 and 1998."
Ramaala's triumph last year on the streets of New York was his first major marathon win and the first by a South African in New York since Willie Mtolo in 1992. Ramaala, 33, has had a streak of impressive races in 2005, including a third place finish (2:08:32) at the Flora London Marathon in April and second place (28:52) at the Healthy Kidney 10K, an official NYRR event, in May.
On Sunday, July 10, Ramaala will compete in the South African Half-Marathon Championships in Durban, and in August, he will represent South Africa at the IAAF World Championships Marathon in Helsinki, Finland.
New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners, soon to celebrate its 50th anniversary, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running and enhancing health and fitness for all. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and Web site support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of 60, assisted by thousands of volunteers, stages the ING New York City Marathon, as well as a road race nearly every weekend plus many track and cross country events. NYRR's home base in New York, and its lifelong identification with Central Park, have given many of its events iconic status, attracting the world's top professional runners. For more information, visit: NYRR.org
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 more than 85,000 applicants. The race, a Running USA Founding Member, 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 260 million worldwide television viewers. As any one of the 635,000 past participants will attest, crossing the finish line in Central Park is one of the great thrills of a lifetime. For more information, visit: INGNYCMarathon.org
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