NYRR News Service

A Pillar of the Marathon, Steve Mendelsohn, Dies at 67

May 24, 2012 at 12:00pm EST | by Barbara Huebner, NYRR News Service

When the New York City Marathon broke from the cocoon of its Central Park loop course into the wider world of a five-borough race in 1976, it needed a city-wide communications system. Fred Lebow, the race director, went looking for volunteers to help. He found Steve Mendelsohn.

A ham radio operator, Mr. Mendelsohn put together a corps of volunteers to line the course and assembled a communications system—critical in the days before mobile phones and still Read More

Categories: Human Interest

Flanagan Weighs In on Rivals' Predictions

May 23, 2012 at 12:45pm EST | by Barbara Huebner, NYRR News Service

American marathoner Shalane Flanagan is relishing the 2012 Olympic spotlight—the one that’s on everyone else, sometimes by virtue of their own statements.

“I just read something, I believe Edna Kiplagat, saying she can run 2:17 on the course,” Flanagan told Runner’s World today in a Brief Chat. “I kind of laughed; does she actually see the course? I expect [Kenyans Kiplagat and Mary Keitany] to almost feel like it's their race to lose and that they Read More

Categories: Pro Athletes

Tirunesh Dibaba Will Turn to Marathon in 2013

May 31, 2012 at 10:30am EST | by Barbara Huebner, NYRR News Service

After Tirunesh Dibaba hits the 5000-meter finish line at the adidas Grand Prix on June 9, will New Yorkers next see her on the roads?

Dibaba’s manager, Mark Wetmore, confirms that the 26-year-old Dibaba, who won double gold at the 2008 Olympics at 5000 and 10,000 meters, will focus on the marathon distance after the 2012 London Games.

“You will still see her on the track,” he said, “but she is definitely planning to concentrate on the Read More

Categories: Pro Athletes

Ritz Earns Olympic "A" Standard at 5000 Meters

May 21, 2012 at 11:45am EST | by Barbara Huebner, NYRR News Service

In an exciting Friday night of distance action at the 2012 USATF Occidental High Performance Meet in Los Angeles, 15 athletes in six events turned in times under the Olympic “A” standard. Among the most notable was Dathan Ritzenhein, who made the standard in the men’s 5000 meters. “Ritz” is seeking to make his third U.S. Olympic team after a disappointing fourth-place finish in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January.

The most dramatic race, section Read More

Categories: Pro Athletes

A Record-Breaking Day in Brooklyn Half-Marathon

May 19, 2012 at 12:45pm EST | by Barbara Huebner, NYRR News Service

It was a beautiful morning to be on the Coney Island boardwalk, but for the 14,278 official finishers of Saturday’s NYRR 5-Borough Series: Brooklyn Half-Marathon it took a lot of hard work to get there.

Winning in a close and record-setting finish was Tesfaye Assefa Dube in 1:03:18, followed by Mengsti Tabor Nebsi just two seconds back in 1:03:20. Eric Chirchir was third in 1:04:19. Both Dube and Nebsi broke the previous long-standing event record of Read More

Categories: Pro Athletes

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