Superstars, Friends, and Mothers-to-be Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher to Run NYRR New York Mini 10K Next Month
New York, May 10, 2010—World-class runners Paula Radcliffe and Kara Goucher, close friends who are both currently pregnant, will be special guests at the 39th running of the world’s original women-only road race, the NYRR New York Mini 10K, on Saturday, June 12.
Radcliffe, 36, of Great Britain, the marathon world record-holder and a three-time winner of the ING New York City Marathon, and Goucher, 32, of the United States, who finished third in the ING New York City Marathon 2008 and the 2009 Boston Marathon, are both due to give birth on the same date in late September. For Radcliffe and her husband, former British international 1500-meter runner Gary Lough, the child will be their second; they have a 3-year-old daughter, Isla. This will be the first child for Goucher and her husband, 2000 U.S. Olympian Adam Goucher.
Goucher and Radcliffe developed a friendship and became training partners during the first few months of their pregnancies this year, and they saw the 6.2-mile race next month in Central Park as a good way to get together before their traveling becomes more limited due to pregnancy. They intend to run, not race, the event that historically attracts a world-class professional field along with thousands of women participants. Radcliffe won the race in 2001; other winners have included Grete Waitz, Tegla Loroupe, Lornah Kiplagat, and Deena Kastor.
“The NYRR Mini is the ultimate all-women’s race,” said Wittenberg. “From its earliest days, it has been about women breaking barriers and women joining together as friends in running. The Mini is an event much more than a race. Some women have run it for many years in a row, throughout all kinds of changes in their lives. What a thrill to host two of the world’s best athletes, both of whom who have a fondness for this event, for women’s running, and for running together and through this exciting time in their lives during which running means something quite different then it normally does to these two professional racers.”
Registration is available here.
New York Road Runners
New York Road Runners, founded in 1958, is dedicated to promoting the sport of distance running, enhancing health and fitness for all, and responding to community needs. Our road races and other fitness programs draw upwards of 300,000 runners annually, and together with our magazine and website support and promote professional and recreational running. A staff of more than 100, 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. Our youth programs provide running to 100,000 schoolchildren in New York City, around the country, and in South Africa who would otherwise have few or no fitness opportunities. For more information, visit www.nyrr.org.
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