AbbottWMM - 2018 TCS New York City Marathon has announced the women's elite athletes

2018/9/3

Three-Time Champion Mary Keitany and Five-Time Champion Tatyana McFadden Aim to Reclaim Top Podium Spots at the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4

Keitany and Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot join 2016 TCS New York City Marathon podium finisher Molly Huddle in racing previously announced defending champion Shalane Flanagan and Boston Marathon champion Des Linden in star-studded women's open division
McFadden to challenge defending champion Manuela Schär as she goes for record-setting sixth career title in New York City

Three-time champion Mary Keitany of Kenya will look to reclaim her crown this year in the open division and Tatyana McFadden of the United States will race for a record sixth title in the wheelchair division at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4.

Keitany and her compatriot, 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot, will join previously announced 2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden of the United States in a women's open division that features 10 Olympians and three Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.

McFadden, racing as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, will face stiff competition from last year's winner, Manuela Schär of Switzerland, in a field that features eight Paralympians and five Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.

"With Mary, Vivian, Shalane, Des, Tatyana, and Manuela, this year's TCS New York City Marathon is stacked with some of the most competitive women's professional athlete fields ever to compete in New York," said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. "In the open division, the best group of American women marathoners will be assembled since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and along with Mary and Vivian, the competition will be fierce. In the wheelchair division, with Tatyana chasing after history, this year's race is bound to have a storybook ending."

Keitany, 36, is the women's only marathon record-holder who finished as runner-up at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon after having won the race each of the three previous years. In 2016, she had a dominating performance in which she surged ahead at Mile 14 to finish the course on a solo run in 2:24:26. Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women's race since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row. Keitany is a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, taking the series titles in 2012 and 2016. In April2017, she won her third career Virgin Money London Marathon, breaking the women's only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01. Earlier this year in New York, she won her third NYRR New York Mini 10K in a time of 30:59, the fifth-fastest time in the event's 47-year history.

Joining Keitany from the international side will be two Ethiopians, reigning IAAF World Half Marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta and 2017 TCS New York City Marathon third-place finisher Mamitu Daska. The trio will be challenged by a blockbuster lineup of American women that includes: Flanagan, Linden, three-time United Airlines NYC Half champion and 2016 TCS New York City Marathon third-place finisher Molly Huddle, 2018 Boston Marathon runner-up Sarah Sellers, 2016 TCS New York City Marathon runner-up Sally Kipyego, and 2017 TCS New York City Marathon fifth-place finisher Allie Kieffer.

McFadden, 29, is a 17-time Paralympic medalist and the first-ever winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors wheelchair series. She has won five career New York City Marathons, including the last four consecutively from 2013-2016 before finishing as runner-up last year to Schär. With another victory on the five-borough course, McFadden would surpass Edith Hunkeler and Kurt Fearnley for the most career wins - by a male or female - in the wheelchair division. Within the last year, McFadden has also set a new course record to win the Bank of Chicago Marathon and triumphed at the Boston Marathon for her 22nd victory in an Abbott World Marathon Majors race, more than any other female athlete.

In the women's wheelchair division, in addition to racing the defending champion Schär, she will face competition from 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Madison de Rozario of Australia, two-time New York City Marathon champion Amanda McGrory of the United States, and the first-ever winner of the NYRR New York Mini 10K wheelchair race Susannah Scaroni of the United States.

Quotes from top professional women racing the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon:

"I was disappointed not to defend my title last year, but I was not 100 percent healthy and Shalane ran a strong race. I am happy for her historic win. When I came back to New York to win the NYRR New York Mini 10K in June, I showed that I am still in top shape. I will train harder than ever to win my fourth TCS New York City Marathon title in November."
-Mary Keitany

"Running a marathon is always a special experience, but I'm really excited to line up with such a great group of American women in New York this year. I'm so inspired by what Shalane and Des have accomplished over the last 12 months, and I'm eager to add my name to that list."
-Molly Huddle

"I am very excited to make my first appearance in the New York marathon on November 4. I know as the London Marathon champion, the other athletes will be watching me and it will not be easy, but I aim to keep my marathon winning streak alive in New York."
-Vivian Cheruiyot

"After finishing as runner up last year, I cannot wait to get to the start line to try to reclaim my TCS New York City Marathon title. It's been an exciting year for me, winning the Boston Marathon while also working on my career goals outside of racing. I'm now focused on chasing a sixth career title in New York, which would be the most ever at the event for a wheelchair athlete."
-Tatyana McFadden