This weekend marathon fans get a double dose - in the same city…
The U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon are both in New York this weekend. On Saturday, the U.S. elite male runners hoping to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics will run a course that begins at Rockefeller Center and loops five times in Central Park before ending near the famed Tavern on the Green.
Three places on the U.S. team are at stake with leading contenders including 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, Alan Culpepper, Ryan Hall and former world record holder Khalid Khannouchi. Hall looks to be the favorite going in as he has the second fastest marathon time behind Khannouchi, who is coming back from a foot injury.
On Sunday, 38,000+ runners from over 100 countries will hit the streets of New York City for the world’s largest marathon. The New York City Marathon is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. EST for athletes with disabilities, and later for the elite women (9:37 a.m.) and men (10:08 a.m.). The course will feature the 38th running of the 26.2-mile race through New York City’s five boroughs, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan, and finish at Tavern on the Green in world-famous Central Park. This year’s purse is more than $600,000.
While every runner has their own story, the focus for Sunday will likely be the race between Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia and Ethiopian Gete Wami for a $500,000 payout from the first World Marathon Majors women’s title. Prokopcuka needs to finish third or better to have a chance at overtaking Wami in points gathered over two years in major marathons for the series.
Many of the runners run not just for themselves but for others as well… About 20 percent of NYC Marathon runners in some way run for charity. Team Reeve plans to raise$300,000 for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Team LIVESTRONG (for the Lance Armstrong Foundation) will have 130 runners in the marathon, each raising a minimum of $3,500 for the Grassroots Fundraising arm of the foundation. Nike is donating all its profits from the LIVESTRONG yellow race shirts to the foundation for cancer research and education.. In addition, more than 5,000 runners are expected to raise $13 million for official ING New York City Marathon charities.
TV and Internet Coverage
Television
Tune in to the live start on Saturday, November 3, at 7:35 a.m. on News Channel 4HD’s Today In New York. A half-hour highlights show will be aired nationally on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. EDT on NBC. (Check local listings for exact time in your area.)
On Sunday, November 4, at 2:30 p.m., News Channel 4HD will rebroadcast the 2008 U.S Olympic Team Trials — Men’s Marathon highlights show. This will the immediately follow coverage of the ING New York City Marathon.
Internet
On Saturday, November 3rd, it’s America’s race — the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials — Men’s Marathon. And on Sunday, November 4th, it’s the world’s race — the ING New York City Marathon. Catch all the action LIVE, only on NBCSports.com/Marathon! Saturday’s broadcast will be free; Sunday will cost $4.99
The ING New York City Marathon will be available on demand after the live broadcast. All the latest marathon action can be accessed at NBCSports.com/marathon and NBCOlympics.com.
