Three defending race champions - Korir, Kibii, Wilskey - lead another sold-out field for San Diego area event
CARLSBAD, Calif. - (January 21, 2010) - Southern California's recent rambunctious weather is expected to improve dramatically this weekend, clearing the way for ideal racing conditions and fast times at the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon set for Sunday, January 24.
Three defending race champions and an international contingent of elite athletes will lead a sold-out field of 10,000 participants from 48 states and 11 foreign countries announced In Motion, Inc., the event organizer.
Headlining the half-marathon professional field is Kenyan Wesley Korir, 27, the defending champion who claimed his 2009 victory in a time of 1 hour, 2 minutes, 45 seconds. Korir, who won the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon (2:08:24), will line up with Tesfaye Bekele of Ethiopia, who ran a blistering 1:00:38 half-marathon last August, and Belgium's Rizki Monder who clocked a 1:01:47 half-marathon in 2009. Other top contenders include Kenyans Paul Ngugi, Edward Tabut and Joseph Ekuom.
Notable U.S. half-marathon entrants include Californians Sergio Reyes, 28, of Palmdale and Jon Rankin, 28, of Lafayette. Last year's runner-up (finishing in 1:04:17), Reyes turned in an impressive eighth place finish and was the first U.S. finisher at the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (2:15:30). Also toeing the half-marathon's start line will be Rankin, a sub-four minute miler who earned multiple All-American honors while at UCLA and placed sixth in the 1500 meters final heat at the 2008 Olympic Trials (3:41.75).
The middle-distance standout has been exploring longer-distance races according to Merhawi Keflezighi, Rankin's agent. "Jon has logged a lot of mileage this past fall and winter and wants to test his fitness and see if he likes the distance," said Keflezighi. Rankin, who recently moved from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay area, runs for the Bay Area Track Club.
The half-marathon's women's field will be led by Kenyan Jane Kibii, 25, the defending champion (1:12:26) and countrywoman Everlyn Lagat, 29, who clocked a 1:12:25 at the 2009 ING Philadelphia Distance Run.
The marathon men's field includes Kenyan Wilson Chepkwony who holds a 2:14:59 personal record (PR) and El Mostafa Damaoui of Morocco (2:13:12, PR). Seth Wold, 29, of Kehi, Utah holds a personal best time of 2:22:51.
The women's marathon field will feature defending champion Shawna Wilskey, of Burlington, Wash. A former sprint car racing champion, Wilskey, 37, put the pedal to the metal and won the 2009 edition in 3:01:17. The women's field also includes Elizabeth Whiting, 27, of Marquette, Mich. and Stephanie Hodge, 44, of Long Island City, N.Y. Whiting won the 2009 Myrtle Beach Marathon in 2:56:12 with Hodge posting a 3:02:11 top finish at the 2009 ING New York City Marathon.
The race day weather forecast for Carlsbad (North San Diego County) calls for partly sunny skies and temperatures ranging from a low of 42 degrees to a high around 64 degrees.
The 26.2 and 13.1-mile courses will take participants through trendy Carlsbad Village, along historic Pacific Coast Highway and past numerous Carlsbad points of interest. Over 28 live bands and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, sandy beaches and picturesque lagoons will help entertain and motivate the runners.
For more information regarding the Tri-City Medical Center Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon, visit: www.carlsbadmarathon.com.
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