NYRR Keeps Running

Now that the NYRR Bronx 10-Mile is over, the focus is on the Fifth Avenue Mile and then the grandaddy — the 2012 ING New York City Marathon.

The winners of Sunday's Bronx event were former Olympian John Henwood for the men (53:27) and Lilia Britez for the women (1:02:54).

We've yet to see the lineup of the Fifth Avenue Mile, slated for Sept. 22, but there is a lot of news on the Marathon front. All three U.S. Olympic marathoners — Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman and Ryan Hall — will be among the thousands who take to the streets of the five boroughs on Nov. 4.

There are also several Olympian women ready to run, including Julie Culley, Amy Hastings, Janet Bawcom and New Zealander Kim Smith. This will be the marathon debut for Culley — a New Jersey girl through and through. She went to high school and college in the Garden State and still trains at her alma mater, Rutgers.

"It is only fitting I cap off the most memorable racing season of my career where it all began early this year," she said in a NYRR release. "Beginning with my first half-marathon at the NYC Half in March, 2012 was a year of firsts, including my first National Championship on the track at the Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters, my first Olympic Team berth, and now my first marathon."

Keflezighi is just the opposite, a true New York City Marathon veteran. “I’m excited to celebrate the 10th anniversary of my debut in the marathon by running the 2012 ING New York City Marathon,” he said. “By this November, I will have run eight of the last 10 NYC Marathons. I’m thankful for not only winning the race in 2009, but also finishing in the top 10 in all but one. I would like to thank NYRR for introducing me to the marathon and supporting me every step of the way, including my 2004 Olympic silver medal."

The Marathon will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN3 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm (Eastern). Locally, New Yorkers can watch the race on WABC-TV and 7online.com from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The powerhouse pack of Americans will be chasing the newly introduced $100,000 prize purse for U.S. citizens. The purse goes to the top five American finishers and is equal for men and women: $20,000, $15,000, $10,000, $3,500, and $1,500. Prize money in the Open Division and NYRR Member Division remains the same, giving the Marathon a total prize purse of $853,000.