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Abdi Abdirahman
United States
Age: 32
Born in Somalia, Abdirahman became an American citizen in 1999 after graduating from the University of Arizona. He is a three-time Olympian and the only American ever to have run in three consecutive Olympic 10,000-meter finals. He finished 15th in the Beijing Olympics after placing 10th in Sydney (2000) and 15th in Athens (2004). He placed second to Haile Gebrselassie in the 2007 NYC Half. |
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Worku Beyi
Ethiopia
Age: 22
Since moving to the U.S. in 2006, the easygoing Beyi, a resident of the Bronx, has established himself as one of the top racers on the Northeast running scene. Beyi, who won the 2008 NYRR Fred Lebow Runner of the Year Award, ran a half-marathon PR of 1:01:57 this year at the 3M Half-Marathon. His wife, Buzunesh Deba, will also compete in the 2009 NYC Half. |
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Fasil Bizuneh
United States
Age: 29
Bizuneh finished third at the 2009 USA 15K Championships with a time of 43:52. He was a four-time All-American at Arizona State; during his freshman year, he was the top American finisher at the 1999 World Junior Cross Country Championships. He finished 13th at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in Central Park. Bizuneh was born in Germany to African parents who fled political chaos in Ethiopia; he became a U.S. citizen in 1987. |
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Abderrahime Bouramdane
Morocco
Age: 31
Bouramdane finished fifth in the ING New York City Marathon 2008 in a time of 2:13:33; he’d been the runner-up in Boston the previous spring. He began his career in 1993, drawing inspiration from Abdessalem Rhadi, a fellow Moroccan who won the silver medal (behind the barefoot Abebe Bikila) in the 1960 Rome Olympic Marathon. Bouramdane won the 2006 ING Ottawa Marathon as well as marathons in Marrakesh (2:15:16, 2005) and Tunis (2:15:38, 2004). |
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Ryan Hall
United States
Age: 26
In 2007, Hall cut more than a minute off the American half-marathon record in his first try at the distance. Later that year, he ran the fastest-ever debut marathon by an American, 2:08:24, to place seventh in London. Hall smashed the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon record when he ran 2:09:02 in Central Park in 2007. In 2008, he returned to London and ran 2:06:17, becoming the second-fastest American marathoner in history behind Khalid Khannouchi. He finished 10th in the marathon at the Beijing Olympic Games, and ran his next marathon this past spring in Boston, where he finished third. Though the NYC Half will be Hall’s second attempt at the distance, look for him to contend for the victory. He’s also entered in the ING New York City Marathon on November 1. |
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Ridouane Harroufi
Morocco
Age: 28
Harroufi has been on a hot streak on the American roads: He had four major race victories in 2008 and has already matched that number this year, including successful title defenses at the Steamboat Classic 4-Mile and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile. The Moroccan, who has a blistering kick, can be expected to run near the front at the NYC Half; his personal best of 1:01 looks ready for revision. |
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Hendrick Ramaala
South Africa
Age: 37
A four-time Olympian and a two-time World Half-Marathon Championships silver medalist, Ramaala has a half-marathon PR of 59:20, set in 2000. After his breakthrough win at the ING New York City Marathon 2004, he lost one of the most memorable duels in the sport’s history at the ING New York City Marathon 2005, finishing less than one second behind winner Paul Tergat. He placed eighth in the 2008 NYC Half and 12th in 2007. |
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Demesse Tefera
Ethiopia
Age: 26
Tefera has finished in the top 10 in all three editions of the NYC Half. In 2007, he placed third in the 2007 Healthy Kidney 10K behind U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein and Australian Olympian Craig Mottram. His high placings at other world-class events like the Lilac Bloomsday Run and the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile prove that he can be a factor in any race he enters. |
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Tadese Tola
Ethiopia
Age: 21
Tola is the defending NYC Half-Marathon champion; he won by one second last year in a thrilling duel with Kenya’s Patrick Makau. He returned to New York this past April for the Healthy Kidney 10K and set a Central Park record of 27:48 for the distance. Tola placed seventh at the 2007 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa, Kenya, then won the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile several weeks later. |
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