April 25, 2010 / 13.1M / 8:00 a.m. / Central Park / S, Q, C, W [Key]
Sally Meyerhoff Wins Rain-Soaked More Magazine | Fitness Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon
A record 6,360 finish the country’s largest women’s 13.1-mile race
New York, April 25, 2010—An April downpour soaked Central Park but did little to dampen the spirits of more than 6,300 finishers at the seventh annual More® Magazine | Fitness® Magazine Women’s Half-Marathon this morning.
Sally Meyerhoff, 26, of Scottsdale, AZ, broke the tape in an event-record time of one hour, 14 minutes, and 40 seconds. Meyerhoff, the reigning USA 25K champion, overtook early leader Colleen De Reuck, 46, of Boulder, CO, near the nine-mile mark. De Reuck, a four-time Olympian and the reigning USA 20K champion, who has a half-marathon personal best of 1:08:38, finished second in 1:16:26. She was treated for hypothermia by the NYRR medical team following her finish and made a full recovery.
“I felt really good out there today, and the support from all the other women was amazing,” said Meyerhoff, who competed in a blue running skirt and wore her red hair in pigtails. The course is two-plus loops of Central Park; the lead runners are cheered on by the walkers and slower runners whom they pass during their second loop.
The top finishers received their awards—which included cash prizes and Crislu jewelry—from Kristin Davis of Sex and the City, the event’s celebrity spokesperson. Meyerhoff got a roar of approval from the crowd when she exclaimed “I love Sex and the City!” as she accepted her award.
Despite the challenging conditions, the event had a record 6,360 finishers; registration had closed in February due to overwhelming demand. The temperature was 47 degrees at the 8:00 a.m. start, with a driving rain that continued through mid-day. Most participants wore water-resistant rain gear and, in many cases, plastic garbage bags.
“What can you do?” said Kathryn Martin, 58, of Northport, NY, who finished eighth in 1:28:46. “You couldn’t dodge the raindrops, you couldn’t jump the puddles. And knowing that many of the women would be out there for three or four hours inspired me—I wasn’t going to drop out.”
“Races like today are character-building,” said Betty Wong, editor-in-chief of Fitness magazine, who finished in 2:03:40. “In spite of the crazy weather, all of us came out, we ran, and we had a great time.”
