Peres Jepchirchir and Elkanah Kibet withdraw from race
New York, October 14, 2022 — Keira D’Amato, the second fastest American woman in history, will toe the starting line at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.
Photo: Victah Sailer@PhotoRun
D’Amato, a three-time national champion and the American record holder in the 10 Mile, has chosen to end her stellar year in New York. In January, the 37-year-old mother of two ran 2:19:12 to win the Houston Marathon, taking 24 seconds off Deena Kastor’s American record that had stood since 2006. She remained the fastest women’s marathoner in the country until last weekend, when Emily Sisson bettered her mark at the Chicago Marathon.
Since winning Houston, D’Amato has gone on to win the B.A.A. 10K, break a 24-year-old course record to win the USATF 20K Championships, finish eighth in the World Athletics Championships Marathon, and take sixth place at the Berlin Marathon as the top American.
“Competing in New York in November was something my team had discussed with NYRR over the spring and summer, but I felt it was important to focus on the Berlin Marathon and wait to make a final decision until after that,” D’Amato said. “I recovered from the race very well, though, and resumed training and workouts quickly. I had a great experience in my first NYC race at the Mastercard New York Mini 10K in June, and I’m excited to return for 26.2. November 6 also happens to be my son’s birthday, and it feels powerful that on the eighth anniversary of becoming a mother, I get to race my first-ever TCS New York City Marathon. It’s time to celebrate.”
Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, the only athlete – male or female – to have won the Olympic, TCS New York City and Boston Marathons, has withdrawn due to injury and will be unable to compete. Last year, Jepchirchir won gold in the Tokyo Olympic marathon by 16 seconds, and then four months later won the 50th running of the TCS New York City Marathon in her U.S. racing debut.
“I’m so disappointed that I must withdraw from the TCS New York City Marathon,” Jepchirchir said. “I worked very hard with my physio team to recover from this injury in time for the race, but we did not have enough time. I believe I will be back stronger next year, but for now my doctors say I must rest and heal my injury first. I want to wish good luck to everybody in the race.”
Elkanah Kibet, who finished as the top American and in fourth place overall at the TCS New York City Marathon last year, has also withdrawn. Kibet, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, has received orders to report overseas and will be unable to travel to New York for the race.
The 2022 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6 will return at full capacity with 50,000 runners and be televised live on WABC-TV Channel 7 in the New York tristate area, throughout the rest of the nation on ESPN2, and around the world by various international broadcasters. The complete professional athlete fields for this year’s race can be found here.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
