Kenyan stars enter New York Marathon but Tergat out
AFP Global Edition | 2009-10-14 20:00:43
<div><p>Four-time Boston Marathon winner Robert Cheruiyot and reigning Boston women's champion Salina Kosgei were announced Wednesday as entrants for the New York Marathon.</p><p>But the race also lost another big name as 2005 New York winner Paul Tergat of Kenya dropped out, joining two-time winner Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia and Irishman Martin Fagan in skipping the November 1 race.</p><p>Cheruiyot, 31, has not run in New York since a fourth-place showing in 2005. The 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Boston Marathon champion set a personal best in setting Boston's course record of 2hrs 7mins 14secs.</p><p>Cheruiyot dropped out in Boston this year after 35 km due to back pain but was fifth in the World Championships marathon at Berlin in August.</p><p>Kosgei, 32, made her lone New York start in 2005 when she was fourth in 2:25:30. In April, she won the closest Boston Marathon women's race in history by crossing line in 2:32:16 to beat Dire Tune by a second. Kosgei was fourth at the 2008 London Marathon and 10th in the Beijing Olympic marathon.</p><p>Tergat is suffering from a leg injury that forced him to withdraw from the Lisbon Half-Marathon earlier this month. Three-time Olympian Prokopcuka is pregnant and Fagan has an injured Achilles tendon.</p><p>Slight changes have been made in the course due to road construction but none of the minor tweaks involve the final five miles of the winding trail through the city.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=61123553&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>
Copyright 2009 <a href="http://www.afp.com/english/links/?pid=copyright">AFP Global Edition</a></div></div>