Molly Huddle to Make marathon debut at 2016 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6

Molly Huddle to Make Marathon Debut at 2016 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6

Huddle to run as NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, supporting NYRR’s free youth running programs, and to pace Girls’ Run at NYRR New York Mini 10K on Saturday, June 11

TCS New York City Marathon total prize purse of $803,000 to include USA Division for both men’s and women’s professional runners for first time in a decade

New York, June 9, 2016 — Reigning U.S. 10,000-meter champion Molly Huddle will make the jump to the marathon for the first time in her career when she makes her highly anticipated 26.2-mile debut at the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6, it was announced today by Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon.

“Molly is one of the most gifted runners in the USA, and she’s already had fantastic success in NYRR races on the streets of New York City,” Ciaccia said. “She joins an amazing group of women who have made their marathon debuts in New York City, from American stars such as Deena Kastor, Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher to global greats such as Grete Waitz and Mary Keitany. We are thrilled to have Molly take the next step in her running career in New York this November, and are excited that it coincides with the introduction of our USA division prize purse.”

Huddle, 31, resides in Providence, RI, and she is the two-time defending champion in the United Airlines NYC Half, having won the 2016 edition of the event by eight hundredths of a second against Kenya’s Joyce Chepkirui. She broke her own event record and American record for an all-women’s race in the process, clocking in at 1:07:41. She is a 21-time national champion who competed over 5000 meters at the 2012 London Olympics and will try to earn a ticket to the 2016 Rio Olympics when she competes at July’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, OR. Last year, she won six national titles – 5K, 10K, 12K, 10-mile, and 20K on the road and 10,000 meters on the track. She also finished fourth in the 10,000 meters at the IAAF World Championships.

“It’s with excitement that I am going to run my first marathon this fall, and I am honored and delighted to do so at the TCS New York City Marathon,” Huddle said. “As a native New Yorker and someone who has watched my training partners race through the city many times in the past, I felt like New York has been calling to me for many seasons.

“It feels like running a marathon is a rite of passage as a distance runner, and with my strength work going better than ever, I finally feel ready to tackle that distance on a course and in a city whose grit and vibrancy inspire me. I always love running NYRR races from one mile up to 13.1, and by now the city feels like a home course.”

In running the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, Huddle will represent the organization’s charity running team, a committed group of more than 1,700 adult runners from around the world who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR’s free youth running programs. The programs serve more than 200,000 kids locally and nationally, including more than 120,000 in New York City’s five boroughs.

“As one of the great American long-distance runners, Molly serves as a role model to kids across New York City’s five boroughs, the country and the world. New York Road Runners is honored to have her as a Team for Kids Ambassador,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “Molly is an inspirational role model for the next generation of runners, and her commitment to youth will have a profound impact on NYRR’s free youth running programs for years to come.”

Huddle will also pace the first-ever Girls’ Run at the NYRR New York Mini 10K on Saturday, June 11. As part of NYRR’s youth running series, the event is a 2.25-mile race for girls ages 7-18 that takes place just before the professional athletes NYRR New York Mini 10K, finishing at the same finish line as the TCS New York City Marathon. Huddle won the 2014 NYRR New York Mini 10K, becoming the event’s first American champion in a decade.

At the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon, the USA Division of the prize purse will total $116,000, with the top male and female American finisher each taking home $25,000. The second-place finisher in each category will receive $15,000, followed by $10,000 for third place, $5,000 for fourth place and $3,000 for fifth place. In order to contend for the USA Division prize, athletes must have U.S. citizenship and not be eligible to represent another country in international competition.

The 2016 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, November 6, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tristate area from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

Notable Women’s Marathon Debuts in New York City

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the largest marathon in the world. Over 1,000,000 people have finished the race since its first running in 1970 with just 127 entrants and 55 finishers running four laps around Central Park. The race expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 and is now in its 40th year as a five-borough affair. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the race features 50,000 runners including the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. Participants from over 125 countries tour the city, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and running through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before ending in Manhattan. In 2015, the inaugural NYRR Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City Marathon gave young runners the opportunity to run 1.8 miles of the race course in Central Park, beginning near mile 24 and finishing at the famed TCS New York City Marathon finish line. More than one million spectators and thousands of volunteers line the city streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the live television broadcast in the New York area on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and via various international broadcast partners around the world. The race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which features the world’s top marathons–Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York–and crowns the top professional male and female marathoners each year. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the premier partner of NYRR and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. The 46th running of the TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 6, 2016. To learn more, visitwww.tcsnycmarathon.org.