Defending Champion Buze Diriba and 2018 Runner-Up Mathew Kimeli to Lead Professional Athlete Field at 15th Annual UAE Healthy Kidney 10K on Sunday, April 28

Buze Diriba, photo by PhotoRun.net

Buze Diriba won at the UAE Heathly Kidney run in 2018. She’s back to defend on April 28!

Defending Champion Buze Diriba and 2018 Runner-Up Mathew Kimeli to Lead Professional Athlete Field at 15th Annual UAE Healthy Kidney 10K on Sunday, April 28

16 athletes representing six countries to lead 8,000 runners through Central Park

Fans can watch a free live stream of the race on USATF.TV starting at 8:45 a.m. ET

New York, April 22, 2019 – Defending women’s champion Buze Diriba of Ethiopia and last year’s men’s runner-up Mathew Kimeli of Kenya will lead the professional athlete field at the 15th running of the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park on Sunday, April 28. The professional races will be streamed live for free on USATF.TV beginning at 8:45 a.m.

In total, 16 athletes representing six countries will chase the $10,000 first-place prizes, leading 8,000 runners through Central Park on race day. In addition to the $60,000 total prize money, runners will vie for the $30,000 Zayed Bonus awarded by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in honor of former UAE president Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan. The bonus prize will be given to any man who breaks 27:08 (Rhonex Kipruto, 2018 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K) and/or any woman who breaks 30:44 (Lornah Kiplagat, 2002 NYRR New York Mini 10K).

“For 15 years, the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K has showcased many of the world’s top runners,” said NYRR head of professional athletics Chris Weiller. “Last year, we saw the fastest-ever 10K on U.S. soil when Rhonex Kipruto broke the course record and picked up the $30,000 Zayed Bonus in the process. Now, his teammate and last year’s runner-up, Mathew Kimeli, will lead the way for the men’s field while Buze Diriba will look to defend her title against some of the running world’s top women.”

Diriba, 25, won last year’s race in 32:04 just weeks after a sprint-finish victory at the United Airlines NYC Half. This year, she finished third at the United Airlines NYC Half. Earlier in her career, Diriba took first place over 5000 meters at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships, and the following year finished fifth in the same event in her debut at the senior IAAF World Championships. She was fifth in her first UAE Healthy Kidney 10K appearance in 2016.

“I’m excited to defend my title at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park, a place that has been very kind to me the last few years. I won two races in Central Park last year and am still looking for my first victory there this year after finishing third at the United Airlines NYC Half. With such a tough women’s field this year, maybe we will see the event record broken.”

In the women’s field, Diriba will have stiff competition from two-time world championships silver medalist Senbere Teferi and 2017 and 2018 UAE Health Kidney 10K third-place finisher Monicah Ngige (Kenya).

Kimeli, 21, will be the fastest athlete at the start line of the race with a personal-best 10K time of 27:11 which he clocked at the 2017 Birell Grand Prix in Prague. He then then went on to better the 28-minute barrier on three further occasions in 2018, including a 27:19 to finish as runner-up at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K last year behind teammate Rhonex Kipruto, who claimed the fastest-ever 10K time run on U.S. soil on a record-eligible course.

“Last year at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K was amazing,” Kimeli said. “Rhonex and I both broke the event record and the hype surrounding the race was incredible. This year, I’m coming back in hopes of winning the event and beating my time from last year.”

Kemeli will be challenged in the men’s field by last year’s B.A.A. 10K and Utica Boilermaker 15K champion Gabriel Geay (Tanzania).

Here are the complete professional athlete fields at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K:

Top Professional Men

Top Professional Women

The UAE Healthy Kidney 10K will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 28 on East Drive near 69th Street and will loop through Central Park before finishing at the 72nd Street Transverse.

The UAE Healthy Kidney 10K is one of seven races – from the mile to the marathon – organized by New York Road Runners, which features invited professional athlete fields and makes up the NYRR Pro Racing Series. The NYRR Pro Racing Series also includes the NYRR Wanamaker Mile, United Airlines NYC Half, NYRR New York Mini 10K, New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, and the TCS New York City Marathon.

The United Arab Emirates is the primary sponsor of the race, which benefits the National Kidney Foundation, Inc., in appreciation of American doctors and U.S. excellence in the kidney transplant arena. UAE’s founder and first president, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, benefited from U.S. expertise, knowledge, and research when he received a kidney transplant in 2000. Among his many honors and accomplishments, he was most proud of being a kidney transplant survivor.

Every year, the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K raises awareness of kidney disease and organ donation, and promotes kidney health by supporting the National Kidney Foundation and its lifesaving programs. Runners can register for the race with NFK’s Team Kidney and raise additional funds in support of the organization’s mission.

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, 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, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 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.