Contacts:
NYRR Media Relations
Rob Molke: (o) 646.758.9711 (c) 646.531.2425 (e) [email protected]
Chris Weiller: (o) 212.320.4046 (c) 917.816.7900 (e) [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Marathon Legends Haile Gebrselassie, Tegla Loroupe, Paula Radcliffe, and
Paul Tergat Selected as 2015 NYRR Hall of Fame Inductees
Gebrselassie also named as 2015 Abebe Bikila Award winner, and renowned running
journalist Marc Bloom named George A. Hirsch Journalism Award winner
Public ceremony to honor inductees and award winners will take place at the TCS New
York City Marathon Pavilion in Central Park on October 29 at 3:00 p.m.
New York, October 21, 2015—Marathon world record-setters and all-time greats Haile
Gebrselassie, Tegla Loroupe, Paula Radcliffe, and Paul Tergat will be inducted into the NYRR Hall
of Fame, Class of 2015, with Gebrselassie also receiving the 2015 Abebe Bikila Award, and
award-winning running journalist Marc Bloom receiving the 2015 George A. Hirsch Journalism
Award, it was announced today by New York Road Runners.
Since its creation in 2011, the NYRR Hall of Fame has honored individuals for their extraordinary
accomplishments in the sport of distance running. All five award winners will be honored at the
2015 NYRR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Abebe Bikila and George A. Hirsch Journalism
Award Presentations on Thursday, October 29, at 3:00 p.m. at the TCS New York City Marathon
Pavilion in Central Park.
“New York Road Runners and those involved in the sport of distance running are incredibly
fortunate to have witnessed the stellar performances and contributions of Paula, Tegla, Paul,
and Haile throughout their careers,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race
director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “Their record-setting and medal-winning runs
raised the sport to new heights, and they have selflessly used their leadership in the sport as a
positive platform for change and inspiring people of all ages and abilities to improve their lives
through running.”
Loroupe, of Kenya, is a two-time New York City Marathon champion (1994, 1995) and the
former world record-holder in the marathon. Her victory in New York in 1994 was the first major
marathon victory by an African woman. She has also won marathons at Rotterdam (1997, 1999),
Berlin (1999), and London (2000) and won three consecutive IAAF World Half Marathon
Championships from 1997 to 1999. In addition to her decorated running career, Loroupe, one of
25 children, is strongly connected to bettering the lives of youth in her home country. She
spearheaded the Tegla Loroupe Peace Academy that provides educational opportunities to
children in the Greater Horn of Africa region who’ve been displaced or orphaned by conflict or
HIV/AIDS.
Radcliffe, of Great Britain, is a three-time New York City Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 2008),
four-time Olympian, and the world record-holder in the marathon with a time of 2:15:25. She
began running at the age of 11, and despite a history of asthma and anemia, quickly developed
into one of the most accomplished distance runners of all time. In addition to her wins in New
York, she has recorded marathon victories in London (2002, 2003, 2005), Chicago (2002), and
the IAAF World Marathon Championships (2005). She completed her last competitive marathon
at the 2015 London Marathon, ending a legendary career that also included a world record at
10K and gold medals at two IAAF World Half Marathon championships and two IAAF World
Cross Country championships.
Tergat, of Kenya, won the 2005 New York City Marathon by the smallest margin of victory in
race history—one second. He became the first person in history to run under 2:05:00 and is one
of the most decorated men’s cross country runners in history, winning five consecutive IAAF
World Cross Country Championship titles from 1995 to 1999. Tergat, a two-time Olympic silver
medalist, won the 2003 Berlin Marathon and the gold medal at both the 1999 and 2000 IAAF
World Half-Marathon Championships. Since retiring from competitive running, Tergat has
teamed up with the United Nations to serve as a World Food Programme Ambassador Against
Hunger, a program that has had a presence in his village since he was a child.
Gebrselassie, of Ethiopia, is a four-time world champion and two time Olympic gold medalist in
the 10,000 meters, an event in which he formerly held the world record. He is the first athlete in
history to run under 2:04:00 in the marathon and he set more than two dozen world records
during his career. He has won marathon titles at Amsterdam (2005), Berlin (2006-2009), Dubai
(2008-2010), and Fukuoka (2006). At the 2007 NYC Half, he set the event record of 59:24, which
still stands.
For his outstanding contributions to the sport of distance running, both on and off the race
course, Gebrselassie will also be the 2015 recipient of the Abebe Bikila Award.
Gebrselassie has established himself as a successful businessman and a mentor to young
runners via the G4S 4teen program, which brings together young athletes from all over the
world to work toward the goal of winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games. The award is
named for the legendary 1960 and 1964 Olympic marathon champion from Ethiopia and has
been presented annually by New York Road Runners since 1978. Past recipients include Grete
Waitz, Fred Lebow, Bill Rodgers, Allan Steinfeld, Paul Tergat, Germán Silva, and the 2014
recipient, Dr. Norbert Sander.
“We are very pleased to present Haile with this year’s Abebe Bikila Award, acknowledging a
career of superb athletic and humanitarian achievements,” said Michael Capiraso, president and
CEO of NYRR. “Haile mirrors the athletic talent and integrity of Abebe Bikila, attaining the
highest accolades in distance running and giving back to the sport and his home country equally
as much. From helping kids in the G4S 4teen program achieve their Olympic dreams, to
providing hundreds of people in Ethiopia with jobs through his personal business ventures, Haile
has transcended the role of an athlete and become an international philanthropist.”
The George Hirsch Journalism Award recognizes excellence in the reporting, writing, and
broadcasting of the sport of marathon and distance running. Bloom is the award’s sixth recipient
since its establishment in 2010.
“I do not think there has ever been a journalist who has brought more passion, professionalism,
and knowledge to the sport of distance running, track and field, and cross country than Marc
Bloom,” said George Hirsch, chairman of the board of New York Road Runners. “Our sport has
been enriched by his four decades as an editor, writer, reporter and active participant.”
Marc Bloom has been involved in all aspects of track and field, cross-country and road running
for 50 years. He was editor-in-chief of The Runner magazine from 1978 to 1987 and a senior
contributor to Runner’s World for 20 years; most recently, he has been a senior writer for
Running Times. He has written nine books, and he founded, and for 25 years published, The
Harrier high school cross-country magazine, which featured the original national team rankings
that helped grow the sport of high school cross country. His work has also appeared in New York
Magazine, World Tennis, Skiing, Health, American Health, and Good Health, published by The
New York Times.
About the TCS New York City Marathon and New York Road Runners (NYRR)
The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners and the largest
marathon in the world. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features the world’s top
professional athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. The race began in
1970 with just 127 entrants running four laps around Central Park, and expanded citywide in 1976. In
2014, a record 50,530 runners from 130 countries toured New York City’s five boroughs, 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 at the iconic Central Park finish line. More
than one million spectators line the city streets to cheer on the runners, while millions more watch the
live television broadcast in the United States and around the world. The race is part of the Abbott World
Marathon Majors, a series featuring the world’s top marathons—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago,
and New York—and crowning the top professional male and female marathoners of the series.
Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier
community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s
commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth running
initiatives, school programs, 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. More
than 200,000 students are served locally and nationally through NYRR’s free youth running programs,
events, and resources, including more than 120,000 in New York City’s five boroughs. 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.