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Dallas Marathon Assembles Most Decorated Elite Field of American Distance
Runners Seen at Any Major City Marathon This Year
Five male-female pairs to run in Duo to Rio Relay sponsored by AT&T as tune up to 2016 trials
Participating American elites own combined 15 Olympic appearances and countless records
Abdi Abdirahman, Annie Bersagel, Luke Puskedra, Becky Wade and Jared Ward join Deena
Kastor, Molly Huddle, Desiree Linden, Meb Keflezighi and Dathan Ritzenhein in stacked 2015
Dallas Marathon elite program
DALLAS (Dec. 1, 2015) – Ten top Team USA hopefuls for the 2016 Summer Olympics
will participate head-to-head in the Duo to Rio Relay sponsored by AT&T on Dallas
Marathon race day this December, organizers for the event announced today. The
decorated elite field features the top American male and female finishers from the most
recent Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, three of the qualifying Americans from
the 2012 Olympic marathon team, a collective 15 Olympic appearances for Team USA
in distance running, and multiple World and American record holders.
Americans including Abdi Abdirahman, Annie Bersagel, Luke Puskedra, Dallas-local
Becky Wade, and Jared Ward will join previously announced Dallas Marathon elite
ambassadors Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein, Deena Kastor, Desiree Linden and
Molly Huddle on Sunday, December 13, as competitors in the Duo to Rio Relay
sponsored by AT&T.
The ten Olympic hopefuls will be paired in male-female teams, running to determine
which pair can complete the 26.2-mile Dallas Marathon course the fastest. The male
elites will run the first 13.1 miles of the marathon course and handoff to the female
competitors who will compete the second half marathon leg of the course. Pairings will
be announced at a race weekend press conference, held Friday, December 11. The
45th running of the Dallas Marathon will start and finish in downtown Dallas, with a
course highlighting the most entertaining neighborhoods and iconic landmarks in the
city of Dallas.
“We’re excited to team up with AT&T – such a nationally recognized leader in service
and innovation – to deliver spectators and participants a one-of-a-kind experience at
this December’s Dallas Marathon,” said Patrick Byerly, president of the Dallas
Marathon. “No major marathon outside of the trials and now the Dallas Marathon has
experienced the energy delivered by such a strong field of top American runners. We’re
honored by these athletes’ choice to compete in the Duo to Rio Relay and wish each
runner good luck in their training.”
The participating American elites are approaching the Duo to Rio Relay sponsored by
AT&T as a tune-up to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Los Angeles. For the
majority, including Abdirahman, Bersagel, Huddle, Linden, Puskedra, Ritzenhein, Wade
and Ward, this will be their first appearance at the Dallas Marathon.
“AT&T is proud to work with the Dallas Marathon to showcase the speed and
performance of America’s top distance runners this December,” said Hardmon Williams,
Vice President and General Manager of AT&T North Texas. “This is a memorable
opportunity for Dallas, with ten elite competitors who are very likely to be among those
who will represent Team USA next summer, all competing on one stage. Creating the
Duo to Rio Relay with the Dallas Marathon exemplifies AT&T’s commitment to building
innovative and engaging programs and services for the greater Dallas and North Texas
communities.”
The 2015 Dallas Marathon, Half Marathon and Behringer Relay is Sunday, December
13. For more information or to register, visit dallasmarathon.com.
DALLAS MARATHON DUO TO RIO RELAY SPONSORED BY AT&T COMPETITORS
Abdihakem “Abdi” Abdirahman
Abdirahman, 38, is a four-time Olympian and owns a marathon PR of 2:08:56, set in
2006 at Chicago. He was a member of the 2012 Team USA marathon team, and
competed in the 10,000 meters at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Abdirahman lives and trains in Tuscon, Arizona.
Annie Bersagel
Bersagel, 32, is the fifth fastest American woman to run a marathon this year, with a
two-minute PR and time of 2:28:59 in a race win at the 2015 Düsseldorf Marathon.
Bersagel represented the United States during the 2011 Pan American Games,
finishing as the top American in the 10,000m and placing fourth overall. Bersagel works
as a lawyer, and lives and trains in Oslo, Norway.
Molly Huddle
Huddle, 31, was the first American runner to win the NYC Half Marathon in 2015 where
she set a PR of 1:08:31, earning her a spot in Marie Claire’s “The 8 Greatest Moments
for Women in Sports.” She competed in the 5000-meters for Team USA at the 2012
London Summer Olympics, owns the American record at that distance, and is a top
contender for Rio in 2016. Huddle trains in Providence, Rhode Island.
Deena Kastor
Kastor, 42, broke the U.S. Masters marathon record earlier this fall at Chicago with a
time of 2:27:42, besting the previous record time by nearly a minute. In addition to her
bronze medal in the marathon at the 2004 Olympic Games, Kastor is the world Masters
record holder in the half marathon, set last year in Philadelphia with a time of 1:09:36.
The three-time Olympian also owns the women’s American record in the marathon
(2:19:36) and half marathon (1:07:34).
Meb Keflezighi
Meb, 40, is the only athlete in history to win the New York City Marathon, the Boston
Marathon and an Olympic medal in the marathon. In 2014, the three-time Olympian
became the first American in 31 years to win the Boston Marathon, with a PR of
2:08:37.
Desiree “Desi” Linden
Linden, 32, was the first female American finisher at the 2015 Boston Marathon in a
time of 2:25:39, placing fourth overall. She owns a lifetime marathon PR of 2:22:38, set
at the 2011 Boston Marathon where she placed second. A member of Team USA in the
marathon at the 2012 London Summer Olympics in London and a Rio 2016 frontrunner,
Linden trains with the Hanson-Brooks Distance Project team based in Michigan.
Luke Puskedra
Puskedra, 25, owns the fastest marathon finish by an American in 2015, with a time of
2:10:24 at the 2015 Chicago Marathon, where he placed fifth overall. The 6’4’’ Utah
native and former University of Oregon recently returned to competitive distance
running after taking time off while living in South Africa. Puskedra’s personal best in the
half marathon is 1:01:36, run at the Houston Half Marathon.
Dathan Ritzenhein
Ritzenhein, 32, is a three-time Olympian and owns the third-fastest American marathon
time in history, with a PR of 2:07:47 set at the 2012 Chicago Marathon. He was the first
American marathon finisher at the 2008 Olympic Games the top American finisher at the
2015 Boston Marathon.
Becky Wade
Wade, 26, is a Dallas native living and training in Houston. She won her debut marathon
in 2013, with a time of 2:30:41 at the California International Marathon and set a half
marathon PR of 1:12:58 at Houston earlier this year. Wade was a four-time NCAA
Division I All-American distance runner at Rice.
Jared Ward
Ward, 27, won the 2015 U.S. marathon championship in Los Angeles this March with a
PR of 2:12:56. The former track runner from Brigham Young University set a half
marathon PR of 1:01:42 at Houston earlier this year, where he placed second.
About the Dallas Marathon
The Dallas Marathon is a nonprofit organization with a focus on promoting health and
physical fitness through running events and related activities. Dating back to 1971, the
organization hosts year-round events culminating with Dallas’ largest and Texas’ oldest
running marathon: the Dallas Marathon. Now in its 45th running, the marquee property
attracts runners from across the globe and hundreds of thousands of spectators to
Dallas’ largest single-day sporting event. The Dallas Marathon racecourse highlights
iconic Dallas landmarks and is recognized as the official marathon of the city of Dallas.
Since naming a primary beneficiary in 1997, the Dallas Marathon has donated more
than $3.75 million to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. For more information,
visit dallasmarathon.com.
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