Brown, Mayock, Lel, Prokupcuka in Field for New York Marathon

Brown, Mayock, Lel, Prokupcuka Join Elite Field for the ING New York City Marathon 2005

NEW YORK - Great Britain's top male marathoner Jon Brown and countryman and marathon debutant John Mayock will join a world-class field on November 6 at the ING New York City Marathon, it was announced by race director and New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. The entries of Martin Lel of Kenya, the ING New York City Marathon 2003 champion and 2005 Flora London Marathon champ, and Jelena Prokupcuka of Latvia were also announced.

"Jon knows how to prepare for the big races, and he's proven himself by twice finishing fourth at the Olympic Games," Wittenberg said of Brown, who finished sixth (2:11:24) in the 2001 New York City Marathon. "What is missing from Jon's resume is that one performance that puts him on the podium of a major marathon." In his most recent marathon, Brown finished sixth in a personal best 2:09:31 in London this past April.

A 34-year-old Welshman, Brown lives in Victoria, British Columbia. He is a three-time Olympian for Great Britain who placed 10th in the 10,000 meters in 1996 in Atlanta and fourth at both the Sydney and Athens marathons. Brown was the European cross country champion in 1996 and earned the bronze medal in that competition in 1999. He is the British record-holder at 4 miles, 10,000 meters, 12K and 15K.

"Like Jon Brown, John Mayock has proven himself at the highest levels of athletics and he's got five international championship medals to his credit," added Wittenberg. "It should be exciting to see how he can do in what will be his longest race to date."

Mayock, 35, of Cardiff, Wales, made his name as a miler. He has competed twice in New York City's famed Fifth Avenue Mile, and earlier this year placed 13th at the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park. A three-time Olympian, Mayock represented Great Britain at the 1996 and 2000 Games in the 1500 meters and ran the 5000 meters in Athens. He holds numerous medals from international competition, including bronze (1994) and silver (1998) from the Commonwealth Games 1500 and one gold (1998), two silvers (1992, 2005) and two bronze medals (2000, 2002) from the European Indoor Championships 3000 meters.

Lel, 26, was the ING New York City Marathon 2003 winner in 2:10:30. This past April he won the Flora London Marathon in 2:07:26, a personal best by two and a half minutes. Lel, Brown and Mayock join a men's field that is shaping up to be perhaps the deepest and strongest in the race's history, including world record-holder Paul Tergat of Kenya, defending ING New York City Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, 2004 Olympic silver medalist and last year's runner-up Meb Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., and two-time reigning World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco.

Jelena Prokupcuka, the Latvian marathon record-holder and the winner of the 2005 Osaka Ladies International Marathon, has been added to the women's field. Prokopcuka, 29, finished second at the 2005 Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K, a New York Road Runners event.

source RunningUSA