Archives of the Mayor's Press Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Tuesday, July 20, 1998

Release #294-99

Contact: Sunny Mindel/Curt Ritter 212/788 2958
Bernadette O'Leary 212/312-3523


MAYOR GIULIANI DRAWS FIRST 10 NAMES IN 1999 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON LOTTERY

30th Running of Marathon Set for November 7th

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today joined Road Runners Club President and New York City Marathon Director Allan Steinfeld and Senior Managing Director of Tishman Speyer Properties Geoffrey P. Wharton, at Rockefeller Center to draw the first 10 names in the annual New York City Marathon lottery. The 30th running of the New York City Marathon (NYCM) is scheduled to begin at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, November 7, 1999.

"The New York City Marathon is, without question, one of the greatest sporting events in the world and a New York City tradition," said Mayor Giuliani. "It's a wonderful celebration of physical endurance and a dramatic display of what happens when people set the highest possible expectations for themselves and try their hardest to achieve them. With over two million New Yorkers cheering the runners along, I can't think of any sporting event anywhere that is as exciting, and it's no wonder that more than 60,000 runners seek entry into the New York City Marathon each year. I want to wish everyone running this year the best of luck and look forward to the 30th running of the New York City Marathon."

The 10 names drawn by the Mayor today are the first of 3,000 that will be selected from a pool of 13,000 applicants. Each year more than 60,000 runners seek entry into the Marathon, but only 30,000 are accepted -- 17,000 runners are accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis, and 10,000 spaces are reserved for international runners. The remaining 3,000 positions are selected by lottery.

Since its inception in 1970, 481,707 runners have participated in the NYCM. Last year's winners were men's champion John Kagwe of Kenya, who ran the 26.2 mile course in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 45 seconds; and women's champion Franca Fiacconi of Italy, who finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 17seconds.

"The 30th running of the New York City Marathon on November 7th will be one of the last major sporting events of the century and this lottery will complete the field of the 30,000 runners who will share this experience of a lifetime," said Allan Steinfeld, NYCM Director. "With this year's record number of applicants from all over the world, we are pleased that the New York City Marathon continues to be the premier sporting event where the world comes to run."

This year is the NYCM's 30th running and its 23rd anniversary resuming through the five boroughs. The race will begin in Staten Island at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; continue through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx; and finish in Central Park.

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