NYC Marathon adds more talent

The New York City Marathon field got a nice boost on Monday.

The men’s field added Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and Martin Lel of Kenya to the startlist.

Kebede has won the London Marathon twice and was last year’s champion in Chicago. He was also the bronze medalist in the marathon at the 2008 Olympics. He boasts a 2:04:38 PB from his Chicago win last year and will be looking to hold on to his lead in the World Marathon Majors competition. Winning the majors carries with it a $500,000 prize, so it’s not surprising that he’s decided to toe the line in New York to ensure his big payday.

Lel is no stranger to winning races. He’s won five marathons over his career at the distance, all of them majors. His first win came in 2003 in New York, which he won again in 2007. His other three victories were all in London, winning in 2005, 2007, and 2008. His PB is 2:05:15, which he set in his 2008 London win. The time was a course record, but has since been bested by Geoffrey Mutai, who will also be racing this November in the Big Apple.

The women’s field has added Italy’s Valeria Straneo, runner up at the World Championships this summer. Her PB is 2:23:44 which is the Italian record. She also competed in the 2012 Olympics, finishing eighth. In Moscow, Straneo showed her toughness, taking out a hard pace in the extreme heat and holding the lead for 40K. She could factor in to a tactical race in New York.

The race is on Nov. 3 and nearly 45,000 runners will compete.