More than 4,400 Compete At 13.1® Marathon New York, Karhu 5K at Flushing Meadows Corona Park

April 2, 2011 - PRLog -- NEW YORK – More than 4,400 runners ran, jogged and walked today's 13.1 Marathon® New York and Karhu 5K on a crisp, sunny morning at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.  Fabian Daza, 29, of Bogota, Colombia, set the event record, completing the half-marathon in 1:09:10, besting the field by more than eight minutes.  Jenna Papaz, 28, of Bethlehem, Pa., took the women's race in 1:25:27, edging Jill Czarnik of Chicago by less than a minute.

The 13.1 featured approximately 3,500 runners while the 5K attracted about 900 competitors.

“It was a good course, I started out fast to see if anyone would follow me and they didn't, so I kept going,” said Daza.  “I was confident I could win.”

“This was a great training race for the Boston Marathon for me,” said Papaz.  “It's the first time I've run the race and I look forward to running it again.”

In the 5K race that preceded the 13.1, six runners “Beat the Bear,” winning a pair of Karhu shoes for besting the time of Mark Carbone, 37, of Bellerose, N.Y., who wore a full bear costume, as event sponsor Karhu means “bear” in Finnish.

Jonathan Shallow, 29, of Dublin was the men's 5K winner, clocking in at 17:20.  Evelyn Abiola, 28, of Staten Island, N.Y., took the women's race in 20:29.  They and four others beat Carbone's 20:48 to win the Karhu shoes through the promotion.

Full results are available at http://www.131marathon.com/13_1_New_York.htm.

More than 1,000 racers ran as part of the official benefiting charity, Team World Vision, to raise funds for clean water projects in Kenya and Malawi while training with local team groups.  For more information on Team World Vision please visit http://www.worldvision.org.

The 13.1 Marathon New York is the third in the eight-city Series, which includes races in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Minneapolis.  Connect with the 13.1 Marathon Series via Facebook at www.facebook.com/131marathon or on Twitter at @131Marathon.

About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events.  The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city’s culture, identity and brand.  For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.

About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.  World Vision serves close to 100 million people in nearly 100 countries around the world. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

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13.1® Marathon New York
Half-Marathon, 13.1 miles
Men
1. Fabian Daza, Bogota, Colombia, 1:09:10
2. Bendan Donoghue, Forest Hills, N.Y., 1:17:13
3. David Roeske, New York, 1:20:18

Women
1. Jenna Papaz, Bethlehem, Pa., 1:25:27
2. Jill Czarnik, Chicago, 1:25:41
3. McLane Ritzel, New Haven, Conn. 1:30:18

Karhu 5K
Men
1. Jonathan Shallow, Dublin, Ireland, 17:22
2. Chris Stewart, Bronx, N.Y., 18:03
3. GordonRoble, New York, 19:06

Women
1. Evelyn Abiola, New York, 20:31
2. Julia Hoch, 24:26
3. Kamy Reyes, Holmdel, N.J., 24:28

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13.1® Marathon New York returns to beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, April 2, bringing the popular eight-city tour to Queens for its New York stop. The event also includes the Karhu 5K race. Register at http://www.131marathon.com.