Martin Lel, Emmanuel Mutai, Jo Pavey, Juan Luis Barrios, and Jaouad Gharib Join the Marathon Field

New York, September 13, 2011—Two-time New York City Marathon champion Martin Lel, 2011 Virgin London Marathon champion Emmanuel Mutai, 2011 BUPA London 10,000 champion Jo Pavey, and Olympians Juan Luis Barrios and Jaouad Gharib will join the already stellar field for the ING New York City Marathon.

All five athletes will run this weekend’s BUPA Great North Run in Newcastle, England, as they ready themselves for November’s ING New York City Marathon.

"The field for the ING New York City Marathon 2011 is going to blockbuster strong," said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. "We’re ensured a great race when we have the likes of two-time champion Martin Lel, London champion Emmanuel Mutai, and perennial contender Jaouad Gharib. And we're honored to host Jo Pavey as she continues her build-up to the London 2012 Olympics in her home country."

Lel, 33, of Kenya, has run the ING New York City Marathon twice and won it both times, in 2003 and 2007. He has also won three London Marathons and has placed in the top three in 11 of his 12 marathon finishes. Lel bounced back from two years of injuries last spring when he finished second in London. This will mark his first return to the ING New York City Marathon since his 2007 victory.

Mutai, 27, of Kenya, finished second at the ING New York City Marathon 2010 behind champion Gebre Gebremariam, who will also be back in 2011. Mutai set his personal best this past spring when he smashed the course record at the Virgin London Marathon in 2:04:40, winning by 1:05 and becoming the fourth-fastest marathoner in history on a certified course.

"I always aim for the win and I prefer to do that in the biggest races our sport has, so it’s an honor to be part of the ING New York City Marathon again," said Mutai. "Winning New York would mean I have won two of the biggest races in the world in one year. I know I have a chance to win the overall World Marathon Majors title as well, but I can’t battle in two races at the same time. So I will just do the maximum during the race and the only place to count points is behind the finish line in Central Park."

Pavey, 38, of England, will make her ING New York City Marathon debut this year after making her marathon debut in London this past April. (She finished 19th in 2:28:24.) Pavey had two strong New York City finishes earlier this year: sixth at the NYC Half in March (1:09:33) and seventh at the NYRR New York Mini 10K in June (32:46).

"I'm really excited to be coming back to New York to race for the third time this year, and to be finally toeing the line in Staten Island," said Pavey. "No marathon career would be complete without competing in the ING New York City Marathon, and it's great that my second marathon will be in a race that has such a tremendous history. NYRR has assembled a strong field, and a world-class race is exactly what I need ahead of an Olympic year. The marathon is new to me and I’m finding the new challenge really motivating—I can't wait for November 6th!"

Barrios, 28, of Mexico, was a 5000-meter finalist at the 2008 Olympic Games, finishing seventh. He made his marathon debut earlier this year at the Lala International Marathon in Mexico and finished third in 2:14:20. In 2010, Barrios earned two golds at the Central American & Caribbean Games in the 1500 meters and the 5000 meters.

Gharib, 38, of Morocco, is the Moroccan record-holder for both the half-marathon (59:59) and the marathon (2:05:27). He finished second in the 2008 Beijing Olympic marathon in 2:07:16, and he won IAAF World Championships Marathon gold in 2003 and 2005. Earlier this year, Gharib finished sixth at the Virgin London Marathon in 2:08:26.