New York, September 16, 2014—An illustrious field of the world’s best professional wheelchair athletes, led by defending champion Tatyana McFadden of the United States, who clinched the “Grand Slam” of marathon championships in 2013, will race the streets of the five boroughs for the coveted 2014 TCS New York City Marathon wheelchair division title on Sunday, November 2, it was announced today by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. Defending champion and five-time world champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland will headline the men’s field. 

“The return of Tatyana and Marcel to the our City and the remarkable field of professional wheelchair athletes who will join them further defines the TCS New York City Marathon as one of the world’s top sporting events,” said Wittenberg. “Tatyana is the perfect example of a champion constantly redefining greatness, while Marcel’s thrilling down-to-the-wire victory last year showcased the determination that defines this event.  Our professional wheelchair racers are the first competitors to hear the cheers of the over one million spectators who line the neighborhood streets of the five boroughs, blazing a trail for the 50,000 runners who will join them on Marathon Day.”

McFadden will compete to defend her title and could potentially win her second Grand Slam of marathon championships if she wins the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, having already triumphed at both the 2014 London and Boston marathons. McFadden will be challenged by a powerful group of past champions, including course record-holder Amanda McGrory of the United States. In his fifth New York City Marathon appearance, defending champion Hug will aim to reprise his 2013 performance against familiar rivals, including four-time consecutive New York City Marathon champion and course record-holder Kurt Fearnley of Australia.

McFadden, 25, of Clarksville, MD, became the first and only athlete, male or female, to win a Grand Slam of marathons in the same calendar year (2013), which she did by taking the titles at Boston, London, Chicago, and New York. Before repeating her victories at London and Boston in 2014, McFadden tried a new sport—and she earned a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games in the one-kilometer sitting cross-country ski race. She has collected 10 Paralympic Summer Games medals (three gold, four silver, three bronze), and she won a record-setting six gold medals at the 2013 IPC World Championships in Lyon, France. The two-time New York City Marathon winner (2010, 2013) has a marathon personal best of 1:35:06, which she set at the 2014 Boston Marathon. An ESPY nominee this year for Best Female Athlete with a Disability, McFadden is poised to go for the win at the TCS New York City Marathon this year and will attempt to make history again by completing her second Grand Slam.

“I’m very excited to be running the TCS New York City Marathon, especially coming off the race season I had last year and competing in the Winter Olympic Games,” said McFadden. “It’s been a tough transition back to racing after skiing, but I’m ready for the challenge. The hills in New York City make it very difficult to keep the competitors in sight, but the crowds and the spirit make it a great day for us.”

Hug, 28, of Switzerland, eked out a win at the 2013 New York City Marathon over Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa in a photo finish that saw the top five competitors finish within two seconds of one another. He became the first Swiss man (runner or wheelchair athlete) to wear the New York City Marathon laurel wreath. Nicknamed the “Silver Bullet,” Hug also won the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon and the 2011 and 2012 BMW Berlin Marathons. The four-time Paralympic medalist (two silver, two bronze) won five gold medals at the 2013 IPC World Championships in Lyon, France. Hug, who has a personal best of 1:20:52 from the 2013 Seoul Marathon, has also had success at shorter distances; he holds the Swiss record for 100 meters. After a breakout year since his victory last fall, Hug is determined to defend his title in his fifth New York City Marathon against a strong field of experienced competitors.

“To win one of the most challenging and prestigious marathons last year was a great achievement in my sports career,” said Hug. “I will give all my best to win again this year.”

Additional female wheelchair athletes that will join McFadden and McGrory on the start line include 2006 IPC world marathon champion Diane Roy of Canada; 2013 IPC world marathon champion Manuela Schär of Switzerland; five-time Paralympian Christie Dawes of Australia; 2014 Boston Marathon third-place finisher Susannah Scaroni of the United States; Wakako Tsuchida of Japan, the fastest female wheelchair marathoner of all time; and four-time New York City Marathon runner-up Shelly Woods of Great Britain.

Hug and Fearnley will encounter a competitive field of versatile male wheelchair athletes on November 2, including reigning NYC Half champion Josh George of the United States; 2011 New York City Marathon champion Masazumi Soejima of Japan; 10-time Boston Marathon champion and former world record-holder Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa; former American record-holder Adam Bleakney; 2014 Boston Marathon runner-up Kota Hokinoue of Japan; and two-time New York City Marathon champion Krige Schabort of the United States.

Select Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances

• McFadden, 25, of Clarksville, is on pace to repeat her Grand Slam after reprising her 2013 victories in London and Boston this year. She took the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games in the one-kilometer sitting cross-country ski race and has earned 10 Paralympic Summer Games medals and a record-setting six gold medals at the 2013 IPC World Championships.

• McGrory, 28, of Champaign, IL, won the 2006 and 2011 New York City Marathons, the latter in a course-record 1:50:24, which shattered the previous record by more than two and a half minutes. She has placed in the top four at each of the six New York City Marathons she has entered. The four-time Paralympic medalist (one gold, one silver, two bronze) has also won two London Marathon titles and three Chicago Marathon titles. She finished third in the 2011 IPC World Championships Marathon.

• Roy, 42, of Canada, is a five-time Paralympic medalist and the marathon gold medalist at the 2006 IPC World Championships. Between 2009 and 2010, she notched five podium finishes at the Paris, Boston, and London marathons. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, she competed in every event from the 400 meters to the marathon. This year will mark her 10th New York City Marathon.

• Schär, 29, of Switzerland, is the 2013 IPC World Champion in the marathon and won four gold medals at the 2014 IPC European Championships. A newcomer to the sport in 2013, she finished among the top three in her first five major marathons, including the 2013 Berlin Marathon. This year, she finished fourth at the Boston Marathon and runner-up at the Virgin Money London Marathon. Before competing in longer-distance races, she was a sprinting star, capturing three Paralympic medals in the 100 and 200 meters.

• Hug, 28, of Switzerland, is the 2013 New York City Marathon champion and winner of five gold medals at the 2013 IPC World Championships. He won the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon and is a two-time champion of the BMW Berlin Marathon (2011, 2012). He has won national titles in every event from the 100 meters to the 10,000 meters and owns a marathon personal best of 1:20:52, set at the 2013 Seoul Marathon.

• Fearnley, 29, of Canada, won four consecutive New York City Marathon titles (2006–2009)—the most in history by a male wheeler. In his first victory, he set the current course record of 1:29:22. The two-time Paralympic Marathon gold medalist has won marathons in London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seoul, Rome, Paris, Sydney, and Port Elizabeth, and at the World Championships. This year will mark his ninth New York City Marathon appearance.

• George, 30, of Champaign, IL, is a three-time Chicago Marathon champion (2003, 2004, 2006). Before winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games and a gold medal at the 2013 IPC World Championships, both at 800 meters, he set world records in the 100, 400, and 800 meters before his 25th birthday. George is the reigning 2014 NYC Half champion and will be competing in his eighth New York City Marathon.

• Soejima, 44, of Japan, has finished on the podium in four out of his five New York City Marathon races, including a victory in 2011. The three-time Paralympian was the first Japanese winner of the New York City Marathon in any division, and he won the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2007, the latter by a huge margin of seven minutes.

• Van Dyk, 41, of South Africa, narrowly missed replicating his 2005 New York City Marathon title in 2013, finishing runner-up for a third time, less than one second behind Marcel Hug. He has won a record 10 Boston Marathon titles, including this year’s event and six consecutive times between 2001 and 2006. The former world record-holder has represented South Africa at every Paralympic Games since 1992, and won the 2013 Chicago Marathon.

The TCS New York City Marathon has been proud to support professional wheelchair athletes since the wheelchair division was inaugurated in 2000. Professional wheelchair athletes will compete for a prize purse totaling $103,000, with $15,000 awarded to the male and female winners—one of the world’s largest marathon wheelchair—division prize purses. The wheelchair division, the first wave of athletes to run the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon course, will start at 8:30 a.m.

The TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes+ from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. For those who have video subscriptions with affiliated providers, the race will also be available via WatchESPN. The race will be broadcast live in the New York City metropolitan area on WABC-TV from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST. Viewers can also watch the race on 7online or via WatchABC on mobile devices (for participating cable providers). Pre-race features from the start at Fort Wadsworth will be broadcast live at 7:00 a.m. on WABC-TV, 7online.com, and WatchABC, and a national highlights show will air from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on local ABC affiliates. International viewers can watch the broadcast via a live digital stream from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST on 7online.com or via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).

Last year, 50,266 runners crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon, making it the world’s largest marathon ever. Runners from more than 100 countries and each of the 50 states participated.

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the most popular and inclusive marathon in the world, attracting the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of recreational runners. The race began in 1970 with just 127 entrants racing four laps of Central Park. Today, an estimated 50,000 runners from around the world tour New York City’s five boroughs, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and finishing in Central Park. Participants include Olympians, Paralympians, wheelchair racers, top age-group competitors, and many thousands who run for charity and to achieve their own personal goals. Millions of fans cheer the runners from the streets and watch the global television broadcast. The race is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners, the world’s foremost community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. Tata Consultancy Services, a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the Premier Partner of NYRR and is in its inaugural year as title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon.