New York, September 15, 2015—Defending professional wheelchair champions Tatyana McFadden of the United States, running for her third consecutive title and serving as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, and Kurt Fearnley of Australia will be aiming for repeat victories at the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon, set for Sunday, November 1, it was announced today by Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon.
 
McFadden and Fearnley will lead decorated professional wheelchair fields in the second and final race of the Chicago-New York Challenge, which will serve as a prelude to the inaugural Abbott World Marathon Majors Wheelchair Series beginning with the Boston Marathon in April 2016. A $10,000 winner-take-all prize will be awarded to the male and female with the most points earned in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11 and the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1.
 
“We’re thrilled to welcome back our defending champions Tatyana McFadden, who will be running as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, and Kurt Fearnley to the 2015 TCS New York City Marathon,” said Ciaccia. “Tatyana has won an unprecedented ten consecutive major marathons, including the past two in New York, while Kurt is one of the sport’s top talents.  Both of these amazing athletes will join a talented group who will be going after the top spot in this year’s Chicago-New York Challenge, which will serve as a preview to next year’s inaugural Abbot World Marathon Majors Wheelchair Series. Together, our field will lead the way for more than 50,000 runners as they make the journey through each of New York City’s five boroughs..”
 
As an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, McFadden will join Meb Keflezighi to support the organization’s charity running team in their efforts to reach a fundraising goal of $5 million and participate in a variety of race-week activities. NYRR’s Team for Kids, the TCS New York City Marathon’s largest charity, is a committed group of adult runners from around the world who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR’s free youth running programs which serve more than 200,000 kids locally and nationally, including more than 120,000 in New York’s five boroughs..
 
“New York Road Runners and our Team for Kids runners are extremely grateful for Tatyana’s leadership as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “Tatyana continuously raises the bar for professional athletes, and this year she will serve as a role model to kids in all five of New York City’s boroughs and across the country. Her outstanding leadership will have an inspirational impact on the launch of NYRR’s new youth wheelchair initiatives in the upcoming years.”
 
McFadden, 26, of Clarksville, MD, became the first and only athlete to win four of the world’s major marathons in the same calendar year (2013), also known as a “Grand Slam”, winning titles at Boston, London, Chicago, and New York; she repeated this feat in 2014 and is on pace for a hat trick in 2015, winning the Boston and Virgin Money London Marathon titles this spring. McFadden earned a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Winter Games in the one-kilometer sitting cross-country ski race. She owns 10 Paralympic Summer Games medals (three gold, four silver, three bronze), and has won a record six gold medals at the 2013 IPC World Championships. This year, she set world records in the 400, 800, 1500, and 5000 meters.
 
“I am so excited to be competing in the TCS New York City Marathon, especially as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador,” said McFadden. “I started running when I was young, and I learned it’s something everyone can do; to have a healthy body and mind is so important. I am proud to be running for Team for Kids.”
 
Fearnley, 34, is the defending TCS New York City Marathon champion, his fifth event title. He won four consecutive New York City Marathon titles from 2006 to 2009, the most in history by a male wheelchair athlete. In his first victory, he set the current course record of 1:29:22. He is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and has won marathons in London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seoul, Rome, Paris, Sydney, and Port Elizabeth, and at the IPC World Championships.
 
“There was no greater honor than winning my fifth New York City Marathon title,” said Fearnley. “I'm excited to attempt to get my sixth win in the biggest and best wheelchair marathon in the world.”
 
Also competing in the professional men’s wheelchair field is Josh George, 31, of Champaign, IL. George is the 2014 NYC Half champion and runner-up at the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half. He is a four-time Chicago Marathon champion (2003, 2004, 2006, 2014) and recently won the 2015 London Marathon, which also served as the IPC World Championships. He was the 2012 Paralympic Games 800-meter bronze medalist and a gold medal at the 2013 IPC World Championships in the same distance. He holds the 800-meter world record and was the 100-meter gold-medalist at the 2008 Paralympic Games.
 
“I'm returning to New York this year more determined than ever to get a good result,” said George. “This race has been hard on me, but it remains my favorite of the year and I am optimistic. The Chicago-New York challenge this year represents another step forward for the wheelchair division. We don't take this lightly and all of us will be working harder than ever to have an amazing series of races.”
 
Additional Select Athlete Backgrounds and Notable Performances
 

• Manuela Schär, 30, of Switzerland, is the world record-holder in the marathon with a personal best of 1:38:07. She won the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half and the 2013 IPC World Marathon Championships. Schär, a three-time Paralympic medalist, finished among the top three in her first five major marathons, including her 2013 BMW Berlin Marathon win.

• Amanda McGrory, 29, of Savoy, IL, won the 2006 and 2011 New York City Marathons, the latter in a course-record 1:50:24. She has placed in the top four at each of the six New York City Marathons she has entered. She is a four-time Paralympic medalist and has won two London Marathon titles and three Chicago Marathon titles.

• Susannah Scaroni, 24, of Champaign, IL, finished second at both the 2014 and 2015 NYC Half. Scaroni, a 2012 Paralympian, won back-to-back titles at both the Twin Cities Marathon and the LA Marathon in 2013 and 2014; she also won the 2014 Grandma’s Marathon, the 2013 BolderBOULDER 10K, and the 2013 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

• Ernst van Dyk, 42, of South Africa, won the 2005 New York City Marathon and finished runner-up for the fourth time last year. He has won a record 10 Boston Marathon titles, including six consecutive times between 2001 and 2006. He won the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half in an event-record 48:54 and is the former world record-holder in the marathon.

• Marcel Hug, 29, of Switzerland, is the 2013 New York City Marathon champion, becoming the first Swiss athlete to earn the title. He won the 2015 Boston Marathon, the 2014 London Marathon, and the 2011 and 2012 BMW Berlin Marathons. He is a four-time Paralympian and is a seven-time IPC World Championships gold-medalist, including the marathon in 2013.

• David Weir, 36, of Great Britain, won the 2010 New York City Marathon and is a six-time London Marathon champion. He is a six-time Paralympic gold-medalist, including the marathon in the 2012 Paralympic Games, and a six-time IPC World Championships gold medalist. He holds every national record on the track up to the 5000 meters.

Professional Women’s Field

Professional Men’s Field

*Competing in the Chicago-New York Challenge
 
The 2015 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, November 1, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tri-state area from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET. The race will also be live on abc7NY.com and via the WatchABC app, as well as via WatchESPN on computers, tablets, smartphones, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One for those who have video subscriptions from affiliated providers. Additionally, the race will be available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes+. Pre-race coverage will be carried live in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV, Channel 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and pre-race and continued coverage will be also be carried live nationally on ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network ESPN3 from 7:00 to-9:00 a.m. and from 12:30 to-2:00 p.m. ESPN3 will also present a view of the finish line from 9:30 a.m.- to 5:00 p.m. Additional race-weekend events will be carried live in the New York tri-state area on WABC-TV, Channel 7 on Friday, October 30, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, October 31, from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. A national compilation show will air after the race from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on ABC. International viewers can watch the broadcast from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).
 
For the latest TCS New York City Marathon news and media information and to apply for a TCS New York City Marathon credential to cover the event on race day, please visit the NYRR online media center at nyrr.org/mediacenter and follow us on Twitter @nyrrnews.