New York, October 24, 2018— American marathon record-holder Deena Kastor will be honored with the Abebe Bikila Award, legendary writer Don Kardong will receive the George Hirsch Journalism Award, and running icons and trailblazers Peter Ciaccia, Edith Wolf Hunkeler, Martin Lel, and Allison Roe will make up the NYRR Hall of Fame Class of 2018, it was announced today by New York Road Runners. All six award recipients will be honored on Thursday, November 1, at 4:00 p.m. at the TCS New York City Marathon Pavilion in Central Park. The event will be open to the public.

Abebe Bikila Award

This award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the sport of distance running.

Deena Kastor, an Olympic medalist who holds the American record in four events, including the marathon, is this year’s recipient. She made her mara­thon debut at the 2001 New York City Marathon. She was the top American woman, seventh overall, in an American debut record time of 2:26:58. The race doubled as that year’s USA Marathon Championships. Kastor became a New York City favorite, winning the NYRR New York Mini 10K in 2004, finishing second (25:05) at the USA 8K Women’s Championships on Randall’s Island in 2005, taking sixth at the New York City Marathon in 2006, and making the podium at the NYC Half in 2009 (third) and 2010 (second). Outside of NYC, Kastor reached the pinnacle of the sport: She set American records for the half-marathon (1:07:34, since broken) and the marathon (2:19:36, still standing). Over the course of her career, Kastor would hold 10 American marks, including the current masters (over-40) marathon record of 2:27:47, set in 2015. Kastor represented the United States at the Sydney 2000 Olympics over 10,000 meters. At the Athens 2004 Games, she ran a dramatic come-from-behind race to win the bronze medal in the marathon.

NYRR Hall of Fame

Peter Ciaccia, NYRR’s president, events and TCS New York City Marathon race director, has been a key player at NYRR for 18 years. During his tenure, the number of race finishers has grown 40 percent, including such events as the United Airlines NYC Half, the Popular Brooklyn Half, and the TCS New York City Marathon—which has become the most popular and largest marathon in the world. As race director, Ciaccia has been responsible for the recruitment of all professional athletes in NYRR’s major races, and has been actively directing a #RunClean educational initiative to ad­dress the issues of doping in the sport. Under Ciaccia’s leadership, NYRR’s impact in each of the city’s boroughs has deepened with the development of NYRR Open Run, a program that offers free weekly community-based runs and walks, and he is responsible for piloting NYRR’s first-ever Rising New York Road Runners’ Wheelchair Training Program. It has been nearly guaranteed that at most NYRR races during his tenure, you will have seen Ciaccia at the finish line, greeting and thanking all the runners—from the first to the final finisher.

Edith Wolf Hunkeler of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair division of the New York City Marathon in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Her five career wins are tied with Tatyana McFadden and Kurt Fearnley for the most ever by a wheelchair athlete at the New York City Marathon. She set a course record of 1:59:30 in the first of those wins and smashed it in 2007 with a 1:52:38, a mark that stood until 2011. The first wheelchair athlete inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame, Wolf Hunkeler won the Boston Marathon in 2002 and 2006 and three gold medals at the 2006 World Championships. She might’ve gone home with four, but in the marathon she was involved in another crash that led to a two-month hospitalization. Told by doctors she’d never race again, Wolf Hunkeler came back to win the gold medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Marathon. Four years later, she struck gold again at the London 2012 Paralympics, this time in the 5000m.

Martin Lel of Kenya was the most dominant marathon runner of the 2000s. Famous for his finishing kick, he won the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Lel captured the last of those London titles with a personal best 2:05:15, setting a course record. He represented Kenya at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he finished in fifth in the marathon. Injuries kept Lel from running the London Marathon in 2009 and 2010, but he came back strong, placing second in 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the nonprofit organization Shoe4Africa opened the Shoe4Africa Martin Lel Secondary School in Lel’s home village.

Allison Roe of New Zealand won the 1981 Boston Marathon in spectacular fashion, shaving nearly eight minutes off the course record. In October, she bested race favorite Grete Waitz, who dropped out at mile 17, to win the New York City Marathon. Roe’s time of 2:25:29 was 13 seconds faster than Waitz’s world-record performance the previous year, but the course was later found to be 150 meters short of regulation. Roe’s rise to fame came as women’s marathon running was rapidly gaining popularity. Her forthright personality made her a powerful spokesperson in the battles to professionalize the sport with legitimate prize money and to achieve equality for female athletes. A hamstring injury ended Roe’s marathoning career ahead of the inau­gural Olympic women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.

The George Hirsch Journalism Award, established in 2010, recognizes excellence in the reporting, writing, and broadcasting of the sport of marathon and distance running.

This year’s recipient is Don Kardong, who has worked as a writer, primarily for Runner’s World, Running, and The Runner magazines, since 1986, and has served as a TV and radio commentator for large road races. Prior to becom­ing a writer, he finished fourth in the Olympic marathon in Montreal, and the next spring he founded the Lilac Bloomsday Run which has since grown to more than 50,000 participants. A native of Seattle, WA, Kardong has served as Race Director of the Lilac Bloomsday Run since 2004.

***QUOTES FOR EDITORIAL USE

“Abebe Bikila was a pioneer athletically and inspirationally, and for the four decades the New York Road Runners have been granting this award in his name to the athletes and families who have inspired me most, I now share this great honor. Over the years, I have been grateful for every cross country season, every summer on the track, and every marathon buildup, but to be receiving the Abebe Bikila award really ties those years together. I have learned through defeat and through victory, yet, in this sport I love so much, I think of all my performances as a privilege to pursue. I am so thankful for the New York Road Runners, who have given so many runners a great stage to perform, raise awareness, share their stories and thrive on, and now, thankful for honoring me with this year’s Abebe Bikila award.” -Deena Kastor, Abebe Bikila Award Winner

“Being inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame that already has so many great contributors to the sport is truly an honor. To be part of this year’s class that also includes Edith, Martin, and Allison, all of whom have achieved so much, and to stand alongside Deena and Don as they are recognized for their contributions to the running community, is a highlight of my career. This year’s honorees have all made their marks on the New York City running scene, and I am thrilled to be part of honoring their achievements.” -Peter Ciaccia, NYRR Hall of Fame Inductee and NYRR President, Events, and Race Director, TCS New York City Marathon

“The New York City Marathon has a mystical fascination for every athlete, as it does for me. To compete in this unique atmosphere was always an magical moment, for me and I will always treasure those moments in my heart. I always arrived with great respect, and left New York with many unforgettable memories. The New York City Marathon is an important part of my sports career. Now, I'm proud and very happy to be part of the history of its history.” -Edith Wolf Hunkeler, NYRR Hall of Fame Inductee

“I am highly delighted and it is indeed a great honor to be inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame. This race, when I first won in 2003, won me global recognition. I would like to thank the New York Road Runners for this wonderful award.” -Martin Lel, NYRR Hall of Fame Inductee

“The award is a huge honor to acknowledge a small part I played in the history of the global rise in women’s running. The New York City Marathon moves people, and it moved me from New Zealand to the other side of the world to run the race of my life when I was 25. I would never have believed that winning New York would be life changing but somehow it was in many ways. It taught me that the marathon is so much more than it seems; it’s like meditation, it’s about challenges, and hardships of discipline and surviving. It’s about love and transcending any perceived limits, to be able to break down barriers and to be free to express yourself. I feel really humbled to be a recipient of the award and it’s even more special to me because my son Elliott will run this year and he’s the same age I was when I won the race in 1981.” -Allison Roe, NYRR Hall of Fame Inductee

“It’s nice to be recognized, and that's especially true knowing the members of the selection committee, whose work I've enjoyed and respected over the years.” -Don Kardong, George Hirsch Journalism Award Winner

“Our 2018 New York Road Runners Hall of Fame inductees and award honorees have influenced the running world in ways that extend well beyond their achievements on the roads, and they have inspired those who have come after them. They have all made a tremendous impact on helping us become the world’s premier community running organization, and have paved the way for future generations in the sport.” -Michael Capiraso, NYRR President and CEO

“This year’s NYRR Hall of Fame inductees and award honorees have all paved the way for future generations of runners and we are overjoyed to be celebrating their achievements in our history. Peter, Edith, Martin, Allison, Deena, and Don’s influences all extend beyond their accomplishments on the roads – they have all truly been pioneers in the sport.” -George Hirsch, Chairman of the NYRR Board of Directors

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

In 2018, NYRR is celebrating 60 years of helping and inspiring people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, free youth running initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event, and the largest marathon in the world, is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.