U.S. Olympians Emily Sisson, Molly Seidel, Aliphine Tuliamuk, and Rachel (Schneider) Smith to headline strong American contingent in open division

 

Three-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni to lead wheelchair division

New York, June 2, 2022 – Twelve Olympians and five Paralympians will line up in Central Park for the 50th anniversary of the Mastercard® New York Mini 10K, the world’s original women-only road race, on Saturday, June 11, New York Road Runners (NYRR) announced today.

 

U.S. Olympians Emily SissonMolly SeidelAliphine Tuliamuk, and Rachel (Schneider) Smith will lead a strong American contingent that will go up against previously announced Olympic, TCS New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir, United Airlines NYC Half champion and 5K world-record holder Senbere Teferi, and two-time Mini 10K champion Sara Hall.

Sisson will come into the race after claiming her sixth national title last month in an American record 1:07:11 at the USATF Half Marathon Championships. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo last summer after winning the 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, where she broke the 17-year-old Trials record set by Deena Kastor in 2004. She has been very successful in her last three trips to New York, finishing as the runner-up at the United Airlines NYC Half twice and winning the USATF 5K Championships.

“After breaking the American record in the half-marathon, I’m excited to step down in distance and compete in the Mastercard® New York Mini 10K for the first time,” Sisson said. “It will be a privilege to take part in such a powerful event that has paved the way for so many women over the last 50 years.”

Seidel owns a bronze medal from the Tokyo Olympic marathon last year and in her last trip to New York set an American course record and recorded a fourth-place finish at the TCS New York City Marathon. Tuliamuk won the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and then gave birth to her daughter before running in the Olympic marathon in Tokyo. She will be making her first trip to New York since 2019 and is coming off winning the 25km national title, bringing her national title count to 11. Smith represented the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics in the 5,000 meters after finishing third in the distance at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

 

The deep U.S. women’s contingent also includes American marathon record-holder Keira D’Amato, the top American finisher at the last two Boston Marathons Nell Rojas, 2019 New York Mini 10K runner-up Stephanie Bruce, U.S. national champion Erika Kemp, and the top American finisher at the 2022 United Airlines NYC Half Lindsay Flanagan.

 

Returning to the event 10 years after her victory will be Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat, a two-time world champion in the marathon who won the 2010 New York City, 2014 London, and 2017 Boston marathons, and was the runner-up in Boston in 2019 and 2021.

 

“Winning the New York City Marathon 12 years ago changed my life, and now, 10 years after also winning the Mini 10K, I still enjoy my racing and am happy to still be competing at a high level,” Kiplagat said. “NYRR always invites the highest quality fields, so I always like lining up in New York with the best in the world. There are so many inspiring women who have participated in this race over the years who set a positive example for everyone – both runners and non-runners – and I’m lucky to be part of such a prestigious group.”

 

Last year’s TCS New York City Marathon runner-up and Mastercard® New York Mini 10K runner-up Viola Cheptoo of Kenya and former NCAA 10,000-meter champion Sharon Lokedi of Kenya will contend for the title as well.

 

The professional wheelchair division will be headlined by two-time Paralympic medalist and three-time Mastercard® Mini 10K defending champion Susannah Scaroni. Since the addition of the professional wheelchair division in 2018, Scaroni is the only athlete to have won the race.

 

“The Mastercard New York Mini 10K is a special one to me for so many reasons, and I’m excited at the chance to race on what will be a milestone day for women’s running in Central Park,” Scaroni said. “Not only is the Mini 10K the world’s original women-only road race, but it is also one of the only women-only wheelchair races at the present time, which will hopefully pave the way for future generations of women’s wheelchair racers in the next 50 years.”

 

Lining up against Scaroni will be U.S. Paralympians Jenna FesemyerYen HoangHannah Dederick, and Eva Houston.

 

The Mini 10K, which began in 1972 as the Crazylegs Mini Marathon, was the first women-only road race and has gone on to garner more than 200,000 total finishers to date. Former NYRR President Fred Lebow named the race after the miniskirt, which back then was in vogue. A total of 72 women finished the first race, and three weeks later, Title IX was signed into law, guaranteeing girls and women the right to participate in school sports and creating new opportunities for generations of female athletes.

 

The Mastercard® New York Mini 10K will offer $45,000 in total prize money, including $10,000 to the winner of the open division and $2,500 to the winner of the wheelchair division. The professional athlete races will be streamed live on USATF.TV beginning at 7:40 a.m. ET. Mastercard® will serve as title sponsor of the event for the second time, and as part of its on-going partnership with NYRR will also serve as the presenting sponsor of professional women’s athlete field.

 

2022 Mastercard® New York Mini 10K Professional Open Division

Name

Country

Residence

10K Personal Best

Sheila Chepkirui

KEN

Kericho, KEN

29:46, Valencia, ESP, 2020

Senbere Teferi

ETH

Addis Ababa, ETH

30:38, Tilburg, NED, 2017

Viola Cheptoo

KEN

Eldoret, KEN

30:55, Phoenix, 2019

Peres Jepchirchir

KEN

Iten, KEN

30:55, Prague, CZE, 2015

Edna Kiplagat

KEN

Longmont, CO

31:06, Boston, 2016

Sharon Lokedi

KEN

Flagstaff, AZ

31:06, Manchester, GBR, 2022

Sarah Lahti

SWE

Zoetermeer, NED

31:18 NR, Ibiza, ESP, 2022

Sara Hall

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

31:33, New York City, 2021

Caroline Rotich

KEN

Colorado Springs, CO

31:41, Boston, 2014

Emily Sisson

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

31:47, Boston, 2016

Emily Durgin

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

31:49, Atlanta, 2021

Diane Nukuri

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

31:49, Manchester, GBR, 2016

Aliphine Tuliamuk

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

31:52, Boston, 2014

Nell Rojas

USA

Boulder, CO

31:52, Charleston, SC, 2021

Annie Frisbie

USA

Hopkins, MN

31:55, Charleston, SC, 2021

Charlotte Purdue

GBR

Bracknell, GBR

32:00+, Marugame, JPN, 2020

Keira D’Amato

USA

Midlothian, VA

32:05+, Hardeeville, SC 2021

Lindsay Flanagan

USA

Boulder, CO

32:09, New York City, 2021

Molly Seidel

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

32:13, New York City, 2021

Erika Kemp

USA

Boston, MA

32:18, Northport, NY, 2021

Stephanie Bruce

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

32:21, Atlanta, 2018

Sarah Pagano

USA

San Diego, CA

32:31, Boston, 2016

Elaina Tabb

USA

Pittsburgh, PA

32:40, Boston, 2014

Rachel (Schneider) Smith

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

32:47, New York City, 2019

Grayson Murphy

USA

Flagstaff, AZ

32:55, Essen, GER, 2021

Maggie Montoya

USA

Boulder, CO

33:11+, Hardeeville, SC, 2021

Beverly Ramos

PUR

Trujilo Alto, PUR

33:17, New York City, 2016

Paige Stoner

USA

Charlottesville, VA

33:30, Boston, 2019

Ayuko Suzuki

JPN

Tokyo, JPN

33:36, Boulder, CO, 2018

Laura Labuschaigne

RSA

Richmond, VA

34:06, Richmond, VA, 2022

Erin Gregoire

USA

New York, NY

34:56+, Brooklyn, NY, 2022

Olivia Pratt

USA

Rochester Hills, MI

35:02, Boston, 2017

Erika Fluehr

USA

New York, NY

35:20, New York City, 2019

Ana Johnson

USA

New York, NY

35:59, New York City, 2019

WuGa He

CHN

Chengdu, CHN

N/A

Abbey Wheeler

USA

Boston, MA

N/A

 

2022 Mastercard® New York Mini 10K Professional Wheelchair Division

Name

Country

Residence

10K Personal Best

Susannah Scaroni

USA

Champaign, IL

22:22

Jenna Fesemyer

USA

Champaign, IL

25:51

Yen Hoang

USA

Champaign, IL

27:53

Hannah Dederick

USA

Champaign, IL

Debut

Eva Houston

USA

Champaign, IL

Debut

 

 

 

About New York Road Runners (NYRR)

 

NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire 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, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of 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.