RI’s World Class Runners Will Compete at NY Marathon
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Rhode Island's best-kept secret reputation as a hotbed of long-distance runners may be revealed this fall at the New York Marathon.
Two world-class runners who live and train in RI, American and New Zealand 5000m record holders Molly Huddle and Kim Smith, announced on Thursday that they would both be racing on the weekend of the ING New York City Marathon in November, but in different events. Huddle, 26, will run a new 5-K road race held on Saturday, Nov. 5, while Smith, 29, will run the ING New York City Marathon the following day.
The training partners, who appeared in New York to join 2000 schoolchildren at the New York Road Runners' National Running Day celebration at Ichan Stadium, said they were very motivated to compete in New York.
"It will be my third time attending the marathon, and it is always a very dramatic and exciting weekend, so I can't wait to see what happens in 2011," said Huddle through a statement. She continued: "I can't wait to come back to New York to be, in a small way, part of the marathon festivities. Hopefully someday I will be adding to that distance on the streets of NYC!"
Smith, who said she is almost fully recovered from the torn soleus muscle which forced her to drop out of last April's Boston Marathon after leading the race for 17 miles, will actually be racing twice in New York this year.
The New Zealand record holder for the marathon with a 2:25:21 personal best, Smith lives about 1K from Huddle in Providence, part of a group of elite long-distance runners who train together under the direction of coach Ray Treacy. The women are very close friends, both are fraternal twins, and Smith attended Huddle's wedding to Canadian miler Kurt Benninger.
