Ryan Hall Added To Elite Team For 2014 Boston Marathon
BOSTON (CBS) -- American runner Ryan Hall will be back for his fourth Boston Marathon in 2014.
Hall, Abdi Abdirahman and Matthew Bowen have all been added to the John Hancock Elite Athlete Team for the 118th Boston Marathon, John Hancock announced on Monday.
Hall recorded the fastest marathon by an American in the 2011 Boston Marathon, finishing the 26.2 mile race in 2:04:58 -- good for a fourth place finish. He finished third in his first Boston Marathon in 2009, and fourth in 2010.
"I am incredibly excited to participate in this year's Boston Marathon," said Hall. "After watching the tragic events that unfolded at last year's race and knowing the resilience of both the running and Boston communities, I knew this year's race was going to be a run of redemption that I am eager to be a part of. This year's race will undoubtedly be the most historically significant marathon in Boston's storied history."
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Abdirahman, who had to withdraw from last year's race due to the flu, has top five finishes in both the Chicago and New York City Marathons. His personal best time in the marathon is 2:08:56.
"It has been a dream of mine to run the Boston Marathon," said Abdirahman. "There is so much history behind the race and I'm glad to be to be part of it this year."
Bowen is new to the marathon distance, recently recording a 2:10:57 at the Rennes Marathon in France. He is married to 2012 Boston Marathon champion Sharon Cherop, who will also compete in this year's Boston Marathon.
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John Hancock also announced three withdrawals from the Men's Elite team: Kenyan elite Moses Mosop, U.S. Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein and Australian Olympian Jeffrey Hunt.
You can watch tape to tape coverage of the 118th Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014 on WBZ-TV -- the exclusive local live broadcaster of the Boston Marathon.
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