Two world records generated last April at The Armory’s New Balance Track & Field Center are expected to be seriously “challenged” less than a year later at the same venue in Washington Heights.
The 2nd Annual Armory NYC Indoor Marathon World Record Challenge, this season presented by New York Road Runners, will take place at noon on Saturday, March 25, 2017 on The Armory’s world famous 200-meter banked surface.
“We are in the early stages of a renaissance of indoor track marathons, an event that used to sell out Madison Square Garden,’’ said Dr. Norbert Sander, President of the Armory Foundation.
“The cushioned track provides a host of benefits to racers, and a great opportunity for spectators at The Armory to experience the full marathon rather than seeing a road racer pass by once.”
Last April, Malcolm Richards of San Francisco set the men’s world indoor marathon record with a 2:21.55.7 time surpassing Michael Wardian’s 2010 record. Allie Kieffer of Manhattan and former standout at both West Islip High School and Wake Forest University recorded a women’s world indoor marathon record of 2:44.43.9 that shattered Monika Kalicinska’s previous record of 2:53.53 in 2014 in Toronto.
“Remarkably, the recovery time for both of last year’s winners was vastly shorter than outdoor marathons because of the soft track and lack of hills,” said Jonathan Schindel, Executive Vice President of the Armory Foundation. “Allie notched a second-place finish in a very competitive half-marathon only eight days after her world-record performance. Richards ran a 1:04.34 half-marathon, and Tony Migliozzi raced a full marathon within three weeks of their stellar performance at the inaugural Armory NYC Indoor Marathon.”
Cost to enter is $50 and is limited to the first 25 marathoners who are officially registered.
The men’s and women’s winners will each receive $1,000 while the runner-ups and third-place finishers will earn $750 and $500, respectively. There is a $5,000 bonus for a new world record.
Runners who want to participate in the Indoor World Record Challenge or team relay portions of the three-day Armory NYC Indoor Marathon may do so by clicking HERE. Marathon relays with two to eight runners will take place during designated slots on March 24-26.
During the indoor marathon, runners received frequent updates of their pace and were energized by inspirational background music, supporters, and the announcers during the 211 laps around the 200-meter track.
“I actually think it is more exciting to watch an indoor marathon,” said Migliozzi, the 2016 and 2015 50K World Champion who finished runner-up to Richards. “You know where everyone is in the race and (you see all the) competition. It’s easy to see all the action when it is happening in one place.”
Migliozzi’s 2:24.02 time also eclipsed Wardian’s 2010 world-record mark.
For more information on the Armory NYC Indoor Marathon contact Jonathan Schindel at jbs@armorytrack.com.
