"The new field will further solidify the NYC Half as one of the world's top running events and enable us to begin a tradition, as we have with the New York City Marathon, of attracting the world's finest athletes.

"Manhattan will provide a spectacular backdrop for making history in this inaugural year, and we can't wait to cheer Josh, Amanda, and the entire field to the finish line."

The professional wheelchair field will feature 10 top Paralympic racers with America's Josh George and Amanda McGrory hoping to get the local crowds cheering as the gun for glory on the streets of New York.

George is a three-time Chicago Marathon champion and finished third in the 2013 race.

He is a two-time Paralympian having competed at Beiing 2008 and London 2012 and won the 800 meters at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships.

Two-time Paralympian Josh George has taken the top spot at the Chicago Marathon three times ©Getty Images



He will face tough opposition tomorrow in the form of compatriot and five-time Paralympian Krige Schabort, 2012 Bank of Chicago Marathon runner-up Adam Bleakney, three-time Paralympian Michel Filteau of Canada, and South Korean Paralympian Gyu Dae Kim.

"No other organisation understands, promotes, and supports wheelchair racing like New York Road Runners, and I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to race in the first-ever pro wheelchair division at the NYC Half," said George.

"New York City is the best city in the world, with the best races in the world, and I will always come back."

McGrory will be hoping to continue her remarkable run of form in New York City when she competes in the half marathon tomorrow following her world record time in the full marathon in 2011.

Amanda McGrory has finished in the top three of the New York Marathon five times, picking up the title twice ©Getty Images



The 27-year-old has finished in the top three five times over the full distance, winning it twice, and will be looking to bring that sort of record to tomorrow's race.

"I'm honored to be invited to participate in the first-ever elite wheelchair division of the NYC Half," said McGrory.

"The New York Road Runners puts on an event like no one else, and they're always at the forefront when it comes to support and recognition of the elite wheelchair athletes.

"I'm ecstatic to be a part of their plan for continued growth and enthusiasm for our sport."

Joining McGrory and adding to the depth of the women's roster will be America's reigning Paralympic marathon gold medalist Shirley Reilly, 2008 Paralympian Chelsea McClammer, three-time Paralympian Diane Roy of Canada, and America's 2013 ASICS LA Marathon winner Susannah Scaroni.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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