ST. LOUIS (MO) – February 21, 2013 – GO! St. Louis, a local not-for-profit organization that specializes in providing fitness events and programs for the region on a year-round basis, announced today the elite athlete field for the GO! St. Louis Half Marathon presented by PNC Bank, set for April 7.  This year’s race features a top prize of $10,000, the fourth-largest such award among half marathons in the United States. Vying for that prize will be a top-notch field of professional athletes including 1:10 half marathoner Maegan Krifchin, who leads the women’s entries and 1:03 half marathoner Matt Llano, who headlines the men’s field.

Joining Llano in the men’s race will be his Team USA Arizona teammate Danny Mercado as well as past GO! St. Louis champions Daniel Kirwa (2012) and Josphat Boit (2011) from Kenya and Mexico’s Mario Macias. Macias returns to St. Louis after winning this race in 2010, when he posted a 1:05:09. Also expected to challenge for the title will be American Craig Curley, fresh off an 18^th-place finish at the USA Cross Country Championships held in St. Louis on February 2.

On the women’s side, the 24-year-old Krifchin will have to battle veteran marathon star Tera Moody, who finished sixth at this year’s Chevron Houston Marathon. Top international entrants include Ethiopia’s Hirut Guangal who was second at the 2012 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and Kenya’s Sarah Kiptoo who has run 1:14 for the half marathon. American Mattie Suver, who will run for Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships on March 24, is also expected to contend.

“I’m extremely pleased with the quality of athletes who will be competing this year,” said Nancy Lieberman, GO! St. Louis president.  “St. Louis has a strong running community, and I know the participants and spectators will be in for a great showcase of our sport. It’s shaping up to be a highly competitive race that will feature some of the sport’s rising stars, along with a great number of accomplished runners.”

The elite field includes several athletes that will challenge the course records of 1:05:01, set by men’s record-holder Daniel Kirwa in 2012, and Serena Ramsey (Burla), 1:14:13, set in 2007.

The elite fields for this year’s race will be a major part of the entire GO! St. Louis Marathon & Family Fitness Weekend, which was established in 2000, and is now in its 13^th year. The innovative event features a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5K, GO! St. Louis Read, Right and Run Marathon^®, Children’s Fun Runs and a Mature Mile, and traditionally draws 25,000 participants and 50,000 spectators over two days.

For additional information on the GO! St. Louis elite athlete program, visit http://www.gostlouis.org/marathon-weekend/about/elite-athlete-program.html or follow us at @GORUNSTL on Twitter.

2013 Sponsors: PNC Bank, Express Scripts, Cigna, Mercy, McCarthy Building Companies, KMOX Radio, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Missouri Beef Industry Council, Lockton Companies, Big River Running Company, Michelob ULTRA, Emerson, Missouri Lottery, Drury Hotels, yurbuds, YP, The Staenberg Family Foundation, Emerson, Absopure , KSDK-TV News Channel 5, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, ALIVE Magazine, Pasta House Company, KPMG, Dole, Edward Jones, Brighton Agency, ESCO, St. Louis Injury & Rehab and Gatorade Endurance.