Professional Men's Field - PART 1

Abdi Abdirahman
United States
Age: 32
Abdirahman, the three-time Olympian and four-time USA 10K champion also known as "Abdi," "the mayor of Tucson," and "the Black Cactus," finished sixth -- the top American -- in last year's ING New York City Marathon. He has a personal best of 2:08:56 from Chicago in 2006. Born in Somalia, Abdi became an American citizen in 1999 after graduating from the University of Arizona.



Bolota Asmerom
United States
Age: 31
Asmerom was 10th in last year�s ING New York City Marathon with his 2:16:37 debut. He has narrowly missed making the U.S. team for the last two major championships -- the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games -- by finishing fourth in the 5000 meters both times at the USA Outdoor Championships. He represented his native Eritrea at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.



Fasil Bizuneh
United States
Age: 29
Bizuneh, who holds a degree in chemical engineering from Arizona State University -- where he was a four-time All-American -- was born in Germany to Ethiopian parents who fled political chaos in their country. The family settled in Indianapolis, and Bizuneh became an American citizen in 1987. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon with a 2:18:14 in his marathon debut in 2006, and then improved by 1:31 at the Trials. This will be his first time running the ING New York City Marathon.



Abderrahime Bouramdane
Morocco
Age: 31
Bouramdane finished fifth in his ING New York City Marathon debut last year after finishing second in the 2008 Boston Marathon. He has won marathons in Ottawa, Marrakesh, and Tunis. He began his career in 1993, drawing inspiration from Abdessalem Rhadi, a fellow Moroccan who won the silver medal (behind the barefoot Abebe Bikila) in the 1960 Rome Olympic Marathon.



Dan Browne
United States
Age: 34
Browne made the 2004 U.S. Olympic team in the marathon and the 10,000 meters and competed
in both events in the Athens Games. Since then, he has had two knee surgeries and an emergency
appendectomy, which kept him away from the marathon distance. He has raced strongly in 2009, winning the USA 25K Championship in Grand Rapids, MI, and qualifying for the IAAF World Championships marathon in Berlin, where he finished 24th in 2:16:49.