Stephanie Bruce and Aliphine Tuliamuk Return to 2018 TCS New York City Marathon
FLAGSTAFF, (AZ) – AUGUST 21, 2018 – HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite stars Stephanie Bruce and Aliphine Tuliamuk will return to the Big Apple on November 4th to race the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon. Both women were announced as part of the professional field that includes defending champion Shalane Flanagan, three-time champion Mary Keitany, 2018 B.A.A. Boston Marathon champion Des Linden and two-time Olympian Molly Huddle.
Bruce and Tuliamuk are coming off spring and summer road-racing campaigns that saw them win USATF national championships and produce lifetime best performances.
Bruce claimed her first national championship at the 2018 USATF 10k Championships in Atlanta as well as a third-place finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships in the 10,000m in Des Moines, Iowa. Her season also included a seventh-place finish at the NYRR Mini 10k. Bruce returns to the marathon distance after two-top ten finishes in the Abbott World Marathon Majors. She was tenth at the Virgin Money London Marathon in April and tenth at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon. Bruce said she has been thinking about returning to New York since the moment she finished last year’s race.
“I think you learn so much in your first New York City experience and I’m excited to bring that knowledge and fitness back to the streets of the five boroughs. Training with my teammate Aliphine this fall will be a huge advantage because we will be able to push each other.”
Tuliamuk finished 13th in New York last year, running a personal-best of 2:33:18, before joining HOKA NAZ Elite in January 2018. Since joining the group, she has collected national titles at the USATF Half Marathon Championships and the USATF 25k Championships. She was also second at the BolderBOULDER 10k on Memorial Day and second at the NYRR Mini 10k in June. She ended her summer season with a second-place finish at the USATF 10k Championships on July 4. Tuliamuk said she is excited to get the most out of herself in New York City.
“I have had great competition and results each and every time I’ve run a New York Road Runners event, including my marathon PR, which gave me hope I could be a good marathoner,” Tuliamuk said. “This year’s field is incredible and I feel privileged to be a part of it.”
HOKA NAZ Elite Head Coach Ben Rosario said Bruce and Tuliamuk will make great training partners in their build-up to New York.
“Steph and Aliphine are both in the prime of their careers, taking on as much work as they’ve ever been able to handle in training, and racing with total confidence and fearlessness,” Rosario said. “There could not be a more perfect time for them to run the TCS New York City Marathon together.”
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ABOUT HOKA NAZ ELITE
HOKA Northern Arizona Elite is a professional sports organization whose mission is to recruit, develop and produce distance runners to compete at the very highest level of international athletics and operate as a successful business by building a global fan base for the team and its athletes through comprehensive and ongoing marketing efforts on a local, national and international level.
Kyle Levermore
Brand Management, HOKA NAZ Elite
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