NEW YORK — A knee injury has forced 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion Meb Keflezighi to withdraw from next week's NYC Half-Marathon, it was announced today by New York Road Runners officials.

The NYC Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 21, is the richest half-marathon in the United States, with a prize purse of $100,000. The race boasts a men's field led by marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, two-time ING New York City Marathon winner Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil, and United States Olympians Anthony Famiglietti and Abdi Abdirahman. The women's field features 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor of the United States and 2009 London Marathon runner-up Mara Yamauchi of Great Britain.

"Due to a setback in my training a few weeks ago, I will not be prepared to compete in the NYC Half-Marathon," Keflezighi said in a statement to NYRR officials. "The New York Road Runners have assembled a great field once again, and I was looking forward to being a top contender. But I developed soreness on my left knee that required me to take several days off and cut back on mileage for a few weeks. Since I lost most of the build-up phase of my marathon training in February, I will have to pass on a tune-up race and focus my time on preparing for the Boston Marathon [next month]."

Keflezighi has not raced since his historic victory last November, when he became the first American winner in New York since 1982, when Alberto Salazar won the last of his three consecutive titles.

Content courtesy of New York Road Runners