INDIANAPOLIS --  Three-time Paralympic gold medalist Tatyana McFadden wins USATF Athlete of the Week after her record-breaking performance and third consecutive Marathon Major Grand Slam on Sunday, Nov. 1 at the TCS New York City Marathon.
 
McFadden (Clarksville, Maryland) led the women’s wheelchair division making her finish in 1:43:04, more than a minute ahead of the field and more than seven minutes faster than Amanda McGrory’s course record of 1:50:24 set in 2011.
 
“I just think about each mile, and I think about where the biggest climbs are and just where the wind direction is and just really trying to stay focused on that,” said McFadden.
 
McFadden won the NYC race for a fourth time, adding to her Chicago, Boston and London wins earlier this year.
 
“What's special about this one is it's a New York-Chicago Challenge,” she said, “so it had a little bit of a different perk ($10,000 bonus for winning both). Each race is a new race, new competitors. I'm hoping to get stronger and a little bit faster. My competitors are doing the same. So I take each race with a clean slate and hope for the best.”
 
Other notable performances of the week include:
 

• Meb Keflezighi (Mammoth Lakes, California) was the top American male at the TCS NYC Marathon, finishing in 2:13:32 for seventh overall.
• Timothy Martin (New Salisbury, Indiana) won the USATF Masters 15K title at Tulsa in 49:43.
• Laura Thweatt (Boulder, Colorado) made her marathon debut, finishing as the top American woman and seventh overall at the TCS NYC Marathon in 2:28:23. Thweatt ran for Team USA at the World Cross Country Championships in March and was the USATF Cross Country Champion in 2015.

Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; June 10, Grant Fisher; June 17, Ben True; June 24, Candace Hill; July 1, Justin Gatlin; July 8, Evan Jager; July 15, Christian Taylor; July 22, Shannon Rowbury; July 29, Anthony Bailey; August 5, Harrison Williams; August 12, Flo Meiler; Sept. 2, Ashton Eaton; Sept. 18, Camille Herron; Sept. 24, Don Pellmann; Sept. 30, Deena Kastor; Oct. 7, Molly Huddle; Oct. 14, Deena Kastor; Oct. 28, Camille Herron; Nov. 4, Tatyana McFadden.
 
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About USATF
USA Track & Field is the National Governing Body for track and field, long-distance running and race walking in the United States. USATF encompasses the world's oldest organized sports, some of the most-watched events of Olympic broadcasts, the country’s No. 1 high school and junior high school participatory sport and more than 30 million adult runners in the United States. For more information on USATF, visit http://www.usatf.org/.
 
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to Communications@usatf.org.