ING New York City Marathon Coverage
Marathon’s 40th Running Highlighted by Keflezighi’s Breakthrough
Tulu triumphs in an upset, Hunkeler and Fearnley add to winning streaks
New York, November 1, 2009—The ING New York City Marathon 2009 was the scene of a major statement in American distance running. Throughout this decade, Meb Keflezighi has proven that an American can compete with the best marathon runners in the world. Today, he proved that he can beat them. Pulling away from a very strong field in the 24th mile, Keflezighi, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist, won the race’s 40th running in a personal-best time of 2:09:15.
Keflezighi, a U.S. citizen born in the African nation of Eritrea, is the first American to win New York’s great race since the last of Alberto Salazar’s posted the last of his consecutive victories in 1982.
Because the ING New York City Marathon and USA Men’s Marathon Championships were held concurrently for the first time since 2001, Keflezighi, 34, won the first two marathon titles of his career in a single race.
“You visualize it and visualize it and when reality hits, it’s pretty sweet,” said Keflezighi, who defeated runner-up Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston Marathon champion, by 41 seconds.
Tears welled in Keflezighi’s eyes as he broke the tape in Central Park, where two years ago a stress fracture in his hip at the U.S. Olympic Trials – Men’s Marathon denied him a trip to Beijing and imperiled his career.
“A lot of people were writing him off, saying he was too old,” said Ryan Hall, who finished second in the USA race and fourth overall, and who trains with Keflezighi. “But if there was one other guy who I wanted to see win this race, it was Meb. He’s like an older brother to me.”
Keflezighi, who fittingly wore a USA jersey, won $200,000: $130,000 for the ING New York City Marathon title, $40,000 for the USA Men’s Marathon crown, and a $30,000 time bonus for finishing in under 2:10.
Defending champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil dropped out in the 23rd mile.
On the day Keflezighi established himself as a major marathon champion, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia solidified her status as one of the greatest distance runners in history.
Tulu, the Olympic gold medalist at 10,000 meters in 1992 and 2000, outkicked Russia’s Ludmila Petrova in the final half-mile to win her first New York women’s title in 2:28:52.
“I knew I had better speed than those who were in the field,” said Tulu, a 37-year-old mother of two. “I did not come here necessarily to win. But I came here to be a strong competitor.”
Many expected Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe, the world record-holder and defending champion, to win a fourth New York title. But Radcliffe faded to fourth place because of an injured tendon in her left leg that had troubled her for two weeks.
“It was just tendinitis, fluid build-up in there,” Radcliffe said. “It’s just really sore.”
Tulu’s victory ended Radcliffe’s run of seven straight New York titles, including the marathon, NYC Half-Marathon, NYRR New York Mini 10K, and Fifth Avenue Mile.
The marathon’s 40th running drew a record 43,741 participants on a windy, occasionally misty day with temperatures in the mid-50s.
Six Americans finished in the top 10: Keflezighi, Hall, Jorge Torres (seventh in his marathon debut), Nick Arciniaga (eighth), Abdi Abdirahman (ninth) and Jason Lehmkuhle (10th).
In a thrilling finish to the men’s wheelchair race, Kurt Fearnley of Australia won for the fourth straight year, nipping Krige Schabort at the tape. Fearnley and Schabort, a South African–born American, both finished in 1:35:58. Edith Hunkeler won her fifth women’s wheelchair title here in 1:58:15. The Swiss star also won in 2004, ’05, ’07 and ’08. [Continue Reading][Hide]
New York’s Best
Two local runners finish in the top eight!
Awol repeats as first NYRR-member finisher
New York, November 1, 2009—Led by a pair of world-class performances in the women’s race, the top local female finishers in the ING New York City Marathon 2009 had a banner day. New York City resident and Westchester Track Club (WTC) member Buzunesh Deba finished in 2:35:54, placing seventh in the women’s race. Less than a minute and a half behind her, in eighth place, was Serkalem Biset Abrha, a member of West Side Runners (WSX), who finished her first ING New York City Marathon in 2:37:20. Catha Mullen of New York and the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) finished 11th overall in 2:43:13.
In the men’s race, the top local finisher was Bronx resident Mohammed Awol of WSX, who was 19th overall in 2:19:31. Awol’s finish was a virtual carbon copy of his performance in New York in 2008, when he was also the first local, in 2:19:13. The second local male finisher this year was Kassahun Kabiso of the Bronx and WTC, who was 29th overall in 2:24:43. Closely following him was Dan McGrath of Lynbrook, NY, and A New Breed, who was 32nd overall in 2:25:05.
The strong performances came on a day of close to ideal conditions for running—temperatures in the mid-50s, overcast skies, and light winds. “The weather was perfect,” said Biset Abrha, a native of Ethiopia who divides her time between the Bronx and Santa Fe, NM. “I’ve had good training, and when I saw the weather today, I knew I could go for a good time.”
Mullen, who ran a PR by 18 minutes, attributed her result to marathon-specific training and a great group dynamic with her NYAC teammates. “I learned last year that the marathon takes real focus,” she said. “We had a good group of women training for New York, and we did a lot of quality long runs and tempo runs. That made the difference this year.”
As always in the marathon, there were disappointments. Last year’s top two local women finishers, Katarina Janosikova of Astoria and Running Divas NY and Victoria Ganushina of Brooklyn and the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club, both dropped out. Tesfaye Girma of the Bronx and WSX, who’d been aiming for a sub-2:15, ended up finishing in 2:29:36.
Still, as the local runners crossed the finish line in Central Park, where most of them compete on weekends throughout the year, the overriding emotions were pride and joy. “It was such an amazing experience,” said Larry Contrella of New York and the Greater New York Racing Team, who was running his first marathon and finished in 2:28:11. “I went through periods where it was so hard and I just felt really bad. It’s so hard to prepare for those times and to get through them. But finishing was incredible.”
Queens resident and New York Harriers member Stephanie Hodge said it best, after finishing in 3:02:11 in her ninth consecutive New York City Marathon: “Running this race is the ultimate experience. If you run here and live here, you just don’t want to miss it.”
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A Successful 40th Running
Course changes and largest field ever make the race even better
New York, November 1, 2009—Marathon fever struck New York just like it does the first Sunday in November every year, but a few key changes made this year’s race better than ever. The largest field in the ING New York City Marathon’s 40-year history, an estimated 43,741 starters, swept through 26.2-miles in all five boroughs. It began in Staten Island, where excited debut marathoners as well as seasoned streakers assembled at Fort Wadsworth in an early morning drizzle.
As three waves of runners flowed over the Verrazano Narrows bridge and into Brooklyn, then Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan, it seemed as if every one of them had supporters on the sidewalks: families holding balloons, friends with matching shirts, groups carrying signs, kids clapping cheer sticks. More than two million cheering fans enlivened the streets of New York City.
The first five-borough race in 1976, under the leadership of then NYRR president and marathon co-founder Fred Lebow, had the same spirit as today’s event, but it has also evolved. One big change: Charity-team participation has grown to astounding proportions. More than 6,800 marathoners ran for charity this year in an effort to raise $21 million for worthy causes.
Team for Kids (TFK) had more than 1,250 runners in bright green singlets on the course. In Harlem, 27 members of the P.S. 15 Jaguars Young Runners program clattered their noisemakers, and yelled “Go Team for Kids! Go Team for Kids!” “We’re here to support them because they support us all year,” said 12-year-old Jaison Gonzalez, whose running program is funded by the team. At their own cheering zone on First Avenue, 750 Fred’s Team members—raising funds for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in honor of Fred Lebow—had family members, hospital staff, and kids clapping and waving to support them.
Andrew Kwait , who ran the race in 1981 and 82, stood on Lafayette Street in Brooklyn, waiting for his son, Dylan. His son, who has type 1 diabetes, is running for the Chicago Diabetes Project, so he trained for the race with his insulin pump. “He had a lot of difficulties to work through,” said his father, scanning thousands of runners for one familiar face.
No runner went unsupported: It seemed like nearly every street corner brought a new cheering zone, a glimpse of a unique neighborhood, and the beat of a live band or radio station. Changes to the physical course also helped: A couple of dog-leg turns were removed from the Bronx section this year, and even though runners spent one-third mile more in that borough, the new straight course was faster. The same was true in Brooklyn, where a new section along McCarren Park quickened the pace of many, but also made for more pleasant viewing on tree-lined Bedford Avenue.
With 40 years of history, the ING New York City Marathon is still a leader in road racing, attracting runners and attention from around the world. The event hasn’t lost its ability to inspire—in every one of the estimated 43,475 finishers and in many of the supporters who cheered them on, it’s created lifelong memories.
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Famous Faces in the Crowd
With 43,741 runners departing from Staten Island, the crowd at the start of the 2009 ING New York City Marathon was the largest sea of faces in the history of the race, and among them were a cadre of celebrities and luminaries who spark instant recognition. Entertainers and sports legends, these runners capitalized on their star power to raise money and awareness for causes much bigger than personal records. Tweeting from the start
Celebrities running in support of charities have become almost commonplace at most major marathons. But few are so fueled by their respective cause that they spend the final hours before the race lobbying for more funds. That’s just what actor Edward Norton did, turning to Twitter to rally last-minute support for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which supports the preservation of biodiversity within the Maasai tribal lands of East Africa.
“I can’t resist…please sponsor $26 for a chance to win an official team jersey,” tweeted the Fight Club star just before the gun went off.
Eventually, Norton—who will next appear in the thriller Stone—put his phone down and picked up his pace, cruising to a 3:48:01 finish. Fellow Team Maasai member and Grammy-award-winning singer Alanis Morissette crossed in 4:28:45.
“Goose” gets the finish
Fellow big-screen star Anthony Edwards, best known as “Goose” from Top Gun and the kindhearted Dr. Green on ER, completed his 26.2-miler in 4:08:20. His run put an exclamation point on a months-long initiative to promote Shoe4Africa, which is raising money to build a public children's hospital in Kenya.
Edwards still managed to give the crowd a thumb’s up and his trademark goofy grin in the final strides of the race. “It was good but it was so much harder than I imagined,” said Edwards, post-finish. “The crowd was a big help, like [my] wings.”
Swapping skates for sneakers
Dan Jansen and Pat LaFontaine have much more in common than their age (44) and affinity for ice skates (LaFontaine is a National Hockey League Hall of Famer and Jansen won speed skating gold at the 1994 Olympics). Both men raced for ING’s Run for Something Better team, which raises money for youth fitness and provides grants and funds to school-based running programs.
“We’re both fathers, so this cause means a lot to us,” said LaFontaine (4:27:08), who was hard to miss among the masses in his brilliant orange ING singlet. “Events like this brings the city and world together. I saw that for 26.2 miles. This solidifies that New York is the greatest city in the world.”
Jansen, who battled pain from blisters to finish in 3:41:43, agreed. “[The crowd support] got me through. I heard a lot of ‘Go Dans’ out there. I got passed by a guy in a tiger suit around mile 25 and I couldn’t let him beat me.”
A mighty mayor
“I’m totally ready to run,” exclaimed Jerusalem mayor Nit Barkat just days before the ING New York City Marathon. And run he did: The 50-year-old traversed the five boroughs in 4:42:46, using his race as a platform to promote sports in Jerusalem, where he hopes to hold a marathon in 2011.
“There is a very strong link between Jerusalem and New York,” says Barkat. “For me, to come to New York is perfect preparation for the Jerusalem Marathon.”
The super son
Unlike his famous father, Christopher Reeve, documentary filmmaker Matthew Reeve chose a career behind the camera. But his efforts to promote the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation remain highly visible. He chose the ING New York City Marathon as a platform to raise money for his late father and stepmother’s namesake foundation for spinal cord injury research; he gunned it to gain $1,000 for every mile. Though Reeve proclaimed that he’s “not a runner,” he proved otherwise today, plowing through the finish line in a respectable 4:23:36.
A swan song for Hirsch
Chairman of the NYRR board of directors, George Hirsch, 75, said adieu to 26.2 miles—he came out of retirement to participate in the ING New York City Marathon’s 40th running—in grand style, crossing the line in 4:06:14 alongside longtime friends and fellow running luminaries Amby Burfoot and Bill Rodgers.
The founding publisher of New York magazine and the brainchild behind Runner’s World magazine, among others, Hirsh has run over 30 marathons.
“This one was the hardest by far. I started cramping at mile 18 or 19. Thank goodness Bill and Amby were there to take me home,” said Hirsch. “Crossing the finish line, I had Bill on one side and Amby on the other side, and they made it very special. I’m glad to be a retired marathoner.”
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