Previews04 Nov 2005


Tergat leads strongest ever New York fields - New York City Marathon PREVIEW

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Paul Tergat wins the 2005 Lisbon Half Marathon (© Luis Lopes)

On 13 September 1970, 126 men and one woman competed in the first New York City Marathon.  The loop course covered a bit more than four times around Central Park, and the prizes were a few inexpensive wrist watches.  Only 55 men finished the race, dodging bicycles, baby strollers and other New Yorkers out for a sunny Sunday in the Park.

On this coming Sunday, 6 November, more than 37,000 men and women will run in the 36th edition of the race, now the ING New York City Marathon.

They'll run through all of the city's five boroughs  - still finishing in Central Park -- and they'll be competing for first-place money of $130,000 for women and $100,000 for men, with total prize money of more than $600,000.

And if that isn't enough incentive, there are also bonuses to encourage fast performances, bonuses which can reach as high as $70,000 for times faster than the course records of 2:07:43 for men and 2:22:31 for women.

The men's field is formidable. It is headed by 36-year-old Paul Tergat of Kenya, who set the current World Record of 2:04:55 winning Berlin in 2003 and who is running here for the first time

But there are three others who have run sub-2:07: Kenyan Robert Cheborer, who won the 2004 ING Amsterdam Marathon in 2:06:23; Gert Thys, the South African record holder at 2:06:33; and Tesfaye Jifar of Ethiopia, who set that 2:07:43 course record  when he won here in 2001 and has a PB of 2:06:49.

There are also another 11 runners in the race who have run faster than 2:09:00, and it's highly probable that one or more of them might be in at the finish.

Perhaps the likeliest is 27-year-old Martin Lel, who won here two years ago and finished first in London last spring. Lel reportedly has a leg injury, and could well withdraw if it's still a problem. But Kenyan expert John Manners, who correctly tipped Lel as the New York winner in 2003, says, "If Lel has overcome his injury, he'll be tough to beat - and he'll push the pace."

Other sub-2:09 entrants who have won major marathons or have come close to winning in New York in the past include last  year's winner, Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, whose PB is 2:08:32; Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya, the 2003 Boston winner (PB 2:08:59); Ethiopian Hailu Negussie, this year's Boston winner, PB 2:08:16; and Christopher Cheboiboch of Kenya,  second here in 2002 and third in 2003, whose PB is 2:08:17.

And finally there is American Mebrahtom Keflezighi, whose  best is 'only' 2:09:53, but who finished second here last year only 10 weeks after winning the silver medal in the 2004 Olympic Games. This time he won't still be recovering from a hard earlier race, and he has proved himself to be an excellent racer as well as a good runner.

All in all, though, it's hard to bet against the world record holder, especially when he has run a minute-and-a-half faster than anyone else in the field. The other day Tergat said, "I've dreamed of running in New York for years, and now that dream has come true."    

The women's field is not as deep as the men's, but the prize money is better. Whereas the winning man will take home $100,000 (plus time bonuses), the women's first place money is $130,000, thanks to chief sponsor ING, which has provided the extra money to encourage women's fitness programs.

There's no Paula Radcliffe, last year's winner, in the field this year, but four women in the field have run under 2:23.

The fastest is 30-year-old Ethiopian Gete Wami, who posted her personal best of 2:22:19 winning the 2002 Amsterdam marathon, but who may have lost a step after the birth of a baby girl in 2003.

The other three sub-2:23s are Kenyan-born Lorna Kiplagat of Holland (PB 2:22:22), winner of nine out of 10 races this year (and even her lone loss was impressive - second place in the IAAF World Half-Marathon on October 1): 37-year-old Russian Ludmila Petrova (2:22:33), who won New York in 2000; and Latvian Jelena Prokopcuka (2:22:56), fifth here a year ago and having a strong 2005 including a win at the Osaka Ladies Marathon.

On the theory that when you're hot, you're hot, the co-favorites ought to be Kiplagat and Prokopcuka, but you certainly can't overlook 2004 ING New York runner-up Susan Chepkemei, who ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Radcliffe for the last three miles of that race and lost to the world record holder by only three seconds.

This observer sees those three battling it out through the final three miles in Central Park, with Kiplagat coming out on top.

James Dunaway for the IAAF

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