Familiar picture - Paula Radcliffe's third victory in New York (© Getty Images)
The 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon will start on Sunday (1 Nov) morning at 9:10 U.S. eastern time when the professional women leave the Staten Island end of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, bound for Brooklyn; the professional men will follow 30 minutes later. By noontime, New York will have two new champions and a round four-decade history.
The ING New York City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Radcliffe's best defense
With three New York titles already behind her, in 2004, 2007 and 2008, and four of the five fastest times in the history of the women's Marathon, Paula Radcliffe will be the woman with all eyes on her. This attention will only be heightened by New York's separate women's start, and Radcliffe's own preference for setting the fastest pace she feels capable of from the beginning of the race.
Such an aggressive strategy would usually be a liability on New York's rolling course, but should Radcliffe defend her title she will be the first four-time winner since Grete Waitz, who won a staggering nine titles in New York. She would also become only the fourth runner, male or female, to win three times in a row in New York; the others are Alberto Salazar (1980-1982), Bill Rodgers (four wins from 1976-1979) and Waitz, whose nine wins covered eleven races with two multi-year streaks.
Radcliffe has already allowed that she considers Margaret Okayo's 2:22:31 course record to be within reach, suggesting that in Radcliffe's mind, the best title defense is a good offense. A fast start would leave Japan's Yuri Kano and Boston champion Salina Kosgei of Kenya watching Radcliffe from behind.
"I hope to be close enough to watch her run," said Kano on Tuesday, only half in jest. Kosgei expressed confidence in her ability to challenge for the win, but a similar faith in Radcliffe's basic speed; while she wouldn't say it, it seems likely that both Kano and Kosgei's hopes rest in either a breakthrough performance on their part, or Radcliffe failing to deliver on the expectations she places on herself.
Lel exits, leaves door open
With Radcliffe, at least New York's women have the luxury of an assured leader and a fast pace, albeit perhaps too fast. There will be no designated pacemakers in either race, and the men's field was turned on its head Wednesday when the organisers announced that Kenyan Martin Lel had withdrawn. Lel, who had already stamped his name on the marathon with wins in 2003 and 2007, had turned in an encouraging half marathon performance at the Great North Run, but with less than a week to the start, a nagging leg injury resurfaced, according to his manager, Federico Rosa.
Lel was considered a leader among the men's field and his absence is certain to mean opportunity for another runner. Another two-time champion, Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil, is also the defending champion and a versatile master of many ways the race can unfold on the challenging course that winds through each of New York’s five boroughs.
Jaoud Gharib of Morocco has two World titles (in Paris 2003 and Helsinki 2005) but has yet to win one of the World Marathon Majors races despite several attempts. Lel's absence removes one more obstacle to his finally adding a Majors victory to his career tally.
No discussion of versatile marathoners - nor, for that matter, of Majors champions - can leave out Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston Marathon champion with a Chicago win on his resume as well. Cheruiyot finished fifth and out of the medals at the World Championships in Berlin in August, playing domestique for eventual World Champion Abel Kirui as three Kenyans cooperated to run the fight out of Deriba Merga. Seventy days later, Cheruiyot will be running for his own sake.
As will countrymen Patrick Makau and James Kwambai. Kwambai holds the notable distinction of running the fastest-ever non-winning marathon time in history. In Rotterdam last spring, Kwambai ran 2:04:27, but still had to sprint for the line with compatriot Duncan Kibet. He will come to New York as the fastest man in the field as ranked by personal bests; Gharib is next, a full minute behind, and Makau third.
Race within a race as US men’s title on the line
New York is also hosting the U.S. men's marathon championships on Sunday, and several of the athletes in New York to contend for the national title hope to be players in the open race as well. 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was second here in 2004 and third in 2005, the only American to make the top three in the last 15 years. After an injury-plagued 2008, Keflezighi has been reborn in 2009.
Keflezighi may not even be the best American in the race; Ryan Hall, who ran 2:06:17 in London in 2007, was third in Boston this spring and has the fourth-fastest PB in the field. Hall is the second-fastest American of all time (behind Khalid Khannouchi) and the fastest half-marathoner in North America. Should either Keflezighi or Hall reach the top step of the podium, they will be the first Americans to do so since Salazar. Brian Sell, a 2008 Olympic marathoner for the USA, and Abdi Abdirahman are also sub-2:11 marathoners entered in the championships. A 10,000m Olympian making his marathon debut in New York, Jorge Torres, told reporters on Thursday, "We're here for one mission and one mission only: to show America that we've made it to the top."
New York being New York, the well-known names running are not all in the front of the race. 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson will be running, 25 years after she became the first women's Olympic Marathon champion; Samuelson would not commit to a time goal but stated she has never run over 3:00 and has never dropped out of a Marathon. Another Olympic gold medallist, speed-skater Dan Jansen, will be running to support ING's Run for Something Better program.
Parker Morse for the IAAF
The ING New York City Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.
Radcliffe's best defense
With three New York titles already behind her, in 2004, 2007 and 2008, and four of the five fastest times in the history of the women's Marathon, Paula Radcliffe will be the woman with all eyes on her. This attention will only be heightened by New York's separate women's start, and Radcliffe's own preference for setting the fastest pace she feels capable of from the beginning of the race.
Such an aggressive strategy would usually be a liability on New York's rolling course, but should Radcliffe defend her title she will be the first four-time winner since Grete Waitz, who won a staggering nine titles in New York. She would also become only the fourth runner, male or female, to win three times in a row in New York; the others are Alberto Salazar (1980-1982), Bill Rodgers (four wins from 1976-1979) and Waitz, whose nine wins covered eleven races with two multi-year streaks.
Radcliffe has already allowed that she considers Margaret Okayo's 2:22:31 course record to be within reach, suggesting that in Radcliffe's mind, the best title defense is a good offense. A fast start would leave Japan's Yuri Kano and Boston champion Salina Kosgei of Kenya watching Radcliffe from behind.
"I hope to be close enough to watch her run," said Kano on Tuesday, only half in jest. Kosgei expressed confidence in her ability to challenge for the win, but a similar faith in Radcliffe's basic speed; while she wouldn't say it, it seems likely that both Kano and Kosgei's hopes rest in either a breakthrough performance on their part, or Radcliffe failing to deliver on the expectations she places on herself.
Lel exits, leaves door open
With Radcliffe, at least New York's women have the luxury of an assured leader and a fast pace, albeit perhaps too fast. There will be no designated pacemakers in either race, and the men's field was turned on its head Wednesday when the organisers announced that Kenyan Martin Lel had withdrawn. Lel, who had already stamped his name on the marathon with wins in 2003 and 2007, had turned in an encouraging half marathon performance at the Great North Run, but with less than a week to the start, a nagging leg injury resurfaced, according to his manager, Federico Rosa.
Lel was considered a leader among the men's field and his absence is certain to mean opportunity for another runner. Another two-time champion, Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil, is also the defending champion and a versatile master of many ways the race can unfold on the challenging course that winds through each of New York’s five boroughs.
Jaoud Gharib of Morocco has two World titles (in Paris 2003 and Helsinki 2005) but has yet to win one of the World Marathon Majors races despite several attempts. Lel's absence removes one more obstacle to his finally adding a Majors victory to his career tally.
No discussion of versatile marathoners - nor, for that matter, of Majors champions - can leave out Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, a four-time Boston Marathon champion with a Chicago win on his resume as well. Cheruiyot finished fifth and out of the medals at the World Championships in Berlin in August, playing domestique for eventual World Champion Abel Kirui as three Kenyans cooperated to run the fight out of Deriba Merga. Seventy days later, Cheruiyot will be running for his own sake.
As will countrymen Patrick Makau and James Kwambai. Kwambai holds the notable distinction of running the fastest-ever non-winning marathon time in history. In Rotterdam last spring, Kwambai ran 2:04:27, but still had to sprint for the line with compatriot Duncan Kibet. He will come to New York as the fastest man in the field as ranked by personal bests; Gharib is next, a full minute behind, and Makau third.
Race within a race as US men’s title on the line
New York is also hosting the U.S. men's marathon championships on Sunday, and several of the athletes in New York to contend for the national title hope to be players in the open race as well. 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was second here in 2004 and third in 2005, the only American to make the top three in the last 15 years. After an injury-plagued 2008, Keflezighi has been reborn in 2009.
Keflezighi may not even be the best American in the race; Ryan Hall, who ran 2:06:17 in London in 2007, was third in Boston this spring and has the fourth-fastest PB in the field. Hall is the second-fastest American of all time (behind Khalid Khannouchi) and the fastest half-marathoner in North America. Should either Keflezighi or Hall reach the top step of the podium, they will be the first Americans to do so since Salazar. Brian Sell, a 2008 Olympic marathoner for the USA, and Abdi Abdirahman are also sub-2:11 marathoners entered in the championships. A 10,000m Olympian making his marathon debut in New York, Jorge Torres, told reporters on Thursday, "We're here for one mission and one mission only: to show America that we've made it to the top."
New York being New York, the well-known names running are not all in the front of the race. 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson will be running, 25 years after she became the first women's Olympic Marathon champion; Samuelson would not commit to a time goal but stated she has never run over 3:00 and has never dropped out of a Marathon. Another Olympic gold medallist, speed-skater Dan Jansen, will be running to support ING's Run for Something Better program.
Parker Morse for the IAAF
