Marathon News

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Marathon News

It was day of superlatives Sunday at the ING New York City Marathon, from the first finisher to the last, from Geoffrey Mutai's blazing course record 2:05:06 to the largest number of marathon finishers in running history.

The numbers are simply staggering," said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners at Monday's wrap-up press conference.

• 46,795 finishers, the most of any marathon in history.
• 47, 438 starters, the most in race history.
• The fastest marathon ever run on U.S. soil on a record-quality course, by Mutai.
• The fastest-ever first half of the ING New York City Marathon in the women's race, 1:07:56, run by Kenya's Mary Keitany.
• Prize money and time bonus payments of $1,205,000, the largest in race history.

But numbers tell only part of the story. "It's not the numbers that matter, to be honest, to us in New York," said Wittenberg. "What really matters is the total impact of this event, and it is astounding at every level."

No small part of that impact is the $33.8 million raised for charities, an amount far surpassing the NYRR goal of $1 million a mile.

If Mutai's goal was to make an impact of his own, proving that his Boston Marathon time of 2:03:02 is legitimate despite the non-record-eligible course, he succeeded beyond expectations when he smashed the course record of 2:07:43 set by Tesfaye Jifar in 2001. In what has been a phenomenal year for men's marathoning, with course records set at all five World Marathon Majors races, Mutai owns two-fifths of them.

"I ran like [I was] in Boston again," said Mutai. "For me, maybe you cannot see how happy I am, but on the inside, deeply inside me, my heart, I'm happy. I don't know how to express."

Firehiwot Dado was no less pleased with her come-from-behind win. "To be honest, until this moment I'm still surprised that I won yesterday's race," said the 27-year-old Ethiopian, whose 2:23:15 win came after she and countrywoman Buzunesh Deba worked together to catch early leader Mary Keitany, who ran the first half of the race on world-record pace before fading in the late going. Dado is a three-time winner of the Rome Marathon, but had no major victories on her resume until now.

Mutai's was not the only course record yesterday in Sunday's crisp, clear weather that saw a temperature of 51 degrees at the start, with a southwest wind of 9 mph. American Amanda McGrory, of Champaign, IL, won the women's wheelchair division in 1:50:24. The 25-year-old McGrory, who won here in 2006, shattered Edith Hunkeler's 2007 mark of 1:52:38.

"The best field on the hardest course, it's just great," she said. "Such a big win at such a prestigious course on American soil is a big deal, so I'm still pretty psyched about it."

When he crossed the finish line on Sunday, Japan's Masazumi Soejima reverentially called it the best day of his life. He had no change of mind overnight. "As you know, we are going through a hard time in Japan, and I hope the fact that I won will encourage the rest of the Japanese," said Soejima, 41, who also won Boston this spring.

Wittenberg estimated the crowds lining the course as the biggest ever, and the new course record-holder said they were the wind beneath his wings as he sailed to the finish.

"I think I felt that I gained another power," said Mutai. "Of course, because when I came through the road I found people were cheering me. I think all of them were helping me a lot. Because when … you get people cheering you, it helps me a lot and it boosts me."

(Pictured: The four winners rang the opening bell on Monday at the New York Stock Exchange.)

Marathon News

Celebrity Finishing Times

Nat Appleman                   3:45:42

Dr. Andy Baldwin              3:17:31

Joe Bastianich                    3:47:03

Richard Blais                       4:31:54

Christy Turlington            4:20:47

Tom Farley                          3:25:43

Mitchell Landrieu             5:10:39

Mario Lopez                      4:23:30

Mark Messier                    4:14:21

Mya                                      6:59:39

Apolo Ohno                        3:25:14

Paul Sparks                         3:52:46

Ryan Sutter                        3:17:58

Edwin van der Sar            4:19:16

Jack Waitz                           3:50:41

Dennis Walcott                 4:23:51

Ethan Zohn                         4:20:46

Celebrity Quotes on Finishing

Apolo Ohno

"I felt pretty good the entire way. I was cramping, I have never cramped in my entire athletic career."

"When I hear people say this is the people's race, it literally is. I was very blessed to run. I was hurting, but I mean that's supposed to happen. If I did do another marathon, the New York Marathon is a very special one. This entire journey was amazing. Whether you're the winner of a marathon at 2:05 or whatever it which is insane or you're crossing the line at 7pm tonight, to run a full marathon is very special. I guess I can check this one off on my bucket list. I always thought I was going to run a marathon at some time in my life, I had no idea I was going to run it this soon and it feels amazing. Hopefully I can convince my Dad to do the next one."

Mario Lopez

"I feel great, I am very excited, gorgeous day. New Yorkers couldn't be cooler or supportive. I stopped, took a couple pictures, signed a couple autographs, did a little sun sign in the Bronx, talked to Axel around mile 20, got my MOTOACTV and I'm good to go. It was so much fun, I was so excited. I was talking and visiting with everyone along the way, I was like Chatty Cathy, I didn't know if I was going to make it out of the Bronx."

Ethan Zohn

"I just feel absolutely incredible having run 26.2 miles. I've said it before but I stepped on every single cancer cell out there and I punched out every bit of age you could punch out. I am going to beat it (cancer), and hopefully I will be here again next year."

Mark Messier

"I just got filled up with inspiration. I feel great now. The crowds and music was unreal. What an experience, wow."

Ryan Sutter

"I feel good energy wise, but my legs are killing me. I think they're supposed to. I feel like if I had to do some pushups I'd be alright, but if I had to bend down and pick something up I wouldn't be able to. This is a great race, it's the only straight marathon I've ever done and maybe the only one I ever will.   It's just so energetic, so many people both competing and supporting it. Just the opportunity to run through the streets of New York City is unique and it's just a really great race. It's amazing they can pull it off. I'm really excited to be part of it."

Andy Baldwin

"That was my fourth ING New York City marathon, my best time yet. It's coming a week after I ran the Nairobi marathon over in Africa, so I didn't know how I was going to fare in back to back marathons. It was a beautiful day for it. I went out fast, probably a little too fast, but it was fun, the sun shining. I just love this race so much, I'll keep coming back year after year.

It's just the tour that you get of all the five boroughs of the city. Its just massive, there are so many international folks here. It's the premier event. There's no better city in the world than New York City.

I'm proud to be running as an ambassador for ING. We're getting kids into running for the "Run for Something Better" program. That's what it's all about, we need to mobilize our youth. Childhood obesity is a huge problem. SO as a doctor and an athlete, I'm proud to be out here."

Jennie Finch

I've never compared antyhing to the Olympic Games.  And I would have to put that (marathon) right up there with it.  It was absolutely incredible just to be a part of a huge event and an international event at that.  When I think of the Olympics, I think of how it unifies the world, and that's truly what the New York City Marathon does and did, and is all about.  It was wild, crazy.  It was - I don't know - absurdly fun all the way. "  "People don't like to be passed, and it's crowded.  So at the beginning, I don't know.  I was scared.  I was like uh-oh, there goes some rough emails coming my way.  Because I had awesome coaches and they were trying to clear the way to break through because obviously we had a time we wanted to get to and a number that we wanted to race for charity.  But it was great.  A lot of cheers along the way, so it was very encouraging.  Those last 300 yards, you see the finish line, and I had my girls just saying, 'all right, there's 50 bucks for your charity, come on, we've got to get there.' So we kind of kicked it to the next gear and dug a little deeper, and I got to the finish line as fast as I could." 

Marathon News

Two Ethiopian flags were flying in a victory lap celebrating first and second place in the ING New York City Marathon after a surprising surge at mile 25. In her ING New York City debut, Firehiwot Dado jockeyed for first in a dramatic finish in Central Park. Her 2:23:15 victory, four seconds ahead of countrywoman and Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba, was the second-closest women’s finish in ING New York City Marathon history. Deba finished only breaths behind in 2:23:19. Both passed the fading Kenyan Mary Keitany, who lead the race from the very start. And both bested their own personal records.

Seven Olympians were among the field of women who took off together on a sunny, crisp morning full of promise. With conditions at the start at 45 degrees (F), early indications in the speedy start showed the possibility for course records, even a world record, to fall.

Deba, who lives in the Bronx borough of New York, and Keitany shared the lead across the Verrazano- Narrows bridge, but Keitany quickly moved ahead of a pack of six women. At mile two, Keitany’s pace was faster than that of the men last year in New York and was 27 seconds ahead of the pack at mile four. That pack rapidly dropped to four, as Keitany went into the 5K completely alone. Deba, looking in control but holding her side, was leading the chasing pack at mile 8. And the pack of four dropped to two chasing the lead as Deba and Dado held on going to mile 21.

Determined, Dado and Deba, chasing the leader with less than two miles to go, were neck and neck as they approached the final moments of the 42^nd annual five-borough race in New York. Keitany pushed to stay in the lead as the two contenders moved in behind her, re-opening a small gap. Of their chase at mile 25, Dado said she and Deba were running together not realizing they were closing in on the lead. “We hadn’t seen Mary (Keitany),” Dado said. “When we saw her we were very excited and we increased our speed at that point.” The two struggled for advantage as Deba fell back.

Deba, at less than two miles to go, ran neck and neck against Dado, watching Keitany surge as she felt her rivals moving in behind. Keitany quickly regained a gap on her followers. Dado and Deba shuffled positions, with Deba in second at the 25 mile-mark. Running hard, Keitany continued pushing the lead, but fell back dramatically at 40K, giving Dado the opening she needed to win the race.

Keitany lost 32 seconds in the last mile – slowing as she pushed uphill at less than 3,000 meters to the finish.

Wearing bib number 111, Dado kissed the ground and hugged her Ethiopian competitor after breaking the tape. Dado’s first place finish netted her $130,000, plus an extra $40,000 for finishing under 2:23:30.

Dado, who set her personal best in Rome this year with a 2:24:13 win, again lowered her personal best. She ran the second half of that race nearly three minutes faster than the first, displaying a competitive edge seen again today in New York. Her 2:23:15 finish in New York is just shy of the 2:22:31 course record set by Kenyan marathoner Margaret Okayo in 2003.

Deba’s second place finish gives her $65,000 and Keitany’s third place 2:23:38 finish netted her $40,000 for an impressive performance.

The first American woman in the race was Molly Pritz, who finished 12^th overall in 2:31:52. Pritz said earlier in the week she was inspired by the Paula Radcliffe’s performance in the 2008 New York City Marathon. “I just want to give it my best and hopefully show them that I care about the race as much as they do.”

Top Ten Finishing TImes

1.  Firehiwot Dado           Ethiopia     2:23:15

2.  Buzenesh Deba            Ethiopia     2:23:19

3.  Mary Keitany               Kenya         2:23:28

4.  Ana Dulce Felix            Portugal    2:25:40

5.  Kim Smith                    New Zealand 2:25:46

6.  Caroline Cheptonui Kilel     Kenya    2:25:57

7.  Caroline Rotich           Kenya             2:27:06

8.  Isabellah Andersson  Sweden          2:28:29

9.  Jo Pavey                        Great Britain  2:28:42

10.  Galina Bogomolova  Russia     2:29:03