Yuri Kano of Japan, Salina Kosgei of Kenya, and Jaouad Gharib of Morocco participated in a press conference in advance of Sunday's ING New York City Marathon. Below is the transcript:
THE MODERATOR: I forgot to mention that Christelle Daunay, as you saw her here, France's top woman's runner was also scheduled to be here. Again, travel issues. She's on her way, and she'll be here later in this week. So if anybody would like to talk to Christelle, we can certainly make those arrangements. Again, I'd like to open it up and have Yuri, you know, give us just a couple comments about coming back to New York. She's been here for the Half Marathon. But now stepping up to the marathon distance, how is her training and preparation been, and her excitement about running Sunday?
YURI KANO: In August when I run in the World Championship Series, I only had two months to prepare for this race and the New York City Marathon. I've been wanting to participate in this marathon for a long time. I only have a short period of preparation. But I think that I will do my best for this marathon.
THE MODERATOR: What would it mean for Yuri to be the first Japanese woman if she was to win here in New York?
YURI KANO: There aren't many Japanese runners that participate in the world competition. If I could make a mark on the history to win this race, I will encourage younger runners and also motivate them to participate in the world class race. So that would be a great opportunity for me to encourage younger people.
THE MODERATOR: Salina, a breakthrough victory at Boston. What did that mean to you? And do you carry over that kind of result here into New York and into Sunday's race?
SALINA KOSGEI: Thank you very much. And I would like to thank all the organizers of this race for having invite me once more, and I say thank you. So first it has changed my life very much. I have been well known all over the world, and in my country they celebrate a lot, especially my family, especially all my fans. So I'm very happy about it.
THE MODERATOR: When you say it's changed your life, has it made you a better runner? Are you more confident now?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah, it gives me a lot of confidence and it makes me well known.
THE MODERATOR: I believe we have Jaouad here. Welcome. Jaouad has done a lot of things in his career. At age 37, he's had a long run. And one thing that he's never done is won the New York City Marathon the ING New York City Marathon. So we welcome him and would like to know how he's feeling and his excitement about being here in New York.
JAOUAD GHARIB: In 2005 I was planning to come here and participate in the marathon. And I participated in the Championship in 2005, and I won. I was really tired, really tired to come here and participate again here. And I'm really pleased to come here today and participate because as you know the New York Marathon is one of the biggest and most famous. And I wish I'm going to do my best and give the best results. I'm going to do my best to give the best of what I have.
THE MODERATOR: Any thoughts about the course? Do you know anything about the course and how you will hope to run on Sunday?
JAOUAD GHARIB: I know I have an idea that it's going to be a hard one and it has some problems. And the assistants that are supposed to be here are not going to be with me. But despite the fact that I think it's going to be hard, but hopefully, I'm going to do my best. And I'm going to do my best to bring the best in me.
THE MODERATOR: Another interesting note before we open it up, we believe this is the first time that Jaouad has ever run here in the United States; is that correct?
JAOUAD GHARIB: Yes, that is right, it's my first time running here in New York.
THE MODERATOR: In the United States?
JAOUAD GHARIB: I participated in Chicago Marathon, and I won the second place.
Q. Jaouad, you just said you're going to try your best even though there is no assistance, does he mean no pacers? Or is there something else that he means by assistant?
JAOUAD GHARIB: Yes, the absence of pacemakers makes it a little bit hard, but I'm going to do my best.
THE MODERATOR: I would like to just point out, again, we will have no pacemakers here in New York for neither the women or the men's field. Just to point out, Jaouad's career results when there are no pace makers has been pretty darn good, winning both the World Championships in 2005, and 2003, and finishing second at the Beijing Olympic games, again, where there are no pacers.
Q. Yuri, there are so many major marathons in Japan, and I know there's one in Yokohama on November 15th. We don't see the Japanese runners coming up and leaving Japan to run marathons very often. I'm just wondering what made you decide that you wanted to do that?
YURI KANO: This is the third year that I've been going to a Second Win AC, and before I was belonging to the Japanese company team. And I was running the race called Ekiden, that's a Japanese marathon race. And that's happening in October. So I couldn't participate in the New York Marathon before. And after I switched to Second Wind AC, I had to be more ‑‑ I have been more focused on the individual race. So, the team enabled me to participate in this race.
Q. Same question for both women, please. Do you think you can beat Paula Radcliffe?
SALINA KOSGEI: We are going to try our best.
Q. But do you think you can?
SALINA KOSGEI: Maybe I can (smiling).
Q. Maybe you can?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah.
THE MODERATOR: You can or you cannot?
SALINA KOSGEI: I don't know. It depends on how we are going to run (smiling).
THE MODERATOR: Salina, what makes Paula such a great runner?
SALINA KOSGEI: Paula is confident in her running. She is faster, faster in running.
THE MODERATOR: Yuri?
YURI KANO: She's a big hero since I was a student. And this will be the first time we run together, run in the same marathon. And I don't care much about winning or not. I'd rather see her run in close distance.
Q. Do you think that the absence of the pacemakers will be an advantage to you? Like Richard has been pointing out that you have been very successful exactly in these races where there are no pacemakers.
JAOUAD GHARIB: I don't think this will be any problem at all. And I participated in the World Championships and there was no pacemakers, and that was no problem at all.
Q. But will it be an advantage for him?
JAOUAD GHARIB: I have no problem with that at all.
THE MODERATOR: Will it help him? Does he think that it will help him?
JAOUAD GHARIB: I'm going to run as I always do whether without it or with it. It makes no difference for me.
Q. The question was asked whether or not you felt you could beat Paula. We know how she runs. She runs from the front and she runs a strong pace. Will you go out on with her if she runs a very strong pace, perhaps a course record pace? Will you be with her or will you run from behind?
THE MODERATOR: Salina, do you have a strategy where you try to stay with Paula right from the start, or do you have a strategy in mind?
SALINA KOSGEI: I will try to stay with her and maybe if the pace is too high for me I will run behind.
THE MODERATOR: So if it's too fast, you'll stay back a little bit?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah, because she's very fast (smiling).
YURI KANO: I would love to run close enough that I can see her running (smiling).
Q. Paula's had a very close finishes at the end, even though she's very fast, she's had a couple of close races like you had in Boston. I was just wondering in the closing mile of that race, did you believe that you were always going to be the winner, because obviously you didn't emerge until the very last strides? But were you confident that you were going to win in Boston?
SALINA KOSGEI: You know, when I was in 40 kilometers, I was trying to run. I didn't know that I was going to win. I was trying to force it a bit. So after 500 meters, it wasn't easy for me, but I tried my best and I won.
Q. Did you have like one last faster gear, as it were, in the last couple hundred meters?
THE MODERATOR: Where did you find that little extra that was able for you to pull away and win that race? Did you find something extra?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah. I, you know, I knew she was faster. I was trying to tell her, so I started from two kilometers. So she tried to pass, I tried to pass, so we were both running at the same speed, and after I won it.
Q. You actually started out running the 800 on the track, right? So you have some pretty good speed, I guess?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah. And it was finishing, I was very good. But I was trying. I was not confident that I was going to win, but I was trying my best.
Q. You said earlier that your victory in Boston gave you extra confidence. I'm just wondering whether your confidence is now at the level that you feel you can challenge Paula? I know you said that you hoped to go with her, but if the pace is too quick then you'll hang back. But with that extra confidence do you feel that maybe this is the time that you could, maybe take her down?
SALINA KOSGEI: Yeah. It's my time, but you know in marathon you have to feel the kind of pace you are going with. Because if the best is too high for you, you might stop and try the kind of pace you can.
THE MODERATOR: I would like to point out that Salina and Paula have ran against eave other once in their careers. And interestingly enough, Salina won. Finishing 10th in the Beijing Olympics when Paula finished 23rd. So Salina has beaten Paula in the past. But we'll see what happens on Sunday. Is there a final question from the floor?
Q. You said twice that you did not have enough preparation time for New York. Why did you not have enough preparation time?
YURI KANO: I didn't participate in the New York race in the last five years. And I scored fourth place in the first year I participated in the Half Marathon. I scored third place a few years ago. Probably thinking happening this June is the one that I didn't have much preparation for. And I ran the London Marathon in April. And I didn't recover from the marathon in April. That's probably the reason.
THE MODERATOR: All three athletes will be here in the back room at the round table.
