Paula Radcliffe and Gete Wami: Two of the favorites in New York. © www.photorun.net
How can anyone forget it: that famous finish at the 2005 ING New York City Marathon—a finish that came down literally a fraction of a second between the former world-record holder, Paul Tergat, and the 2004 New York Marathon champion, Hendrick Ramaala? The two battled it out in the final mile—back and forth, throwing their arms wild; using every inch of their reserves to try and win. In the end, it was Tergat who prevailed—but barely (three-tenths of a second!). Their exciting rivalry continues this year as both Ramaala and Tergat return for a friendly rematch.
And they have good company.
Joining them at the starting line will also be the 2006 champion, the Brazilian, Marilson Gomes dos Santos. Gomes dos Santos is the only South American champion in the race’s 38-year history. He is the fastest half-marathoner from the Western hemisphere (59:33 minutes) and holds the South American record in the 10,000 meters (27:28.12). His recent running success (8th at the 2008 World Half-Marathon Championships last month and 2nd at the Healthy Kidney 10K in New York last May) puts him in contention for the win.
Representing North Africa’s best chances is the Moroccan record holder, Abderrahim Goumri. Goumri is no stranger to New York: he finished 2nd in last year’s marathon behind Martin Lel, running with him up the Central Park hills all the way to the final half mile. Last year’s Flora London Marathon was Goumri’s debut—an impressive one, 2:05:30 hours and the sixth-fastest of all time.
Besides Paul Tergat, there are three other Kenyan prospects: Daniel Rono, Abel Kirui, and Wilfred Kigen. Of the three, Abel Kirui has the fastest marathon time: 2:06:51. Kirui is famous for his brilliant pacemaking abilities. It was Kirui who helped Haile Gebreselassie run his world record 2:03:59 in Berlin last month-going as far as 35 kilometer with him which points to a fast race for him on Sunday. 30-year-old Daniel Rono has had an amazing year. In April, he set his PR, 2:06:58, placing second at the Rotterdam Marathon. Last month, he returned to Rotterdam (a half-marathon), where he ran a 59-second personal best (1:00:27). Wilfred Kigen, the fourth-fastest-seeded Kenyan with a personal best of 2:07:33, began running late in his career (at age 24). Now 33 years old, Kigen is a three-time winner of the Frankfurt Marathon (2005, 2006, and 2007).
Not to be excluded from the contenders are the Americans. Abdi Abdirahman, a Somali-born University of Arizona graduate stands the best chance for a top-five placing. Abdirahman is a three-time Olympian (10,000m). His marathon PR of 2:08:56 was set at the 2006 Chicago Marathon where he finished an impressive fourth. Also wearing the U.S. singlets are Bolota Asmerom, Jason Lehmkuhle, and Nate Jenkins. Of the three, Lehmkuhle and Jenkins have sub-2:15 personal bests. New York is Asmerom’s debut marathon. A graduate of Stanford University, he is moving up from the 5,000m and boasts a sub 4-minute mile. It will be interesting to see how he runs, taking into account his natural leg speed.
The women’s field in New York may be one of the deepest in history. At the top are the only two women in the world that have run under 2:19: the current world-record holder, Paula Radcliffe (United Kingdom), and the former world record holder, two-time silver medalist Catherine Ndereba (Kenya). It’s hard to tell which of the two is the favorite. They have both been running incredibly strong recently. Just last week, Radcliffe smashed a 17-year-old British record, running an amazing 51:11 at the 10-mile Great South Run. Ndereba has run equally well. She won the Olympic silver medal in Beijing and placed second overall in the Philadelphia Distance Run last month (a half-marathon) that she ran in 1:10:51.
And then there are the Ethiopians, 23-year-old Dire Tune and 33-year-old Gete Wami: Both are equally capable of the win. Wami’s personal best (2:21:34) is faster than Tune’s (2:24:00). Wami was last year’s World Marathon Majors champion having won in Berlin and, a month later, placing second behind Paula Radcliffe at the ING New York City Marathon. She has won three Olympic medals and 10 World Championship medals. Tune (23 years old) is the reigning Boston Marathon champion—having edged out Russia’s Alexa Bikitmirova in an exciting footrace at the finish. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Tune was the only Ethiopian to finish the race (15th). She has run well in the United States. She holds the course record for the Houston Marathon where she is a two-time winner.
Never to be overlooked in the woman filed are the Russians. Two of them, Ludmila Petrova (40 years old) and Lyubov Morgunova (37 years old), stand the best chances of competing for the win. Petrova is very familiar with the New York course: she was the 2000 champion and has finished in the top ten an impressive six times. She holds the Russian marathon record (2:21:29) that she set at the Flora London Marathon in 2006. Last April, Morgunova set her personal best, 2:25:12 at the Rotterdam Marathon.
Besides Catherine Ndereba, three other Kenyans have a shot at the win: Joyce Chepchumba, Tegla Loroupe, and Rita Jeptoo. Of the three, 34-year-old Loroupe’s personal best, 2:20:43, is the fastest. Compared to the entire, extremely impressive field, she has had the most success running in New York—having won the marathon in 1994 and 1995 as well as the New York Mini 10K five times. Added to this impressive resume is the fact that she was the world record holder in the marathon in 1998 and 1999. Loroupe hopes to build on her seventh-place showing from last year. 27-year-old Rita Jeptoo calls her teammate, Loroupe, her “inspiration.” Jeptoo was the 2006 Boston Marathon champion. There, she ran her personal best, 2:23:38. Recently, she’s shown that she’s in optimal shape. Last month in Lisbon, she ran 1:09:48-the second-fastest half-marathon of her career. Chepchumba, the last of the top-ranked Kenyans, holds a 2:23:22 marathon personal best; she is also no stranger to New York and large-city marathons: In 2002 she won New York, in 1998 and 1999 she won in Chicago, and in 1997 and 1999, she won in London. In addition to all these achievements, she is also an Olympic bronze medalist (which she won in Sydney in 2000).
The greatest American prospect, Kara Goucher, is running part of her debut marathon in the place she was born: the borough of Queens. Traditionally a middle and long-distance runner specializing in the 5,000m and 10,000m events, Goucher has recently moved up in distance. Last year in her first race over 10,000m, she made headlines by setting the American half-marathon record (1:06:57) at the Great North Run—defeating Paula Radcliffe. In the Beijing Summer Olympics, she doubled the 5,000m and 10,000m and placed in the top ten in both events.
As for those not running with the elites, the ING New York City Marathon will be equally exciting to experience. Of the 100,000 people from hundreds of countries who applied to run the race, 37,000 were accepted through a lottery system. Over 315 million people worldwide will be watching the televised coverage of this famous race as it winds through all five boroughs of the city.
The weather conditions are forecasted to be ideal; the runners are ready. It’s going to be another memorable race in the Big Apple!
