Merhawi Keflezighi on his brother

Merhawi Keflezighi: Meb has done his job and accomplished a life long personal and generational industry-wide dream. Now it is up to the rest of us to put this achievement in its proper context.

Meb's victory in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon is obviously very significant, newsworthy and historical, but it also has a personal element to every individual, organization and other entities involved with Meb ( Meb the individual, family, San Diego community, Mammoth, UCLA, Eritreans, Italians, Nike, PowerBar, NYRR, New York City, the Marathon, the running industry, sports media, the running media which has followed Meb for a long time, long time fans, new fans, etc.). With so many affected entities, I don't expect Meb's victory to mean the same thing to everyone.

But first and foremost, let's respect the athletic achievement. On Sunday, November 1, 2009, Meb conquered the ING New York City Marathon, in which the NYRR had assembled their greatest men's field ever. Meb conquered the course and the competition. He ran a personal best time in one of the most difficult marathon courses, and his time stands as one of the top times run on this New York City course. And Meb also conquered the conditions: every runner on Sunday complained about the strong winds on race day.

Meb took advantage of humbling lessons he learned in his marathon career to be
victorious in NYC 2009.

1. Team Meb trained hard, but smart and Meb came to NYC at 100 percent health and great fitness.

2. There were health concerns with the flu going around, so Meb kept very low key before the race. With a great chance to win the race, Meb understood a victory would be more meaningful to any sponsor, race organizer or friend, than obligations before the race. We appreciate the NYRR, Nike, PowerBar and friends for understanding and respecting this position.

3. Meb held himself back at First Avenue. At this point, Meb was running with his head instead of his emotions. He was feeling great, but didn't want to push the pace. Meb's motto was stay within striking distance.

4. Meb ran behind Robert Cheriyout, just like Stefano Badlini sat on Meb for a mile during the 2004 Olympic Marathon.

5. When Meb made his move, he made it count. It was a strong and race defining move that solidified Meb's victory.

So many things have to go right in a marathon and Meb made all those things go right. All the things didn't just happen for Meb, Meb knew he would have to run smart and strong and take risks in order to put himself in position to win the race. Meb believed he could win the ING NYC Marathon starting with his debut in 2002, and everyday until Nov. 1, 2009. Meb believed it, never let the dream
expire, and ultimately he achieved it!

There is no better story of persistence and overcoming obstacles. The last two years are a microcosm of Meb life, that of the potential of U.S. distance running, and the universal life experience. Running and sports are metaphors for life. Meb's achievement on Sunday transcended running and sports.

The morning of the race, Jim Gerweck (of "Running Times") told me, Meb is laser-focused. I mentioned that while Meb was always focused, this laser focus was balanced with an amazingly relaxed approach. The quiet confidence with which Meb spoke and walked in the weeks leading to the race was contagious on his team. Meb first and foremost TRULY believes in himself, so that makes it so easy for those that KNOW him to believe in him. Meb illustrates his self-confidence with his approach, consistency, determination and incredible work ethic. There is no way to put into words just how priceless these characteristics are in a champion. Yordanos, Meb's wife is amazingly supportive. If there is one person that believes in Meb more than Meb, it is Yordanos. And this belief is not solely based on being on a loyal wife. A woman who TRULY did not BELIEVE in her husband would not be capable or willing to make the daily sacrifices Yordanos made and will continue to make. Example, Yordanos and the kids sleep on a different floor of their Mammoth home when Meb is training. Giving Meb the chance to get proper overnight sleep and naps during the day, proper meal intake, emotional support, and spiritual support are some of the most significant forms of support Yordanos provides on a daily basis. She even pointed out to Meb some race patterns from 2004 and 2005 that would allow him to win this year.

Meb is a pretty serious gentleman, he takes life very seriously, he takes his position as a role model very seriously, and his approach to everything is very business-like. That is where his daughters Sara and Fiyori come in. They keep Meb from being too serious. They always win that battle and Meb is a better
athlete because the relaxation required to deal with his daughters is mandatory and natural. After a play session with the girls and he attacks his training multiple times a day, there is plenty of that stored up seriousness to go around. Meb's family values are derived from his parents and Yordanos' parents.
Meb's family is the most consistent source of unconditonal support and love.

Meb has assembled a great team to support his athletic goals. Coach Bob Larsen is Meb's coach of 15 years, since Meb's freshman year at UCLA. Coach Bob Larsen retired from 20 years of coaching at UCLA to focus on coaching Meb and in the process develop American distance running. In 1998, Meb wrote a letter to Alberto Salazar and said it was his goal to "become one of the best runners in the world in the 5k, 10k, and marathon, and lead the resurgence in American distance running."

Meb set out on this goal, along with Coach Larsen, Coach Vigil and Deena Kastor, and they achieved their individual athletic goals in 2004 in Athens, and inspired training groups and individuals to do what we are seeing in the USA today. It is not fair to not give these four individuals the credit for having the vision,
creating the structure, and accomplishing their individual and industry goals. Of course many entities provided the support required to carry out this vision (including Allan Steinfeld and Mary Wittenberg of NYRR, and Running USA, the Mammoth community and others (Coach Larsen is the best person to indicate who were the early supporters and who stayed on and joined later). But I would like to mention that Nike and John Cappriotti were early supporters of the the former Team Running USA Mammoth.

That team is now Mammoth Track Club, and it has evolved but the objective is still as it was before, develop Olympic and World Championship medalists. In addition to Coach Larsen, Meb works very closely with his Mammoth Track Club teammates and coach Terrence Mahon, and support team Tomas Rodriquez and Dirk.

Meb's team includes many people that Meb can mention more specifically, but does include good friend, exercise physiology and nutrition consultant Dr. Krista Austin. Meb stayed with Krista for over two months while he was rehabbing in Colorado Springs between September 2008 - late November 2008.

As Meb always says, he is grateful to everyone that has helped him along the way, whether it is family, friends, race organizers, sponsors, media, teammates, coaches, consultants, fans, competitors, teachers and of course none of this would be possible without GOD!

Let me end this piece on Meb, with an illustation of how Meb's victory and the media coverage of his victory transcended our sport:

On Monday, November 2, Meb was invited and honored at the New York Knicks game against the New Orleans Hornets. Before they announced Meb's name to the spectators, Meb was hanging out courtside. Chris Paul, a member of the 2008 Olympic Basketball Redeem Team (I think) and current star of the Hornets, came up to chat with Meb in between his warm-up shots. Chris Paul, a super star in his own right, and his reaction to meeting Meb left me amazed by the impact Meb's victory has made and will continue to make. Chris Paul, better known as CP3, told Meb, "I can't believe you did a push-up after finishing the marathon.". He proceeded to request that the media on the court take a picture of him and Meb together. Chris Paul then wanted a guarantee, "Hey Meb, if I get this photograph, will you autograph it for me?" To which Meb responded "of course." As Chris Paul departed back to his warm-up, he commented, "I can't wait to tell my mom I met you." For a lifelong fan of basketball and small point guards, this scene with Meb and Chris Paul is a source of great pride in Meb as my brother, client and great athlete, but even more so as a great ambassador for the sport of running!

Thank you Fred Lebow and the NYRR for creating and developing the New York City Marathon, the event that has allowed Meb to shine brighter than ever!

Merhawi Keflezighi
Director, HAWI Management
Handling Adversity With Integrity
Proud manager, brother and fan of Meb Keflezighi

Coach's Corner: Diagonals

Why we should love Paula

Rick Broadbent fo the TimesOnline

When Paul Gascoigne cried during the World Cup semi-final in 1990 they were the tears of a clown. On a sporting vista of anodyne robots and PR speak, Gazza was all red raw emotion and red-rimmed eyes. People loved him for his weakness.

The public perception was different when Paula Radcliffe cried during the Olympic marathon in 2004. She was fatuously damned as a quitter and self-pitying. Of course, Gazza's tears were the product of self pity, as he realised he would not play in the World Cup Final should England overhaul West Germany, but that was forgotten. Gazza's crimes since then have been manifold, but he is mostly forgiven. He is a damaged figure, plagued by mental illness and the flipside of fame, and there is a nagging thought that, somehow, we who idolised him are partly responsible.

I have nothing against Gazza, but the way he has been rehabilitated while Radcliffe remains a divisive figure is puzzling. On Sunday Radcliffe ran the New York Marathon when not fully fit. At the end she succumbed to tears of disappointment and pain. Then the knives came out.

Those posting messages at the foot of the race report in The Times were split into two distinct camps. One group hailed her as the owner of just about the most astounding world record in sport, while the other said she should quit. "Diddums," wrote one detractor.

The photograph of her in the throes of despair at the end did not help, but there is absolutely no rational reason to peddle the notion that Radcliffe should hang up her running shoes. Yes, she has been savaged by injuries, but it is only a year since she won the New York Marathon. Anybody who retains that sort of ability should be championed rather than hastened towards the retirement home.

Even on Sunday, with a problem behind her left knee, she was fourth. Admittedly, it was not the strongest field, but that is still the sort of finish that all other British runners, Mara Yamauchi aside, can only dream about.

It is time the critics learnt to love Paula Radcliffe and it is a mystery why some do not. We do not have the world's best footballers, rugby players or cricket players. An Englishman has not won one of golf's majors since 1996. Despite the huge coverage he gets, Andy Murray has still to win a grand-slam event. We have had two Formula One champions in the past two seasons, but there will always be a subjective element to any appraisal of a sport where people drive different cars.

Even the most cynical should have been won over by Radcliffe's display at the Olympics last year. In truth Radcliffe should not have been there. She suffered a stress fracture of the left femur less than three months beforehand and was told it was Mission Impossible. She refused to believe it and worked like a dervish. It all backfired. She struggled home in 23rd and there were more tears.

That was a truly heroic effort in a field where superlatives are bandied about frivolously. Radcliffe carried on, risking serious injury, partly because she knew the criticism that would have been unfairly levelled at her by armchair archers had she not. It was the same on Sunday. Her friend and the New York race director, Mary Wittenberg, told her she did not need to compete. Radcliffe said she had to. "And she knew she could not drop out once she started," Wittenberg said.

Others revealed that Radcliffe had been deeply concerned about her fitness in the build-up. She had talked it down in the build-up so that the field would not "leg it." If she was being disengenuous it certainly paled alongside the bare-faced lies spoken by football managers on an almost daily basis.

There were tears on the Friday morning, before she met the media, and more on Sunday after the race. Self-pity? Perhaps, but marathon runners do not get many chances. Radcliffe took a huge gamble in Beijing because she knew it would be four years before she had another. In that period Andy Murray will have had the chance to win 16 grand-slams titles. Lee Westwood will have had a shot at 16 Majors plus a couple of Ryder Cups. A few months before Radcliffe's tears in Beijing, John Terry cried as Chelsea lost the Champions League final. He was not pilloried, despite having a chance to win the same thing the following year.

Radcliffe, by contrast, has not had an injury-free year since 2005. In the last four years she has run only two marathons when fit - in New York in 2007 and 2008. Imagine being the world's best at something and having such infrequent opportunities to show it. You might be driven to tears yourself.

The other thing that is hard to fathom when it comes to Radcliffe's more fervent critics is that she has none of the hubris, truculence or arrogance that comes with certain other sports stars. She is just very nice. Some say she is obsessed, as though that is a flaw in a sportswoman who wants to be the best. I'm sorry, but you do not set a world record for the marathon by playing at it. And anyway, as one figure in the sport said in New York at the weekend, how many other sportswomen who are intent on winning gold in London are planning to have a child beforehand? There is a bigger picture for Radcliffe.

Radcliffe has simply been unfortunate. Had the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games taken place two months later, she might well be a double Olympic champion now. By the time she gets to London she is likely to be the underdog. And this being Britain, that will probably be the time when she finally gets the luck and love she deserves.

Who will really miss Julio Rey?

EuropeanAthletics reports

Spanish national Marathon record holder Julio Rey announced his retirement from competitive sport last week. Rey, 37, had been struggling with injuries for the last year and decided to hang up his spikes after being forced to pull out from last month's Amsterdam Marathon.

Rey's personal best in the Marathon - 2:06.52 set in Hamburg in 2006 - is not just a Spanish national record but also the fourth best time set by a European ever.

He won the Hamburg Marathon four times in his career.

He won bronze medals in the Marathon at the last two editions of the European Athletics Championships, in Munich (2002) and Gothenburg (2006). His career highlights also include a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Paris in 2003; second place finishes in the Marathon races in Paris and Fukuoka, Japan, and a fourth place finish at the 1998 London Marathon.

Rey respresented Spain at the last two editions of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004.

At the national level, he won the Spanish Cross Country titles in 1997 and 1998. He also won the 10000m title at the National Championships in 1997 besides the Half-Marathon title in 2004.

He represented Spain on the international stage on 23 occasions.

mzungo.org says: He was tested positive on Mesterolon in 1998 and banned for two years.

His version:

"Ich beharre immer noch auf meiner Unschuld. Die Probe war zwar positiv, aber es war kein Doping, denn ich habe nichts eingenommen. Meine Motivation weiterzumachen war, der Welt zu zeigen, dass ich unschuldig war.
Ich habe im In- und Ausland untersuchen lassen, ob eine Hormonstörung vorliegt - nichts. Und kurz nach dem positiven Test hatte ich eine negative Trainingskontrolle. Ich werde wohl nie erfahren, was passiert ist. Es war der erste positive Test auf diese Substanz. Sie würde einem Läufer wohl auch nichts bringen. Ich habe gehört, es sei vor Viagra ein Mittel gegen Impotenz gewesen."

Free translation: "I have taken nothing."

Miki relentless: 2010 two more marathon majors and the 10k @ ECs

by EuropeanAthletics

Two-time reigning World Marathon Major series winner Irina Mikitenko of Germany is planning to run the 10000m instead of the Marathon at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, which runs through 26 July to 1 August.

Marathon specialist Mikitenko confirmed that in 2010 she will participate in only two Marathon races, one in spring and another in autumn, but she has not made a decision on the venues yet.

The 37-year-old Mikitenko pocketed $500,000 after winning the 2008-09 series of the World Marathon Majors that concluded with the New York City Marathon on Sunday.

The World Marathon Majors is a series consisting of five of the largest and most renowned Marathon races in the world: the Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon.

Mikitenko intends to compete in all the WMM races in the next two-year cycle of 2009-10.

"It's definitely a goal to run at each of the five Marathon races of the World Marathon Majors Series and if possible win, too," Mikitenko told the German Athletics Federation website leichtathletik.de.

Despite pocketing $1 million after winning the last two editions of the World Marathon Majors series, Mikitenko clarified that money was not the primary thing on her mind.

"Frankly speaking money does not matter to me. When I run, I never think of money. I am glad that I have been able to win the last two World Marathon Majors title but that is certainly not among the top considerations when I decide to run a Marathon," she said.

Flanagan Marathon debut in Boston?

Universalsports (NEW YORK) – Things couldn’t have gotten any better for Shalane Flanagan in 2008. She qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in two events and won a bronze medal in the women’s 10,000m. But this year, things went a little rockier. After a tumultuous break with coach John Cook, Flanagan joined Jerry Schumacher’s group with the Nike Oregon Project.

After the switch, it took time for Flanagan to get acclimated to her new training regimen and it had an impact on her results. In June, she placed second to Amy Yoder-Begley in the 10,000m at the U.S. Outdoor Championships, and in August at the World Championships, Flanagan finished 14th in 31:32.19.

Unbeknownst to Flanagan at the time, she was suffering from physical ailments that were not diagnosed until after she returned home from Berlin. Now healthy and returning to training, Flanagan is also contemplating her future, specifically when she will make the transition from the track to the marathon. We caught up with Flanagan, who will observe the 40th ING New York City Marathon from the lead truck.


While still in Berlin after you ran in the World Championships, I happened to ride the U-Bahn with your mom one night and she mentioned that you were not feeling well physically at that time. What was ailing you?

It was rough spring. I didn’t really know why I wasn’t feeling so well. I thought it was from transitioning to a new coach, new training and stuff. But there were actually some underlying health issues that I was not aware of. It was diagnosed and I had some things looked at and I’m feeling much better. I’m adjusted to the training.


I hope it wasn’t anything too serious, was it?

No. It was a combination of things. I apparently picked up a parasite, most likely in Beijing. I got food poisoning there.



What’s with you and the food poisoning? You got it here (before the U.S. 8K Championships) and then at the Olympics?

Yeah, I don’t know. I got it twice last year. But that’s what was holding me back. There were some iron deficiency issues that could have stemmed from the parasite. I don’t know. There were also some genetic things that I was diagnosed with, nothing catastrophic but enough to throw me off. You have to have everything going for you on all cylinders when you’re trying to compete at a high level. But now, I’m feeling better so it’s all good.


So what’s in the plans for you now, moving forward into 2010?

It’s like I’m trying to rebuild this whole base and trying to get a good foundation for marathoning. So, I’m just trying to learn everything there is to learn about the marathon. I’m looking forward to hopefully running a half in January.


Is the big-picture focus for 2010 the marathon?

This next year is to improve on everything. Whatever presents itself, I’m just going to listen to my body and make sure that I can adapt to the new training. I’m going to start off with a half, see what happens, and then go from there. Maybe the next step is a marathon. Maybe the next step is going back to the track, running really fast and then going to the marathon. I’m kind of open to anything right now.


If you run a half in January, where would that be?

I think it will be the U.S. Championship in Houston. I think that’s on January 17.


Coming off that, do you feel you should have enough time to weigh your options?

Yeah. There will definitely be time to make a decision, whether to do cross-country or track. It’s a great year to just experiment and see what I want to do.


In talking a lot with Kara Goucher, she said the thing that really got her excited about running the marathon was getting to ride the lead truck here and watch the 2007 race. Was that sort of the same idea for you?

Yeah. Winning in Boston or in New York for me is pretty much the equivalent of an Olympic gold medal. Having the opportunity on a yearly basis to go and win a gold medal is exciting. I was able to watch the Boston Marathon this spring on the truck, and now I’ll do New York. I’m trying to see what each race has to offer. For my first experience, I feel I need to go somewhere where I think I can be successful and have a comfortable feeling. However the training leading up to it will also play a roll. I’m not going to force myself into it. But this is a great way to see what it’s all about.


What was your experience like watching the race in Boston?

It was awesome, just because I grew up in Boston. Watching Kara battling and the race itself was phenomenal and so tight. And there were so many components that I just wasn’t aware of, like the water stations and how that operates. I was trying to look at it in a very functional kind of way, and envisioning myself racing and how it would play out. But at the same time, it was very emotional too watching everyone who trained so hard, watching Kara in the last mile. It was an unbelievable experience and made me want to commit to the training.


Having seen Boston from that perspective, what specifically will you be looking for here?

A lot of people say Boston is really tough, and it is. But New York is really tough too. I think both races have exceptionally hard courses. I’ll be trying to get familiar with the course and seeing how it plays out. I’m trying to absorb the whole thing and seeing where I can envision myself being successful. I think either one I would be really excited about. New York is a really sexy marathon. I think it has a cutting edge, something really appealing to it. Boston has the really old-school, blue-collar kind of feel. They’re very different from what I could tell.



Is it safe to say then that when you do make your marathon debut it will be in either Boston or New York?

That’s what I would hope, yeah.


Would running the Boston Marathon this spring be cutting it too close from a training aspect to the half-marathon in January?

I’d love to run one as soon as possible, so I’d love for it to be Boston. But I just don’t know if I’m ready. My coach is very meticulous and a planner, so if he says that I’m ready to go, I’m ready to go. If he says that I’m not ready, I’m not going to force a marathon. That would be a big mistake. I want my first one to be an enjoyable, successful experience.


Hypothetically speaking, if everything goes well with the half in January, what would be the progression of your season?

I have no idea. It’s totally unexplored territory for me. I don’t even know what the steps would be. I don’t even know what a good marathon workout is yet. I’m having to compute in my mind, when I go on long runs, what getting down to good marathon pace would be. If I run 2:25, I could maybe be a contender in a major marathon for the most part. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what I have to do in practice to get to that. After a half, I don’t know what that would entail. I don’t know how I will feel after the half. I could be completely beat up, I don’t know.


How difficult is that process when all you’ve run prior is track and cross-country?

It’s such a different training for me. I’m used to going all out and going out trying to just pound myself. In marathon training, I constantly have to say, ‘Be patient. Hold back.’ I won’t make it through to the end of a workout if I don’t conserve something. It’s a completely different mindset. I think it’s going to take a lot of practice and patience on my part to get into that mindset of conserving and when you get to that point at the end when you think you’ve got nothing left, pulling out even more.


Have you done workouts at marathon pace yet?

Not a full one yet. I’m working on trying to get my long runs in and having them be at a decent clip. Sub-six-minute pace for like 14 miles has been my goal. I’m trying to get up to eventually run two and a half hours for a long run. I just have to be on my feet long enough. If anything, I’ve not been on my feet very long whenever I do my long runs. My workouts have been mostly short and fast stuff. Just being on my feet for two and a half hours is a big accomplishment right now.


Have you been running in Oregon or are you down in North Carolina?

I’ve been in North Carolina, but I was just out in Portland last week visiting with my training group and coaches.


How has it been assistant coaching at North Carolina?

It’s been awesome. It’s been really cool. There is a new coach there, Pete Watson. He’s welcomed me to help out and assist him in trying to build the program back up because I’m familiar with the places to run. So I’ve been helping him get started and I enjoy being around the kids.


It has to be pretty different being back in that type of environment, right?

Yeah. The collegiate system is where I got started. I have so many great memories at North Carolina. The best thing I feel I can do…you can donate money, but I think if you donate your time, that is the most valuable thing. Not that I have tons of knowledge, but I can at least help a little bit in whatever they need me to do. I’ve been helping a little bit with the recruiting and trying to build up the men’s program again. The women have always been strong.


Coming off of Berlin and regaining your health now, how has the experience been for you from a running perspective?

It’s helped me probably more than it’s helped them. I had a really hard last six months. It was kind of stressful. So to regroup at home and have people around who still think I’m amazing because I made it to a World Championship. They don’t care that I didn’t medal. They’re just amazed that I’m making it to the World Championships. It’s been refreshing and rejuvenating. They’re impressed with anything so I’m playing to a pretty easy crowd. Having been able to run with them, they’re so appreciative of anything and any time I give to them. It really feels good.


So when does full-time training for the half begin for you?

I’m pretty much in it. I’m on a little bit of a down week this week because I just got back from Oregon on Monday and we’re going to be here. This is a great place to train, but I’ve been doing a lot of socializing. I’m kind of used to being a hermit so all this socializing gets me a little tired. But as soon as I get back on Sunday, it’s going to be pretty serious for the next two and a half months trying to build up a foundation for a marathon, be it spring or fall.


Will you do any road races between now and the half to get the competitive juices flowing again?

I’ve always got that competitive spirit so I don’t necessarily have to test myself that way. But as long as the workouts are going well I should feel pretty confident going into the half. But if my coach says, ‘Let’s test it out and get in a real environment of road racing,’ then I’ll do it. But as of right now, I don’t see anything logistically that looks to be really good to do.

Mary Keitany 66:54 in Delhi

IAAF from New Delhi, India - Mary Keitany looked to be cruising towards a World record time through 15km of Sunday’s Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Eventually the Kenyan settled for 1:06:54, falling short of the mark, though she smashed the course record.

The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Deriba Merga did not have a Kenyan breathing down his neck as he crossed the finish-line first for the second year in a row in the men’s race. The Ethiopian had his countrymen, Eshetu Wondimu and Tilahun Regassa for company for the better part of the race before breaking away past the 15km mark to coast through to a 59:54 win. Wondimu (1:00:02) came second while Regassa, who set the early pace, faded to fourth behind Kenyan Wilson Kipsang (1:00:04) who was second here last time.

There was no challenge at all to World Half Marathon champion Keitany in the women’s race. Defending champion Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia (1:10.02) finished ninth, unable to match the early pace set by the front-running Kenyan. Ethiopians Wude Ayelew (1:07.58) and Aberu Kebede (1:07.59) who took the second and third spots, tried to put up a fight, but in the end found Keitany too good.

Though the race started in almost ideal weather conditions, the temperatures rose considerably about half an hour after the start, forcing runners to slow the pace.

On the flat course, the early pace was furious as Merga, a little restless right at the start, turning sideways often to place his team-mates and the position of the Kenyans, kept up his relentless front-running act once they broke away from the crowd of runners. The Ethiopians set such a good pace that by the 5km mark, reached in around 13:51, the Kenyans were left well behind.

The leading bunch of Merga, Regassa and Wondimu was inside the course record pace at the 10km mark in 27:43. But with little challenge from the Kenyans and the heat slowly taking its toll, the Ethiopians had to slacken the pace in the race’s second half.

Merga crossed 15km in 41:55, still inside the course record he set last year (59:15), and as he began running away from his team-mates, it was Regassa who showed signs of fatigue. Wondimu, who had drifted behind slightly midway through only to catch up with his countrymen in the lead, tried his best to keep pace with Merga, but in vain.

From around 100 metres to the finish, Merga kept looking back to find whether someone, especially Kipsang, was making a late charge. Memories of that superb surge by Kipsang last year must have come flooding back. This time, though, there were no worries for the 29-year-old Ethiopian. The US$ 25,000 first prize was his without much ado. He tried to find words to express his joy as television reporters surrounded him, but only ended up saying nothing. The 59:54 was his sixth best time, his last year’s effort in Delhi being still his best.

Wondimu looked set to crack one hour for the first time in his career, but eventually settled for 1:00:02, just one second off his best, clocked in Berlin last year. Regassa, still a junior, clocked his third best at 1:00:37 for his fourth pace, overtaken by Kipsang towards the end and thus being deprived of a podium finish.

Kipsang, who looked steady to start with, could not show his customary pace. “At 15km, I felt pain in my toe and I checked my speed. The gap between me and the leader became more than expected and in the end I wasn’t able to cover the lost ground,” the Kenyan said.

Third sub-1:07 for Keitany

Keitany’s domination was total. The Kenyan never allowed anyone to even think about putting up a challenge. Taking off fast, she ran much of her race in the company of Indian male runners and thus kept a steady pace. She was past the 10km mark in a stunning 30:39, raising murmurs about Delhi witnessing a World record. By the 15km mark, at 46:40, she was still very much ahead of World record pace. But then, after that the pace slackened. The course record of Mergia, 1:08:17, was battered beyond recognition, however.

Keitany, who took the top prize of 25,000 dollars, said that she had Lornah Kiplagat’s 1:06:25 World record in mind when she started. “The course was excellent and the weather was not bad. I hope to come back next year,” she said.

Kiplagat’s 2007 effort survived, just as it had in Birmingham 20 days earlier when Keitany clocked 1:06:36, the leading time in the world this season and the second fastest ever. Her 1:06:54 today was the seventh best on the all-time lists. The Kenyan, who dedicated this victory to her one-year-old son, now holds four of the top-10 timings on the all-time lists. She had timed 1:06.48 behind Kiplagat, a former Kenyan now a Dutch, in Udine in 2007.

Though the Ethiopians were outclassed by Keitany, they took the next three places behind her, Mamitu Daska (1:08:07) coming ahead of Kenyan Peninah Arusei for fourth.

Deepchand Saharan won the race among Indian men in 1:04:00, finishing 17th overall. Sukanya Mall was the best Indian woman, coming overall 22nd in 1:20:11.

Over 29,000 competed in various events including a Great Delhi Run in which celebrities took part. The Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs. Sheila Dikshit, gave away the prizes to the winners of the main event. Merga received a golden mace apart from his winning cheque.

By an IAAF correspondent

Leading Results:

MEN -
1. Deriba Merga, ETH 59:54
2. Eshetu Wondimu, ETH 1:00:02
3. Wilson Kipsang, KEN 1:00:04
4. Tilahun Regassa, ETH 1:00:37
5. Titus Masai, KEN 1:00:43
6. Dieuodone Disi, RWA 1:01:37
7. Kiplimo Kimutai, KEN 1:01:40
8. Juwawo Wirimai, ZIM 1:01:45
9. Stephen Mokoka, RSA 1:01:47
10. Ezekiel Cherop, KEN 1:01:50

WOMEN -
1. Mary Keitany, KEN 1:06:54 (New Course Record, previous 1:08:17)
2. Wude Ayelew, ETH 1:07:58
3. Aberu Kebede, ETH 1:07:59
4. Mamitu Daska, ETH 1:08:07
5. Peninah Arusei, KEN 1:08:30
6. Mara Ibhrahinova, AZE 1:08:45
7. Teyba Erkesso, ETH 1:09:05
8. Amane Gobena, ETH 1:09:32
9. Aselefech Mergia, ETH 1:10:02
10. Pamela Chepchumba, KEN 1:10:04

Did you notice? Top post podium NYC performances

Great shots, Ira Monko!

Don't Meb the Geb: Dubai sub 2:03:59?

WorldTrack (LONDON) — Ethiopian long distance great Haile Gebrselassie will take aim at his own world record when he defends his Dubai Marathon title next year.Gebrselassie, who holds the world record of 2:03:59, said he will attack his standard over the fast Dubai course on January 22.

“I still can’t believe I didn’t break the world record in 2008,”Gebrselassie said.

“Everything was perfect, except the pace for the first half of the race, which was too fast.

“It’s only a short flight from Addis, the weather is usually beautiful, the course itself is very, very good and the athletes are treated really well. I’m already training hard and looking forward to running again in Dubai in January.”

The Ethiopian legend set the world record in Berlin last September.

Meb and Hall: will it be London or Boston 2010?

By Dick Patrick, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Meb Keflezighi has become a streak buster in the marathon. In the 2004 Olympics, his silver medal ended a 28-year U.S. drought in the event. When he won Sunday's 40th New York City Marathon, he became the first U.S. champ in the race in 27 years, since Alberto Salazar in 1982.
He had a question Monday when his legs were feeling surprisingly fresh from his personal-best 2 hours, 9 minutes, 15 seconds over the 26.2 miles: Who was the last American to win Boston?

The answer: Greg Meyer, in 1983.

Keflezighi posed another question: who has won both Boston and New York? The Americans are Bill Rodgers, who won each race four times, and Salazar, who won NYC three times and Boston once. Kenyans Ibrahim Hussein, Joseph Chebet and Rodgers Rop also completed the double.

Could his questions signal which way Keflezighi's leaning for a spring marathon? Assuming he's healthy, he's got two choices, either Boston or London, both in April.

After his win on Sunday — worth $200,000 in prize money on top of a six-figure appearance fee — he's in a great financial position. He can expect six-figure appearance fees for both races, with London known as the bigger spender.

Keflezighi wasn't providing indicators Monday, since both races are attractive.

"What a great way to fill out the resume by winning Boston," he said. "That would be huge."

But London has the lure of a flat, fast course, unlike hilly Boston. Both Keflezighi, 34, and his coach of 15 years, Bob Larsen, believe he's capable of running 2:07 or faster. "The engine is there," Keflezighi said. "I just have to fine tune it."

A fast time is most likely to come in London, where last April Keflezighi was ninth.

"London has offered me lots of shots," said Keflezighi, who has run London and Boston once apiece. "Part of the marathon is getting to the starting line healthy. I was only able to do that this year. If I decide to do a fast marathon, London would be great."

Larsen said a decision "won't be made for some time." Until then, Keflezighi can savor his NYC win, which he said ranks slightly ahead of his silver medal because it was also a U.S. championship. It was the 20th national title of his career, two years after a hip stress fracture from the 2007 Olympic trials marathon in Central Park prompted thoughts of retirement

Keflezighi seemed spry Monday. "This race, Chicago '03, Athens and New York '04 were marathons where I felt like jogging the next day and I could go upstairs and downstairs comfortably," he said. "When the training is done right, I recover much more faster."

Spring fling: Ryan Hall, disappointed in his fourth place (2:10:36) Sunday, is likely to have the same options as his Mammoth Lakes, Calif., neighbor and occasional training partner Keflezighi about a spring marathon. Either London, where Hall has run a personal-best 2:06:17, or Boston, where he was third in April.

"It's good to have a humbling experience once in a while," Hall said. "I always run my best races after a humbling experience."

After Boston, Hall second guessed himself for doing a lot of leading into a headwind. After New York, he wondered if he should have spent more time in the front of the lead pack.

"He can have trouble in races where there are no pacemakers," said his coach, Terrence Mahon. "He just needs some experience at it."

Meb @ Letterman

Yuri Kano after NYC fall

Keflezighi, Tulu, Fearnley, Hunkeler Press Conference Transcript

On Monday -- the day after the 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon -- the champions of each of Sunday's races met the press at Tavern on the Green. The transcript from the press conference is below:

RICHARD FINN: Thank you. We're going to ask each of our four champions to say a couple of words. Maybe upon reflection, looking back at what happened yesterday. So we'll start with Edith, Kurt, Derartu, and then Meb. Edith?

EDITH HUNKELER: I'm still very happy that I won yesterday. Here it's the fifth win in five starts. Now I can believe what happened yesterday.

And it was a tough race. I've never seen such a big women's team, you know. To be the winner, it's super, super cool to be the best. Yes, I enjoy it today, the whole day, it's great.

RICHARD FINN: It's always a little extra super cool to win here in New York, isn't it?

EDITH HUNKELER: Yeah, it is. New York is a big city. Everyone knows it, and to win here is fantastic.

RICHARD FINN: Kurt went to the Jets game afterwards, so maybe that wasn't the best part of his day.

KURT FEARNLEY: I'm a bit of a fan of NFL, so this is the first game I've seen one. And I've been traveling to the states since I was 14, and I always wanted to go to a game. This is the first time that I've been in the right city at the right time. Although I had to catch a car immediately from the press conference to get there, and hadn't showered and kind of stumbled up a few flights of stairs to get to my place, it was worth it. It was a fantastic atmosphere.

The day yesterday, I don't know what it's saying, but I won my first race here by 5 minutes, the next year I won by two, the next year I won by 40 seconds, and yesterday I won by. 15 of a second. So I don't know what's happening next year if I'm going to get a win up here. But I'm a little nervous already.

It was a tough race. I haven't hurt like that in a long time. Hopefully, I don't have to hurt like that for a long time to come. But, you know, the guy that I was racing is a dead set legend, and to push with him for the last ‑‑ he's 44 or 45, and I've never seen him push like this. And he's been racing since '88. So it was a good day.

MARY WITTENBERG: I'll add, because I don't know, I didn't see the television broadcast how much this was coming across to all of you. But a perfect temperature of 52° at the start, 54 at the finish. 55% humidity at the start, 49% at the finish.

But I realize now why you might not have had such a good sense of it at the Mandarin or at the Tavern where miles per hour was 5. But what we felt at the start and that I felt all through that course like I haven't felt it in a decade, winds 14 miles per hour from the northwest.

RICHARD FINN: Derartu, as Mary said, a towering figure in this sport, on track, now on the roads. Possibly some reflection of what this means to your career, especially, again, coming back after several not as good years.

DERARTU TULU: He yesterday I had been asked how it felt to have had this victory 17 years after my first major victory. Yes, yesterday's victory was a great one for me. And as you said, it was a big victory.

I consider this to be a really great accomplishment in my life, and yesterday was a great day. It is a day that I shall never forget for the rest of my life. I'm extremely happy.

RICHARD FINN: Has it sunk in, Meb?

MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, first, I want to say thank you to Mary and her team and ING, and New York Road Runners for bringing me here. It's good to be back in this room again because I was a little emotional at the start.

But focusing on the great things what a wonderful day it was yesterday, it's just a dream come true. I don't know, a lot of people ask which was sweeter, the silver medal or the gold medal in New York? But it's pretty close, but I think yesterday was the day that sealed the deal. I think.

But to have that big of a field, and to be able to win it over those guys who run 2:04, two times Boston champion, lot of 2:05, 2:06 guys, to win over that was a huge accomplishment.

And I got a really great message from Alberto Salazar congratulating me, which was not just for what I've done for the U.S. distance running, but for myself and my family. It was just the sweetest voices mail you can get. I want to say thank you to him, and sent him a text this morning because of the time change.

But has it sunk in? Some did. I didn't sleep much last night. I don't usually do, but I was writing down what texts, and I got an email and voice mails, and all full from everywhere. A lot of people said it brought tears to their eyes. They never usually cry in entertainment, with the Super Bowl or things like that, but yesterday was.

We were at dinner last night with Mary and they said usually nice guys finish last. But she said it's nice to see nice guys finish first. And that tends to be the word on the street. I'm just going to be happier wearing that USA jersey in New York where I got my Ph.D. I don't know what I've got now, but I've been here many times. Second place, third place. 20th place in the last showing. To overcome the injury, it's just perfect time. It's just much more sweeter. Thank you.

RICHARD FINN: Questions for the champions.


Q. Not only did you win, but you obviously had some time to savor the win. I think there were a few minutes there where you were pretty sure you were going to win it. I'm just wondering in a couple of minutes from the finish when you got there, what kind of thoughts were going through your head at that point?

MEB KEFLEZIGHI: As soon as I have broke up right before 24 miles, I was confident that I was going to keep going, you know. Just to be able to along, expand the lead a little more, little more. That gives you a little cushion toward the end, so to savor it, fifth tries and finally get a ride. But when you get a ride, you've just got to enjoy it.

I celebrated with about a mile to go. I started pointing a little bit. I said just enjoy this moment. And Coach Larsen always said enjoy the moment, you can't go back. My wife also says after the injury, she said this is a limited time. Enjoy what you're doing. You're not going to look back later on. It just sinks in. She was in tears just because we stayed up late watching the video of the New York City Marathon, talking about the strategy and things like that. Just reflecting what nobody can do.

To see me not be able to walk or lift my leg without assistance of my hand, you know, that's what it was emotional. I didn't think I could run again or walk straight again at that point two years ago. So to be able to come and win this, what you dreamed of.

In 2002 I think I can do this, but when you can't walk, you can't walk. That's the bottom line. And to be able to win is just much more sweeter.


Q. There's a poster from the New York Marathon which says New York City, Helen Beck 26.2 Miles. Do you think that reflects a little bit your past years where you have been injured and you were ill?

MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Yeah, I mean, the marathon is a marathon. And 26.2 Miles, a lot of things can go wrong. But, you know, when things go right, you know, you recover faster. You'll be able to walk normal. The distance is just grueling itself.

But congratulations to the great champions here, and the great champions that are outside that saluted us as we came in. They're all wearing their medal. That is the pride of finishing a marathon, go with what you are capable of doing within your limits. We're obviously a little more talented than others. But to put their hearts into four hours, five hours, six hours‑plus, is a huge accomplishment on their part.

RICHARD FINN: What will this mean or what kind of reception will she get when she goes back to Ethiopia? First Ethiopian woman to win here?

DERARTU TULU: It is a great victory, because as you know after child birth I had been away from the sport for some time. But when I am training and a lot of Ethiopians back home see me, they would ask me, where have you been? We long to see you back again.

But I used to be surprised thinking there are so many other runners, how are you still expecting me to accomplish things? But they would say to me, we always long to see you running again and doing great things again. And I realize how much they still expect from me.

So I started to tell them, well then, wait a little while for me. I may be able to accomplish something yet. I hope that I can do something good this year. Now I know that they will feel great joy because I am a senior athlete, and I know that all Ethiopians will be very happy with this and will greet me with great joy.

READ ON...

Tulu, Petrova, Daunay Post-Race Press Conference Transcript

Deratu Tulu won the women's ING New York City Marathon on Sunday. She, Ludmila Petrova and Christelle Daunay (the second and third-place finishers) participated in a post-race press conference. The transcript follows:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the news conference for the top three women at the ING New York City Marathon 2009. Fabulous day here in New York with plenty of surprises and exciting moments. We certainly had our share of them in the women's race. We're crowning a new champion today, Derartu Tulu, first Ethiopian woman to win. We welcome back to the 1, 2 and 3 position, Ludmila Petrova, who is probably our most durable and consistent performers, second here for the second year in a row, Ludmila was also our 2000 champion, so there is tremendous consistency there. We welcome our first leading French finisher and woman to the podium in several years, I think in almost 20 years, but we'll check on that, Christelle Daunay who ran a fabulous and very gritty race.



Q. I'm going to ask each of the ladies to start with a comment. Then we'll open it up for questions.

DERARTU TULU: In general I'm extremely happy to have won today's race. I did not come here necessarily expecting to win. But I did expect that I would be a strong competitor, and I'm very happy to have won.

THE MODERATOR: Ludmila? Second here again, and again, this seems to be your favorite spot.

LUDMILA PETROVA: I'm happy again for my 25 years. But in masters I am second. How I can be not happy.

THE MODERATOR: Christelle?

CHRISTELLE DAUNAY: For the first time I come in New York I'm very satisfied with my third place. I came here to win, and I did everything I could, but the other two competitors were better than me.

THE MODERATOR: I'll ask one question then we'll open it up. To each of the three ladies. Paula Radcliffe was here. She was the two‑time defending champion, had won here three times. How surprised or how did you feel out there when you sort of took the lead from Paula? Were you surprised? What did you sort of see out there to each of the ladies starting here.

DERARTU TULU: Paula is someone with whom I have competed a great many times. I have beaten her on the track and cross country. But in the marathon, let alone to beat her, I have never even been able to run very far with her. The most I think I've been able to keep up with her is 10 to 15 kilometers. So I had always hoped that I would one day finish close to her.

In today's race I was disappointed to see her falling back and struggling. I actually tried to encourage her to get her to keep up with us. At some point it was clear that she was not able to do so, and I'm actually disappointed that she was not able to run that well. However, Paula is a really great athlete. I know that she has many more great races in her, and she will be back to do great races in the future.

LUDMILA PETROVA: Paula is strong for me always. I think she has some problems with her hills only, she will be back to run fast again.

CHRISTELLE DAUNAY: Like the other two competitors said, I think Paula is a fantastic runner. It has been an honor to run against her today. I think she was maybe not in top shape, but I still hope to run with her many other times.


Q. It's very special that you're here. Please tell us what this exceptional victory here in New York means to you?

CHRISTELLE DAUNAY: It's true that after the Paris Marathon when I did a time of it 2 hours 25 minutes I was ready to come here to the New York Marathon, which is the biggest, most important marathon.

I was very up to compete against Paula, and I'm very proud of my third place here.

READ ON...

New York City Marathon 2009 - Top 50 Men

TOP 50 Finisher

1 8 Meb Keflezighi 02:09:15 CA USA USA
2 6 Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot 02:09:56 Kenya KEN
3 4 Jaouad Gharib 02:10:25 Morocco MAR
4 5 Ryan Hall 02:10:36 CA USA USA
5 11 Abderrahime Bouramdane 02:12:14 Morocco MAR
6 9 Hendrick Ramaala 02:12:30 South Africa RSA
7 15 Jorge Torres 02:13:00 CO USA USA
8 19 Nick Arciniaga 02:13:46 MI USA USA
9 10 Abdi Abdirahman 02:14:00 AZ USA USA
10 16 Jason Lehmkuhle 02:14:39 MN USA USA

11 12 Jackson Kotut Kipkoech 02:15:10 Kenya KEN
12 21 Peter Gilmore 02:15:22 CA USA USA
13 39 Migidio Bourifa 02:16:01 Italy ITA
14 29 Mike Sayenko 02:16:38 WA USA USA
15 28 Mike Reneau 02:16:45 WI USA USA
16 45 Jose Telles De Souza 02:17:28 Brazil BRA
17 34 Allen Wagner 02:17:49 PA USA USA
18 24 Max King 02:19:11 OR USA USA
19 40 Mohammed Awol 02:19:31 NY USA ETH
20 18 Christopher Raabe 02:19:49 DC USA USA

21 23 Pat Tarpy 02:20:43 RI USA USA
22 2292 Antonio Liuzzo 02:22:36 NY USA ITA
23 49 Helder Ornelas 02:22:44 Portugal POR
24 205 Brett Winegar 02:23:11 WA USA USA
25 47 Bryan Morseman 02:23:50 NY USA USA
26 8963 Filippo Lo Piccolo 02:24:04 NY USA ITA
27 33 Josh Eberly 02:24:10 CO USA USA
28 1076 Nelson Laux 02:24:19 CO USA USA
29 42 Kassahun Kabiso 02:24:43 NY USA ETH
30 214 Andrew Cloke 02:24:48 DE USA USA

31 14 Brian Sell 02:24:59 MI USA USA
32 52 Dan Mcgrath 02:25:05 NY USA USA
33 226 Felipe Garcia 02:25:24 NY USA MEX
34 79 Hermann Achmuller 02:26:14 Italy ITA
35 203 Antonio Santi 02:26:23 Italy ITA
36 229 Stuart Burton 02:26:24 OR USA GBR
37 220 Tito Fiorenzo Tiberti 02:26:34 Italy ITA
38 43 Halefom Abebe Tsegaye 02:26:35 NY USA ETH
39 58 Francisco Ribera 02:26:48 Spain ESP
40 204 Victor Rodrigues 02:26:56 France FRA

41 59 Oleksander Holovnytskyy 02:27:39 NY USA UKR
42 46 Deresse Deniboba 02:27:48 NY USA ETH
43 221 Mirko Canaglia 02:27:52 Italy ITA
44 207 Miguel Beltran Mendez 02:27:59 Spain ESP
45 48 Benjamin Paredes 02:28:01 Mexico MEX
46 245 Larry Contrella 02:28:11 NY USA USA
47 8962 Francesco Duca 02:28:15 NY USA ITA
48 41 Sergey Kaledin 02:28:17 Russia RUS
49 1080 Stephen Littler 02:28:42 Great Britain GBR
50 222 Michael Cassidy 02:28:57 NY USA USA

READ ON...

Meb Keflezighi leads American men's resurgence in New York City Marathon

UCLA alumnus Meb Keflezighi, who won the silver medal at the Athens Olympic marathon but didn't make the U.S. team for the Beijing Games, set a personal-best time in winning the New York City marathon today.

Keflezighi, a native of Eritrea who grew up in San Diego and became a U.S. citizen in 1998, became the first American man to win the race through New York's five boroughs since Alberto Salazar triumphed in 1982. In a field with a record 43,741 starters and a strong elite group, Keflezighi set a personal best of 2 hours 9 minutes 15 seconds after he broke away from Kenya's Robert Cheruiyot with just over two miles to go.

Ryan Hall of Big Bear, Keflezighi's occasional training partner in Mammoth Lakes, was fourth in 2:10:36. Six American men finished in the top 10, the first time that has happened since 1979.

"It was such a popular victory because he had some struggles the past few years," Keflezighi's coach, Bob Larsen, said by phone from New York.

"He's been persistent and got rid of all the injuries. He's such a competitive guy. He's still got it."

Keflezighi was especially emotional as he approached the finish line, remembering his disappointing eighth-place finish in the U.S. trials for the Beijing Games that were held in New York in 2007. He later learned he had a fracture in his hip.

"He was literally crawling on the floor, room to room, after the Olympic trials marathon," Larsen said.

The 2007 race also was clouded by the death of elite U.S. marathoner Ryan Shay, who died of a heart ailment during the race. Today, Keflezighi crossed himself when he reached the point in the course where Shay had fallen.

Keflezighi found the physical and mental strength to separate himself from Cheruiyot -- a four-time Boston Marathon winner -- and approached the finish line alone. "Robert had to let him go," Larsen said. "At the end, he pointed to the 'USA' on his jersey a couple of times. It was a big moment.

"He's 34. A lot of guys wouldn't have persevered. This is a big step for him and another big step up for everybody in American distance running. This is the best field they've ever had in New York."

New York City Marathon: Post Race Videos

Click HERE to all official videos from the Post Press Conference.

Keflezighi's New York Experience: The Best and Worst of Times

Meb Keflezighi already knew that life could change for the better. In 1987, his parents moved their 11 children out of Eritrea when a war with Ethiopia would have forced the boys into the military. At first they moved to Italy but relocated to San Diego. In 1998 Keflezighi became a United States citizen.

The move that Keflezighi made today in the 24th mile of the ING New York City Marathon proved smart too. He made his charge for victory, pulling clear of his last challenger, Kenya’s Robert Cheruiyot, and went on to become the first U.S. winner of the men’s race since Alberto Salazar in 1982.

Once again life changed for the better.


The last time Keflezighi ran a marathon in New York, it was the worst day of his running career. At the trials for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, held in Central Park in 2007, he fell ill a few days before the race, was hit by calf cramps caused by dehydration, and broke his right hip. He finished 8th, and the 2004 Athens Olympic silver medalist was out of the team for Beijing.

Worse followed.

Keflezighi collapsed after hearing that Ryan Shay, his friend and training partner, had died during the race because of heart-related problems. Today the runners passed the spot in Central Park where Shay passed away. ““I did this when I was there -- the cross -- that’s what it was for,” Keflezighi said.

For a few days after the 2007 race, Keflezighi had to walk on all fours in his hotel room. His legs were swollen so badly that he could not fly to Shay’s funeral. He was diagnosed later as having a stress fracture of the hip.

“Life is about ups and downs,” Keflezighi said. “I hope to be an example when the going gets tough -- that there is light at the end of the tunnel if you keep your hopes high.”

Following three-time winner Salazar as the first U.S. champion of New York for 27 years is ironic given that Keflezighi had written to him 11 years ago suggesting changes needed to improve American distance running. “To visualize that, and to be the first American to win since him, is a big honor,” Keflezighi said.

“I said: ‘You know what my accomplishments were in high school and at UCLA. Give me an opportunity to lead the USA -- he was working for Nike -- give me the chance to run as a professional instead of going to get a part-time job’.”

Ryan Hall, the second-placed American today, in 4th place, is a close neighbor of Keflezighi in Mammoth, Calif. They don’t train together, they don’t share a coach, but they are good friends.

“If there was one other guy in the race I wanted to win, it would definitely have been Meb,” Hall said. “I’ve learned so much from him. I feel like he’s an older brother to me, so it was neat for him to win.

“Just seeing him go through those hard times, and a lot of people were starting to write him off, saying he’s older, he’s had to many injuries – to see him come back and win here was huge for him.”

Keflezighi posts an historic NYC Marathon win for a fallen friend

If you're 34-year-old Meb Keflezighi, what tribute could you possibly come up with that would be a fitting honor for your friend and training partner Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died in November 2007 during the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in New York City?

In a news conference before the 2009 New York City Marathon, you could ask for a moment of silence in his honor. Check.

Or, just as you turn into Central Park between miles 23 and 24, you could break away from Robert Cheruiyot, the four-time Boston Marathon champion from Kenya, en route to becoming the first American to win in New York since Ronald Reagan was settling into his first term 27 years ago. Check.

And then, less than a mile later at the bottom of Cat Hill, now that you are solidly in the lead with the television cameras -- and the eyes of the world -- on only you, you can make the symbol of the cross on your chest as you fly by the spot where Shay, a Notre Dame grad, fell. Even though Shay's father, Joe Shay, isn't watching the race -- there are too many faces he painfully recognizes -- he might say afterward that you are "one of the class acts in all of sports" and that your gesture is "just so significant." Check.

And just to make it all more meaningful, perhaps it can come after a year-and-a-half of rehab following that terrible November day two years ago, when Shay died and when your body fall apart. When you got sick days before the race, cramped up because of dehydration during it, and ended up crawling around your hotel room on all fours because of the pain in your legs. When, for days "you practically couldn't get up and walk to the bathroom," according to your wife, Yordanos. And when, months later, a doctor would find the stress fracture in your hip that had you thinking about hanging up your racing flats for good.

You could go through all that and then return to New York in 2009 to run a personal best and win a marathon for the first time, well after people were beginning to "write you off" because of age and injuries, as Ryan Hall, the most-hyped U.S. marathoner who finished three places behind you on Sunday, put it. Check.

That would be even more perfect because, instead of retiring, you would have struggled back to health and all the way back to the starting line in New York, where you could force yourself to forget that nearly all the two million spectators lining the New York City course expect an athlete running for Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil or Morocco to pass first. Check.

That last part shouldn't be too terribly difficult, given that you already banished the naysayers when you took silver at the Olympic marathon in Athens, the first medal for a U.S. man since Frank Shorter took silver in 1976. And even before that, you joined a generation of American distance runners, like Shay, who knew that Americans could run with Africans, and who were resolved never to let there be another time like 2000, when the U.S. qualified only one runner for the Olympic marathon.

And maybe you can make sure, on race day, to be the only runner out there wearing a USA singlet, so that it will be that much more unique when you enter the last quarter-mile slapping the letters on your chest and remembering how Shay took personal offense when people said you weren't a "real American" even though you've been here since you were 12. And so that it will be that much more special when, in post-race interviews, you recite the exact day you came to America -- October 21, 1987 -- from Italy after your family left Eritrea as refugees; and when you mention how much you loved going to school at UCLA, and how grateful you are for the opportunities, in school and in sport, that America gave you, and how proud you were to become a citizen in 1998. Check.

And then, when you cross the line in first, you can let the tears of sorrow and the tears of joy mix as they flow down your cheeks. Check.

Ryan Hall: “I’ll get over this.”

As Ryan Hall slunk into his director’s chair on the dais, the look of disappointment on his face told the whole story.

Hall came into the ING New York City Marathon, which doubled as the U.S. men’s marathon championship, with high expectations. Some even thought he had a chance to win here.

Instead, he will leave with another near-miss, a fourth-place overall finish in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 36 seconds, second-best among Americans to Meb Keflezighi, who won the race in 2:09:15.

“It was a disappointing day for me to be honest,” Hall said. “I felt like I was in better shape than that, but the day was what it was.”

What it was is the latest painful setback for Hall following his triumphant turn at the Olympic Trials Men’s Marathon here in 2007. Since then, the Californian has finished 10th at the Beijing Olympics in 2:12:33, and third in the Boston Marathon in 2:09:40.

Neither of those performances could be considered dismal.

Quite the opposite in fact.

Not many runners could hope for a Top 10 finish in their first Olympics or a podium spot in their first trip to Boston.

In that sense, Hall is perhaps his own worst enemy.

His brash running style and dominant victory in the Trials led many to anoint him, rightly or wrongly, as the savior of American distance running. With that have come expectations of victory that are unrealistic, or, at the very least, premature.

But Hall, and all of us, are realizing that winning the Trials and winning a major marathon are two different things.

“Honestly, I don't know,” Hall said when asked about the expectations for him before this race. “You know, I handled it the best I could. Felt really confident and comfortable going into the race. You know, it was nothing new. Every time I've been to the starting line of a major marathon, people are expecting big things. I think I just expect a lot from myself.

“So maybe this is going to be a good thing not to lower my expectations, but just to, I guess just to go into it more humble and expecting it to be hard, because it is hard. And, yeah, it's just not easy to pick up a win in a major marathon. Everything's got to click right on the day.”

At no point during the race did Hall look ill-prepared or to be struggling. He employed a strategy that seemed to indicate that he had learned from his mistake in Boston, where he lead for most of the windy early stages before fading slightly late. This time, he ran patiently in the pack and let other shield him on a deceptively windy day.

“Yeah, you get in the wind and you're out there leading,” Hall said, referring to Boston. “Then you hear the people back in this media room being like what's he doing leading this race in the wind, you know. And everyone back home is giving me a hard time for leading in Boston into the wind. So you start to second guess yourself. And honestly, it doesn't feel comfortable when you're leading into the wind.”

Hall was right with the other elite runners coming off the Queensboro Bridge. The pack found itself chasing Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa, who made his signature surge when seeing the crowds on First Avenue. But Hall and Keflezighi helped reel Ramaala back in, and the American contingent hung tough during the uphill section of First Avenue.

The pack began to really separate after consecutive miles of 4:43 and 4:37. Hall, as well as Americans Abdi Abdirahman and Jorge Torres fall off, leaving a group of five men – James Kwambai, Robert K. Cheruiyot and Jackson Kipkoech of Kenya, Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco, and Keflezighi – at the front. By the 19-mile point, Hall had fallen 21 seconds off the pace.

“I was kind of going in and out of feeling good and not feeling good,” Hall said. “I think I made some tactical mistakes just sitting too far back. I don't tend to run well at the back of packs. I was trying to stay relaxed and trying to conserve as much energy as possible. I think I need to be up in the mix more.”

Although he managed to salvage his day by moving up to fourth place, it didn’t seem to ease Hall’s disappointment much, which is understandable. Competitors aren’t after moral victories.

“It's really disappointing when you don't feel like you did as well as you were expecting to do,” he said. “I don't know. I was looking at my splits out there, and I was like, man, I was doing 18‑mile tempo runs at five‑minute pace, and the same split I hit today at 7,000 feet in practice in the middle of 130‑mile weeks. So when you start to see that it's easy to get down on yourself.

“I invested a lot in this. I brought up a massage therapist and got two hours of massage every single day. You're running for these kids out there, trying to raise money for their schools. I wanted to bring home a big paycheck for them, you know. I had a lot to run for with our foundation that we're starting.

“I was thinking about my family and my wife who has invested so much in me. I mean, there are so many people, my coach, my teammates, everyone back home watching. You want to do well not only for yourself but for them. And when you don't, it's a big let down because you invest a lot, so it hurts a lot when you don't hit it.”

So instead of the celebration at In-and-Out Burger he was looking forward to back home, Hall again finds himself picking up the pieces and moving on to the next opportunity to fulfill those great expectations.

“It takes a couple of days, and then you realize that there's going to be more opportunities and you learn from it,” he said. “I think you learn a lot more from your disappointments than you do from the times that you win. And it's good to have a good humbling experience every once in a while. I always run my best races after a humbling experience. In a couple of days I'll turn my head toward the spring and start looking forward to that.

“I’ll get over this.”

Keflezighi's win bodes well for U.S. distance future

An encouraging year for U.S. middle distance and distance runners continued Sunday with six American men in the top-10 at the New York City Marathon, led by Meb Keflezighi's victory.
The win was the first by a U.S. man in New York since Alberto Salazar won three in a row from 1980-82. The last time there were six in the top 10 was 1979 when Bill Rodgers and Kirk Pfeffer went 1-2.

Ryan Hall was fourth (2:10:36), Jorge Torres seventh (2:13:00) in his 26.2-mile debut, Nick Arciniaga eighth (2:13:46), Abdi Abdirahman ninth (2:14:00) and Jason Lehmkuhle 10th (2:14:39).

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"I think this is just the start of delivering on the day," said NYC Marathon director Mary Wittenberg of the U.S. men. "They've been knocking on the door. This has been a long time coming."

Since the glory days of Bill Rodgers, who won Boston and New York four times each during the '70s and '80s, and Frank Shorter, who won Olympic gold and silver in 1972 and '76, the U.S. has struggled. The nadir may have been 2000, when the USA had just one entrant apiece instead of the maximum three in the men's and women's Olympic marathons.

The distance community, with Wittenberg and the New York Road Runners Club taking a lead role, got busy raising money and trying to support runners. In 2004 Keflezighi took silver and Deena Kastor bronze in the Olympics. "The only country with two medals," Keflezighi said.

This year the U.S. also had success at shorter distances. Both Dathan Ritzenhein and Matt Tegenkamp broke 13 minutes for 5,000 meters. Ritzenhein was sixth at the world championships in the 10,000 and third at the World Half-Marathon Championships. Collegians such as Galen Rupp of Oregon and German Fernandez of Oklahoma State had impressive performances from the mile through the 10,000.

The women were also successful with Shannon Rowbury earning a bronze medal in the 1,500 at the world championships. Anna Willard and Jenny Barringer broke 4 minutes in the 1,500.

"There are tons of Americans pushing the envelope," said Hall, 27. "Now it's a lot of young guys coming to the marathon with fresh legs so I think we're going to continue seeing improvement."

Torres trains under 1988 NYC Marathon winner Steve Jones in Boulder, Colo., in a group that has been a recipient of funding generated by the NYRRC.

"I think there is a new era of distance runners coming behind us who may or may not look up to us, but they're definitely going to try to challenge us," Torres said. "So I think it's going to be pretty exciting the next couple of years. I think American distance running is where it should be and it's going to get even better."

Hall unhappy: Hall, who won the Olympic trials in 2007 and was third in Boston in April, called his fourth place "disappointing." He entered the race with a personal best of 2:06:17, set on a fast course in London far different than the hillier NYC course.

"I felt like I was in better shape than that," said Hall. "I kind of went in and out of feeling good and not feeling good. And I think I made some tactical mistakes just sitting too far back."

Hall, part of a large lead pack early, hung with the leaders until 18 miles. He was exasperated after finding out he averaged five minutes per mile, which he had already been doing over 18-mile courses in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., at 7,000 feet in the midst of 130-mile weeks.

"It's good to have a humbling experience every once in a while," he said. "I always run my best races after a humbling experience. … I'll get over this. In a couple days, I'll turn my head toward the spring and start looking forward to that."

Tulu top woman: At 37 Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia is still adding to one of the most impressive resumes in women's distance running history. Tulu won the women's race in 2:28:52, marking her return to the big time after having two children.

"To have come back after all of that and to accomplish this tells me what it is possible to do at any age," said Tulu, adding she planned to enter London next spring.

She won the Olympic 10,000 in 1992 and 2000, the 2000 world cross country title and the London Marathon in 2001, giving her major titles on the track, road and cross country.

"I didn't really expect to win here, but I did know that I could be a good competitor and planned to fight until the very end," Tulu said.

She needed to fight to the end. She pulled away in the final mile from Russia's Ludmila Petrova, 41, the 2000 champion who finished second (2:29:00) for the second consecutive year.

The pre-race favorite was Britain's Paula Radcliffe, who had won 8 of her 10 marathons, was 3-for-3 in New York and is the world record holder. But Radcliffe, who has battled injuries and illness in recent years since her 2:15:25 in 2003, had a hamstring problem that led to tendinitis behind her left knee. She was told the tendon wouldn't tear but it could inhibit her running.

Past 11 miles she began struggling with the problem. By 23 miles Radcliffe fell off the four-woman lead pack.

"I knew it was a risk because if the injury came back, then, obviously, I was going to run like I did," Radcliffe said about starting the race. "It was probably a risk that I wouldn't have taken had I had a good year's racing.

NYC Videos

For more videos click HERE. Thanks again to letsrun.com!

Watching The 2009 ING New York City Marathon In North Brooklyn: One Fan's Perspective

North Brooklyn, NY - Eddie Galeski lunged forward, propping his weight onto his left leg. He clapped his hands together and bounced impatiently.

“I'm waiting for Paula Ratcliffe to come through,” he said. “Paula's f------ awesome.”

Galeski, 51, was waiting outside his apartment on the corner of Leonard Street and Greenpoint Avenue. The spot is in the neighborhood of Greenpoint, which is New York’s largest Polish enclave, along Brooklyn’s northern tip.

Three hundred meters away, the New York City Marathon climbs the Polaski Bridge and drops into the borough of Queens. Along the way, marathoners pass the halfway mark.

At 10:15 on Sunday morning, the women leaders were approaching Greenpoint. Galeski stood ready in a backwards Yankees hat, sweatpants, blue t-shirt and basketball shoes. The air was cool and damp, about 50 degrees, and Galeski bounced to keep warm. Everyone else was in a jacket or sweater. A helicopter swirled overhead.

“She’s comin’, she’s coming’,” Galeski said, bending forward and slapping his hands. He held his arms out over the road. “Come on Paula!”

READ ON...

The Post-Race Elite Vibe

I came to New York City to watch my first major marathon not knowing what to expect. Around 9am Sunday morning, I joined members of the media from all over the world on the 36th floor of the Oriental Mandarin Hotel on Columbus Circle, just off the corner of Central Park. Well over 100 members of the media filled the room sitting in neat, compact rows watching the men's and women's marathons simultaneously on big-screen projections. Five screens in all, the outermost screens were set up to show every important kilometer or mile split for each of the top runners in the race. The center screen often was split-screen with men and women and each sex had their own large screen.

As the women started to run first, I scanned the room. Behind me was a reporter from "Sports Radio 66. The FAN! WFAN, New York!" giving periodic audio updates to their 20/20 hotline. To my right was a print reporter for the Queens newspaper, an older man who knew running fairly well. All around me people were tweeting, facebooking, socializing, and the guy directly in front of me was reading LetsRun.com. I came to realize throughout the day that very few of the media there to cover the race knew very much about the elite runners, or elite running in general. For example, no more than 5% of the room could have told you who James Kwambai was and why he was an important entrant in the race.

The Race - A Tough Major Marathon
No rabbits, windy conditions, bridge crossings, Central Park hills and tough, veteran competitors combined to make today's NYC Marathon extremely grueling and interesting. Almost every competitor I spoke with after the race spoke about how tough the wind was, how tough the last few miles were, and simply how drained they felt. One elite described the wind as "in your face for 18 or 19 miles." On a course that usually yields many negative splits, surprisingly few from either race could churn out faster miles in the second half. The men went through the half in 65:11 and only two men broke 2:10. Many elites ended up with second-half splits 8, 10, 11 minutes slower than the first half (you can see all of my various post-race interviews/videos on the letsrun.com youtube page).

The volunteers, spectators and many members of the media were understandably excited and joyous around the finishing area, but most of the athletes were so obviously beaten. Paula Radcliffe was crying and helped through the mixed zone by race staff. Former champion Hendrick Ramaala, Abdi Abdirahman, Brian Sell, Christelle Daunay, Ryan Hall, Yuri Kano and many, many others were simply beaten down by the toughness of today's race. And they were the finishers. A few of the big favorites didn't finish (former champion Marilson Gomes dos Santos, as well as the #1 and #3 fastest men in the field in James Kwambai and Patrick Makau), or even start (Martin Lel). Negative splits and smooth races produce happy, joyous runners. The runners today were not just exhausted (as is expected) but clearly sullen and humbled.

READ ON...

Meb Keflezighi Ends 27-Year Drought With First American Men's Win Since 1982

With USA emblazoned in large red letters across his white running singlet, Meb Keflezighi on Sunday became the first American man to win the ING New York City Marathon since Alberto Salazar in 1982.

Keflezighi, who finished second in 2004 and third in 2005 in New York, recorded a time of 2:09.15 to defeat a world-class field. Four-time Boston winner Robert Cheruiyot, from, Kenya, was second in 2:09.56, Morocco’s Jaouad Gharib third with a time of 2:10.25, and a second American, Ryan Hall, finished fourth in 2:10.36.


The six Americans in the top 10 tied the best collective home performance since the marathon moved into the five borough format in 1976. Rounding out the top 10, Jorge Torres was seventh(2:13.00), Nick Arciniaga eighth (2:13.46), Abdi Abdirahman ninth (2:14.00) and Jason Lehmkuhle tenth (2:14.39).

The 34-year-old Keflezighi kept a cool head during the first half of the race when South Africa’s Hendrick Ramaala, the 2004 champion, and Morocco’s Abderrahime Bouramdane made breakaway moves. Both were reeled in and, by the 15th mile, a lead pack of 11 included Ramaala, Bouramdane and four Americans – Keflezighi, Hall, Torres and Abdirahman.

Also still in contention was former double world champion and 2008 Olympic silver medallist Gharib and Cheruiyot, a late replacement for former world record holder Paul Tergat. But Marilson Gomes dos Santos, the Brazilian who was seeking to become the first three-time winner since Salazar in 1982, had become detached.

In the 17th mile, Ramaala kicked again, taking with him Bouramdane and two Kenyans, James Kwambai and Jackson Kipkoech. But the break did not survive for long as the chasing pack closed up and still the four Americans were hanging in there.

Now Hall and Torres were struggling and, at 20 miles, only six men remained in contention: Kwambai, Cheruiyot, Bouramdane, Keflezighi, Gharib and Kipkoech. In the 22nd mile, Bouramdane, Kwambai, Gharib and Kipkoech dropped back, leaving a duel between the Kenyan and the American.

Still running smartly, Keflezighi let Cheruiyot take the pace, slipping in behind him, waiting to pounce. Finally, in the 24th mile, Keflezighi made his move and it proved decisive as he pulled clear to win by 41 seconds.

Wearing all the way to the finish the hat and arm-warmers he had started out with, Keflezighi pointed proudly to the USA letters on his vest and held his thumbs up. As he crossed the line there was a spontaneous burst of applause in the media room.

Tula and Meb steal the show

The much-anticipated 40th running of the New York City Marathon took place on a crisp autumn day yesterday, as more than 42,000 athletes from around the world covered 26.2 miles through the five boroughs that comprise New York City.

The field of elite runners for both the men and women included top elites from around the world. Champions Derartu Tulu and Meb Keflezighi faced strong competition for their first place finishes. For the first half of the race, a pack of several men led the race, while the women's field was contained to about five top runners. Once the athletes crossed into Manhattan shortly passed the halfway point, some runners began to fall back as the strongest pushed the pace. The race was an exciting one as the elites struggled against each other for the lead.

As the last leg of the race entered Central Park, favorites Ryan Hall and Paula Radcliffe were nowhere near the front of the group, which had separated more than in the early miles. Defending champion from Brasil, Marílson Gomes dos Santos, had dropped out at Mile 23. 37-year old Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia and 34-year old Meb Keflezighi of the United States crossed the finish line as champions, in what was the first New York City Marathon win for both. Tulu finished in 2:28:52, pulling away from second-place Ludmila Petrova of Russia in the last half-mile, where as Keflezighi held the lead from Mile 24 until the end and finished in an impressive 2:09:15. Keflezighi's victory marked the first US men's win since 1982.

Paula Radcliffe on her New York marathon disappointment

Paula Radcliffe could only finish fourth in the New York marathon and revealed she had a hamstring problem

And the winner is...MEB!

We at mzungo.org didn't expect it. We were prepared to see a strong Meb but the win was far away for us.

Congrats to a brilliant execution from all at mzungo.org.

A deserved win in style!