Geoffrey Mutai - New York 2011
NEW YORK – (November 6, 2011) – Flashing a large smile and raising his hands towards the sky, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya broke the tape at the 42nd ING New York City Marathon. Mutai’s winning time was 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds and over two minutes faster than Tesfaye Jifar’s ten-year-old course record and a pending U.S. All-Comers record. The fastest human ever to cover the 26.2-mile distance when he ran 2:03:02 to win this year’s Boston Marathon, Mutai expressed his pleasure with his performance afterwards, but admitted that the race was hard-fought.
“The race was not easy. Although I won, it was not easy,” he said. “The course was tough.”
Mutai’s victory virtually assures him a spot on the Kenyan team at next year’s Olympics in London. He will most likely join world record holder Patrick Makau and two-time world champion Abel Kirui on the team.
Second place went to this year’s Virgin London Marathon champion Emmanuel Mutai (no relation to Geoffrey) who finished in 2:06:28. Emmanuel’s runner-up showing gave him the points needed to win the 2010-11 World Marathon Majors Series title and $500,000. Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede was third in 2:07:14.
The men’s race was relatively uneventful until the 32K mark when the 30-year-old Geoffrey Mutai put down a surge that thinned the lead pack from seven runners down to four. In the mix at that point along with Geoffrey Mutai were Emmanuel Mutai, Kebede and defending ING New York City Marathon champion Gebre Gebremariam. But several minutes later, Geoffrey Mutai surged once again – a move that ended up proving to be the decisive moment of the race. For his victory, Mutai earned $200,000 and his winning time was also the fastest marathon run in November.
The women’s race ended up unfolding in a completely different fashion.
From the start, Kenya’s Mary Keitany, the current world record holder in the half-marathon, set a blistering pace. No other runners were able to stay with her. She passed through the half-marathon mark in a blazing 1:07:56, which was on track to break Paula Radcliffe’s world record. At that point, the chase pack was comprised of five runners and included the race’s eventual winner, Firehiwot Dado, and runner-up Buzunesh Deba – both from Ethiopia. However, Keitany was unable to maintain pace and began to slow as she reached Central Park’s undulating terrain. Both Dado and Deba caught Keitany at the 40K mark. With the finish line in sight, the 27-year-old Dado put on the final surge to win the race and $170,000. She crossed the line in 2:23:15. Deba was second in 2:23:19, while Keitany took third in 2:23:38.
“I am very happy,” said Dado, who has only one other marathon victory in her career. “I didn’t expect the result…but I am happy.” Dado admitted she had given up on Keitany. “Because she’d been running so fast from the very beginning, I didn’t imagine that we’d catch her.”
The top U.S. female was 23-year-old Molly Pritz who came in 12th overall (2:31:52), while 2009 ING New York City Marathon champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi was the first American on the men’s side. The 36-year-old Keflezighi took sixth in 2:09:13, a personal record by two seconds.
More than 47,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race on Sunday that winds through all of New York City’s famed five boroughs. With temperatures of 45 degrees Fahrenheit at the start and calm winds, conditions were near perfect.
42nd ING New York City Marathon
New York, NY, Sunday, November 6, 2011
MEN
1) Geoffrey Mutai (KEN), 2:05:06*, $200,000
2) Emmanuel Mutai (KEN), 2:06:28, $135,000
3) Tsegaye Kebede (ETH), 2:07:14, $110,000
4) Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), 2:08:00, $65,000
5) Jaouad Gharib (MAR), 2:08:27, $55,000
6) Meb Keflezighi (USA / CA), 2:09:13, $40,000
7) Abdellah Falil (MAR), 2:10:35, $17,000
8) Mathew Kisorio (KEN), 2:10:58, $15,000
9) Ezkyas Sisay (ETH), 2:11:04, $7000
10) Ed Moran (USA / VA), 2:11:46, $1000
11) Viktor Rothlin (SUI), 2:12:26
12) Abdelkabir Saji (MAR), 2:13:47
13) Juan Luis Barrios (MEX), 2:14:10
14) Teklu Tefera Deneke (ETH), 2:16:20
15) Bobby Curtis (USA / PA), 2:16:44
*course record (previous record, 2:07:43, Tesfaye Jifa (ETH), 2001)
WOMEN
1) Firehiwot Dado (ETH), 2:23:15, $170,000
2) Buzunesh Deba (ETH), 2:23:19, $105,000
3) Mary Keitany (KEN), 2:23:38, $75,000
4) Ana Dulce Felix (POR), 2:25:40, $50,000
5) Kim Smith (NZL), 2:25:46, $40,000
6) Caroline Kilel (KEN), 2:25:57, $35,000
7) Caroline Rotich (KEN), 2:27:06, $17,000
8) Isabellah Andersson (SWE), 2:28:29, $10,000
9) Jo Pavey (GBR), 2:28:42, $7000
10) Galina Bogomolova (RUS), 2:29:03, $1000
Top U.S.
12) Molly Pritz (MI), 2:31:52
16) Lauren Fleshman (OR), 2:37:22
18) Camille Herron (OK), 2:40:06
19) Jennifer Houck (MN), 2:41:00
21) Devon Crosby-Helms (CA), 2:42:44
22) Sarah Porter (NC), 2:44:25
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