Changing of guard in N.Y.C. marathon

Home > Sports > Baseball

print dictionary print

Changing of guard in N.Y.C. marathon

NEW YORK - The 16th mile of the New York City Marathon was the last step of Haile Gebrselassie’s storied career.

The world-record holder announced his retirement after dropping out of the race on a day that signaled the rise of a new Ethiopian star.

Countryman Gebre Gebremariam won the men’s title in his marathon debut.

Kenya’s Edna Kiplagat was another surprise winner, while Shalane Flanagan, making a marathon debut of her own, became the first American woman in two decades to finish second.

Trying to complete the 26.2 miles was rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena, who jogged the tunnels while trapped underground.

Gebrselassie pulled out of the race with a right knee injury on the Queensboro Bridge. Gebremariam was near him in the large lead pack and encouraged him to keep going.

“I can’t, Gebre. You have to move,” Gebrselassie urged the younger runner. “You have to reach them.”

The 26-year-old Gebremariam became the first man to win New York in his marathon debut since Rod Dixon in 1983.

The 2009 cross-country world champion pulled away from Kenya’s Emmanuel Mutai in the 24th mile to win in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 14 seconds.

“Even I told my wife, ‘I can finish this race, but I can’t win,”’ Gebremariam said.

His wife, Werknesh Kidane, is an elite distance runner herself, who also planned to make her marathon debut in New York.

But she had to pull out because of injury and watched the race back in Ethiopia with their two young sons.

“So maybe next year she’ll come and she’ll win too,” Gebremariam said with a smile.

Another Kenyan, Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, was third. Defending champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States finished sixth.

The 31-year-old Kiplagat won her first major marathon title in 2:28:20.

“When we were in the 24th mile, I tried to put more effort,” she said. “I found myself pulling away from the field, so I was excited when I reached 25 miles because that’s when I found I was ahead of the other ladies.

“When I crossed the finish line, I was so happy.”

Flanagan, the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 meters, was 20 seconds back. Kim Jones in 1990 was the last American woman to finish in the top two.

Kenya’s Mary Keitany, also making her marathon debut, was third.

More than 45,000 runners started the 41st edition of the race through the city’s five boroughs.

AP
Log in to Twitter or Facebook account to connect
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
help-image Social comment?
s
lock icon

To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.

Standards Board Policy (0/250자)