Lel outlasts rival for second NYC win

AP - ALL LEL! Kenya’s Martin Lel, foreground, outruns Abderrahim Goumri of Morrocco down the stretch to win the New York City Marathon.

5 Nov 2007 - New York Post

By BRIAN LEWIS MEN’S MARATHON

Six months after Kenyan Martin Lel had out-kicked Abderrahim Goumri down the stretch to win the London Marathon, the duo raced stride-forstride for the final three miles of yesterday’s New York City Marathon. Same runners, same result.

Lel out-kicked the young Moroccan, finishing in 2:09.04 to Goumri’s 2:09.16.

“I think I can say (I am the best),” Lel said. “My coach told me you are now the best. In London it was terrible tactically but I managed to win. I won a tactical race here, and my manager said you can say right now you are the best.”

It was no surprise to see the first New York City Marathon without pacesetters turn tactical, with a 14-man pack eyeing each other warily until notorious front-runner Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa (third in 2:11:25) pushed the pace, as he always does.

After his historic 4:21 on First Ave. in 2005, he turned in a 4:26 yesterday, but it didn’t help. He couldn’t break the pack until he, Lel and Goumri broke away on Mile 23. But he fell apart the next mile, falling half-a-minute back.

“That’s how I run,” said Ramaala. “I don’t know how to make a pace.”

It was a two-man duel down Five Ave., across Central Park South and even deep into the park itself, until Lel finally pulled away in the final third of a mile.

“(Goumri) gave me a headache, especially approaching 25 miles. I tried to use tactics when I was in front. I tried to slow down to make sure this guy (took the lead and expended energy), but he became a problem,” Lel said. “So I tried even harder. There are many ways of killing a rat.”

Lel had won here in 2003, in London in 2005 and again this April, when he out-kicked Goumri over the last 100 by three seconds. But that had been the marathon debut for the Moroccan, who said fasting during Muslim holy month of Ramadan hurt his training.

Lel, who negative-split the race but ran two seconds slower than Olympic trials champ Ryan Hall had Saturday, earned $160,000 with the win. Robert Cheruiyot, who didn’t run yesterday, already had clinched the Marathon Major Series title.

An autopsy of Ryan Shay was inconclusive after the 28-year-old collapsed during the trials and was pronounced dead at Lenox Hill.

Lance Armstrong ran 2:46:43 after a 2:59.36 debut last year. “I did better than last year,” Armstrong said. “I started faster and realized I was either going to finish OK or be crawling home. I decided to go for it.” . . . Rangers goalie Mike Richter broke his fourhour target with a 3:54.38. “It was fast in the beginning, (so-so) in the middle and it hit me hard in the end,” Richter said. “I was at eight-minute pace and people were going by me like a bicycle on the highway.” . . . Tom Cruise’s wife entered as Katie Smith but finished as Katie Holmes in 5:29.58. . . . U.S. women ran sixth, seventh, ninth and 10th, led by Elva Dryer’s 2:35.15.

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CLASSIC FINISH

Radcliffe nips Wami

5 Nov 2007 - New York Post

By BRIAN LEWIS

Paula Radcliffe hadn’t run a marathon in nearly two years, hadn’t braved 26.2 miles since giving birth in January. But yesterday one of the greatest marathoner in history out-kicked rival Gete Wami over the final third of a mile, draping a Union Jack over her shoulder and clutching daughter Isla in her arm, celebrating another New York City Marathon crown.EPAFAMILIAR FACES: Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe holds off rival Gete Wami of Ethiopia to win the New York City Marathon.

Radcliffe and Wami have been racing each other for 15 years, trading final kicks and titles since they were teens. Yesterday they ran almost the entire race alone with Radcliffe leading and her small Ethiopian rival in her shadow and off her hip, before finally breaking her in Central Park for a 2:23.09 victory she earned the hard way.

“I love this. really enjoyed being back racing and winning marathons. It felt like old times, me and Gete,” said Radcliffe, who’s done nothing but win marathons. She’s entered eight and won every one but the Athens Olympics, when health issues forced her to drop out. She came back to win New York 11 weeks later, and made another victorious return here yesterday.

But Wami was no easy foe. Wami out-kicked Radcliffe to win the 1999 world championship 10,000-meters, the 2001 world cross country championship short race and the Olympic 10,000 in Sydney. Wami finally made her move just past Columbus Circle, with 800 meters to go.

But the five-foot, 99-pound Wami was running 35 days after winning the Berlin Marathon, when conventional wisdom suggests five months of recovery time, not five weeks. When she made her bid, Radcliffe answered it, her distinctive head bob going full strength as she pulled away over the final 500 meters.

“I’ve been there so many times with Gete on my shoulder coming into the final 400 meters. I was thinking this is my turn. This is the marathon,” Radcliffe said. “I know she can finish fast. That’s nerve-wracking, but it’s different sprinting at the end of a marathon to just going down to the track and running 400 meters. Experience helped me there.”

Clearly. This was their first marathon meeting, and the 33-year-old British runner has run a world-record 2:15.25 and won every one she’s finished.

“I’m proud of that,” said Radcliffe, after her first marathon since the 2005 World Championship. “I’ve found my event in the marathon. That helps me dictate the end of a race. I do have pride and I’m not going to let someone beat me.”

Radcliffe earned $170,000 and Wami finished in 2:23.32 to earn $100,000 plus another $500,000 as winner of the inaugural World Marathon Majors Series.

“(Berlin) did make a difference. When Paula made her move, I found it difficult to catch up. At that point, I was feeling some stomachache. I was nauseous. I tried to pass her, but she was just too strong,” said Wami, who held Isla after the race. “I love kids. I have one of my own. When I saw Paula’s child, I felt attached. I felt love for her. I just wanted to hug and kiss her. I felt happy that it was Paula’s child. It was just instinct.”

Two-time defending champion Jelena Prokopcuka fell behind by two minutes by the 10-mile mark and 3:33 at Mile 20, finishing third in 2:26:13.

brian.lewis@nypost.com

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New York ritrova mamma Paula

Baldini si rilancia verso Pechino

Trionfo bis per la Radcliffe, l’azzurro è quarto a Central Park

LA BATTUTA DI STEFANO «Avevo mille euro in tasca e mi dovevano bastare per 42 km»

5 Nov 2007 - Corriere della Sera

Gaia Piccardi

Questo, a dieci mesi dai Giochi 2008, passa il convento del grande fondo, Martin Lel, lo strepitoso keniano della Franciacorta allenato sulle colline lombarde dal dottor Rosa che dopo Londra si mette in tasca pure New York, una straripante Radcliffe e un intelligentissimo Baldini, Paula e Stefano, il flop e il trionfo di Atene, la bionda che dondola la testa per allontanare il dolore e il biondo che soffre sempre a testa alta, come certi fuoriclasse del calcio smistano il pallone, il talento e la classe, maratone parallele da Manhattan a Pechino, la corsa all’oro comincia da qui, dal minuto di silenzio in memoria di Ryan Shay, dramma ai Trials Usa di sabato, il primo caduto americano dell’atletica.

Paula è in nero, guantini bianchi da Minnie, calzettoni contenitivi, muscoli massaggiati con olio di emu, collana di titanio per favorire la circolazione, l’inimitabile Radcliffe-style, in testa dal chilometro uno di questa fuga per la vittoria in mondovisione, solo l’etiope Wami, regina di Berlino, regge un ritmo furibondo: «È la mia maratona e non me la lascerò portare via, mi sono detta. Non ho mai dubitato di tornare più forte dopo la maternità. Se ho partorito Isla, posso sopportare qualsiasi sofferenza».

Dodici gradi, zero umidità, poco vento, è la giornata perfetta per riprendersi l’atletica e apparecchiarsi il futuro, Paula è già nel Queens mentre Stefano si allea con Ruggero Pertile per sopravvivere nel gruppo di testa con gli africani, il body language di Paula comincia a parlare nel Bronx, Stefano intanto si defila e si riporta sotto (km 17), bocca aperta, gran movimento di braccia, scosse di assestamento in una stagione terremotata («Valà, alla fine quest’anno non ho raccolto proprio niente...»), energia da conservare e investire sul 2008.

Sul ponte da Brooklyn al Queens Baldini fa fatica a rimanere attaccato, little Italy contro nove keniani, sei etiopi, il brasiliano campione in carica e mezzo Marocco, maè sul Queensboro Bridge (km25) che tradizionalmente si fa la selezione e, infatti, è così. Stefano approfitta di un rifornimento per portarsi in testa, dura qualche decina di metri ma è un segnale, non vuole arrendersi, si leva lo sfizio del primo piano sulla Nbs e poi lascia andare via i rivali, all’imbocco della First Baldininon c’è, comincia la sua gara di contenimento («Il gap con Lel e gli altri era troppo ampio, inutile rischiare di non finire») mentre Paula è già nel verde e nel fresco di Central Park, spalla a spalla con la Wami che non molla, settecentoundici giorni senza maratone nelle gambe sono tanti per pretendere di vincere per distacco, l’etiope attacca, Paula risponde d’orgoglio più che di forza, è in apnea, ha la bava alla bocca, lancia un incredibile sprint con due ore e venti di corsa negli adduttori, la vista di Isla all’arrivo le centuplica le forze. Chiude in 2.23’09’’, ridicolo rispetto al suo record del mondo (2.15’25’’, Londra 2003) però sufficiente per tornare in cima al mondo.

Paula bacia il marito-allenatore Gary mentre Stefano immagazzina sensazioni osservando i primi in fondo al rettilineo, vede la folla nel parco che riserverà un’ovazione al pettorale numero 2993, Lance Armstrong («Mi sono migliorato di 13’, ora sono pronto per nuove sfide sportive») e al numero W386, Alex Zanardi («Emozioni fortissime: tornerò per vincere»), quarto tra i diversamente abili in hand bike. Il tempo finale di Baldini (2.11’58’’ a 2’54’’ da Lel) non fa testo. Quel che conta è altrove.

«New York è un buon punto di ripartenza. C’è da lavorare sulla reattività e sui cambi di ritmo, voglio ritrovare la brillantezza di Atene ma sono contento. Ho avuto le risposte che cercavo. A Pechino, non c’è dubbio, ci sarò». Parola di Stefàno.

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Vince Lel in volata

CLASSIFICHE 

Ordine d’arrivo della Maratona di New York.

Uomini:

1. Martin Lel (Ken) 2.09’04’’ 

2. Goumri (Mar) 2.09’16’’ 

3. Ramaala (Saf) 2.11’25’’ 

4. BALDINI 2.11’58’’ 

5. Kwambai (Ken) 2.12’25’’ 

6. PERTILE 2.13’01’’ 

7. Kiogora (Usa) 2.13’41’’ 

8. dos Santos (Bra) 2.13’47’’ 

9. Kuzin (Ucr) 2.14’01’’ 

10. Kipsang (Ken) 2.15’32’’ 

Donne:

1. Radcliffe (Gbr) 2.23’09’’ 

2. Wami (Eti) 2.23’32’’ 

3. Prokopcuka (Let) 2.26’13’’

4. Grigoryeva (Rus) 2.28’37’’ 

5. Ndereba (Ken) 2.29’08’’