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A Race Like No Other
The 41st Running of the New York City Marathon - The Men's Race
The 2010 New York City Marathon featured a host of the best marathoners in the world. Sources estimated that the New York Road Runners had spent more than $400,000 in appearance fees to attract Haile Gebrselassie to the marathon, and as NYRR personnel told us, when you bring in the best, you hope the best will do something special. So the story pre-race featured Gebrselassie and, in a strange way (described at the end of the story) the story did end up being Gebrselassie AND Geb (the other one, Gebremariam). The rest of the field was as exciting and featured names that we know and love: Americans Meb Keflezighi, Dathan Ritzenhein and Jorge Torres; past champions Meb Keflezighi, Hendrick Ramaala and Marilson Gomes dos Santos; men included in the top 10 marathoners of all time: Haile Gebrselassie, James Kwambai and Abel Kirui; and others who had been on the podium in New York: Abderrahim Goumri, Abderrahime Bouramdane; and two debuts of note: Gebre Gebremariam and Peter Kamais.
Dathan Ritzenhein and Meb Keflezighi
photo: Martin Hak for MarathonGuide.com
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The first miles were slow and with such a deep field we were not surprised to see fifteen runners in the lead pack at the halfway mark. In the first miles, the runners were deferring to Gebrselassie. For a moment Hendrick Ramaala stepped to the front to push the pace, but for much of the opening miles it was Emmanual Mutai, Abderrahime Bouramdane and Meb Keflezighi. In the pack - and any could win - were the names listed above as well as Gebre Gebremariam, Abel Kirui, Arata Fujiwara, James Kwambai, Dathan Ritzenhein, Meb Keflezighi, Simon Bairu, Jorge Torres, Abderrahim Goumri and Moses Kigen Kipkosgei.
The race began to change on the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan as Arata Fujiwara fell off the back and then... Haile Gebrselassie dropped out of the race. Gebre Gebremariam was running just behind Gebrselassie when he saw him drop out. He told us that he said to Geb: "Come on!" and Geb replied: "I can't, but you have to move, you have to push the pack."
And onto First Avenue, noticing that Gebrselassie was out, Abderrahim Goumri pushed the pace and the pack started to break apart. Further onto First Avenue Abderrahime Bouramdane and Emmanuel Mutai took over the lead and only James Kwambai and Gebre Gebremariam went with them - by mile 18, the race was down to four. The pack spread out in a line behind, all separate and all out of the running with Goumri dropping to eighth and Ritzenhein and Keflezighi settling into tenth and eleventh spots.
At mile 21, Bouramdane fell off the leaders and Kwambai starts to fall back. The race became a run of two: Emmanuel Mutai, controlling the pace and Gebre Gebremariam solid and comfortable in his knowledge that he was faster than his competition. In his debut marathon, Gebremariam told us that he "knew he could not win the race, but would be happy just to finish. Even if he ran 2:11, he would be happy." But every move that Mutai attempted was matched by Gebremariam and Gebremariam was trying nothing, just along for the ride - to see how he could finish.
photo credit: Victah Sailah
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Just before mile 25, Gebremariam looked over at Mutai and finally realized Mutai had little left. Without Gebremariam really increasing the pace, Mutai started to fade back - and the race was Gebremariam's to win. In a race that started slowly, Gebremariam ran in to finish in the sixth fastest New York City Marathon ever - winning his debut marathon in 2:08:14. Had the race started at a more honest pace, who knows how fast Gebremariam could have run. Of course Gebremariam has come to know New York: he won the Healthy Kidney 10K in a course record fashion (fastest lap of Central Park ever!). Add to that the win at Beach to Beacon 10K, the win at Falmouth Road Race and the runner-up spot at the Philly Distance Classic - and that's a heck of a year!
Emmanuel Mutai finished second in 2:09:18, he had nothing left to give. Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, a relative unknown who earned his spot by finishing as runner-up at the 2010 New York City Half Marathon and having been the winner of the 2009 Rock N Roll Arizona and 2009 Nairobi Marathons and sporting a barely elite bib number 21, surprised all by finishing in third place in 2:10:39.
Abderrahim Goumri, always strong ran up from 9th spot at the 19 miles, finished in fourth place in 2:10:51, making up more than a minute on James Kwambai in the final mile. James Kwambai, slowing, finished fifth in 2:11:31. And Meb Keflizighi took the sixth spot and honors as top American to finish in 2:11:38.
Gebre Gebremariam's sensational debut was most likely overshadowed by the post-race announcement by pre-race favorite Haile Gebrselassie. Having struggled through an injury that manifested itself in the days before the race and caused him to drop out, Gebrselassie - with tears in his eyes - told the press corps that he had decided to retire, "it is time." (read full article)
1. Gebrmariam, Gebre (ETH 26) - 2:08:14 / $170,000
2. Mutai, Emmanuel (KEN 30) - 2:09:18 / $95,000
3. Kigen Kipkosgei, Moses (KEN 27) - 2:10:39 / $50,000
4. Goumri, Abderrahim (MAR 34) - 2:10:51 / $35,000
5. Kwambai, James (KEN 27) - 2:11:31 / $20,000
6. Keflezighi, Meb (CA/USA 35) - 2:11:38 / $10,000
7. Gomes dos Santos, Marilson (BRA 33) - 2:11:51 / $7,000
8. Ritzenhein, Dathan (OR/USA 27) - 2:12:33 / $5,000
9. Kirui, Abel (KEN 28) - 2:13:01 / $2,000
10. Bouramdane, Abderrahime (MAR 32) - 2:14:07 / $1,000
Coverage Homepage
Post Race: Men's Race |
Women's Race |
Complete Searchable Results
Race Day: As It Happens - Live Coverage
Pre-Race:
Men:
Men's Preview & Starter List |
Men's Athlete Bios
Women:
Women's Preview & Starter List |
USA Championships Preview |
Women's Athlete Bios
Head-to-Heads: Elite Athlete Past Matchups
Extras:
Pace Calculator/Pace Guide |
Videos (Athletes/Archival/More...)
Additional Interviews:
The Chilean Miner! | Haile Gebrselassie & Paul Tergat
More News:
Press Releases |
News
Featured Book/Movie:
Run For Your Life |
A Race Like No Other
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