PUBLISHED 11/04/2007
Jelena was close to four minutes back and now running solo. Had she made a mistake not to follow Paual from the gun, or was she not able to follow Paula from the start! Bad news for Jelena the front couple looked absolutely superb, there was no conceivable way either was close to blowing up, or hitting the proverbial wall. Both women knew the turns of central Park as Wami had ran the 2005 ING New York City Marathon finishing seventh. "Discount that result, I was coming back from childbirth." The 2:27:40 she had run as going to be smashed.
At 23-miles the Berlin Wall hit Wami and Paula pulled away. The concrete of First Avenue plays havoc on fresh quads,let alone those with the fumes of marathon floating in her blood. Three minutes fifty-five running behind Jelena would have no idea of the proceedings, but she of course would be hoping that Gete would fade back into her sights... pehaps thinking also that she and Aleks should have a child(!). Mothers were ruling New Yrk! Lidiya was in fourth and catherine was stil in fifth; a race of little change.
Gete clawed Paula back, a six second gap was quickly closed to a one second gap; but Paula now had feedback that Gete was showing signs of weakness. Was Paula remembering that she had finally lost Susan Chepemei in 2004 in the last 200m to take the win? Thiswas familiar ground for Paula, but new scenes for the Ethiopian.
The 25th mile was passed shoulder to shoulder. After glancing at the mile marker Paula pushed again, Wami lost two meters, and then caught Paula again. It as so close, impossible to call! With half a mile to go Paula surged hard, she grimaced, Wami answered but it was a false step because Paula countered and a short gap opened, it was ten yards in the space of two seconds.
Into Central park Paula finally had a gap and a victory now looked in her sights! At least Wami would collect $500,000 as an 'also' winner. Paula was oh-so-close but missed the course record stopping the clock in 2:23:01 with 2:23:32 for Wami; finally after twenty six miles they were parted in the final 300-meters! Paula hoisted the Union Jack above her head with a resounding message for all Olympic aspirants -- Welcome to Planet Paula! Jelena bravely held on to third place, far back in 2:26:13, she was simply out run on a day when the world's best came to New York.
Followng the race Gete was gracious in defeat realizing that a better athlete had bested her to the line, "Yes, I did feel the legs in the last 300-meters, but which athlete does not!" And of her $500,000? "I would like to put it to good use in something productive back home."
Jelena was also happy with her third place, "After the first mile I felt it, and over and over again, most at 25 and 26Km," she said of her injury in the left hip. She had planned to run no faster than 1;12 for the first half, and counted on reeling in the two tearaways in the last 20km, "I am sorry it did not happen, but I am happy for my bronze place!"
Lidiya Grigoryeva limped into the press room with a weary smile on her face, she mentioned tat the pace was too high; her half marathon PR of 1:10 was the pace that Paula and Gete had cruised by the first 13.1 miles, she was simply running on a different level, "I basically ran a good race, but did not make up what I lost in the beginning."
The first American, Elva Dryer spoke with joy of the new York public, "I wish I could have run as well as the spectators cheered. I think there is a lot of value in being here today (in preparation for the Boston 2008 Women's US trials.)."
The winner, Paula, recalled 2006 when she had sat in the stands, "I really, really missed racing. This is what I train for, this makes it (the cross training through pregnancy/post delivery) worth it." On Thursday Paula had run into Central Park and done some strides on the last three hundred yards of the course, "I as thinking (in the race) we're in my territory now, we're in the marathon now." She concluded, "It's a good first step back..." With just over ten weeks of training in her legs, no kidding!
Paula closed the day giving her best wishes to Ryan Shay's family, "It puts it all into perspective really, it's just a race at the end of the day. My thoughts go out to his family."
