2011 Boston Marathon - Pre-Race Quotes

2011 Boston Marathon - Pre-Race Quotes

The Boston Marathon gives press an opportunity to meet the top athletes on the Friday before the Monday race. Of course we'll always take advantage of that. We spoke to many of the athletes - and so many tell us the same thing: "I'm here to win..." "Anything can happen in the marathon..." etc., etc. But we were more interested in asking real questions, trying to understand where the runners are coming from, where they are going and especially whether they are ready for Monday's race. We've greatly shortened all of our conversations, but here are the top points from our one-on-ones with some of the top athletes.

Photo Credit: John Elliott / MarathonGuide.com

Ryan Hall
Ryan Hall was third in 2009 (2:09:40) and fourth in 2010 (2:08:41). Over the last years he has switched tactics, switched coaches and changed his training location. What does this mean?
"Last year in Boston, I learned I need to cover better. I need to run the best race for Ryan Hall, but I know that I stay more excited and run better when I stay a little closer to the lead.... Being at altitude takes a lot out of me, and maybe I'm now thinking that I need to be training at sea level more, maybe for a full training cycle. I thought I was in great shape for the New York City Half Marathon and did poorly, part of that may have been that I came down from altitude just three days before that race. I came down from altitude ten days before the USA Half Marathon Championships and did better, so that may be part of the difference. I've been in Palo Alto [at sea level] for the last ten days and will have been down for fourteen days before the Marathon on Monday... I've loved training in Flagstaff, I was training on dirt at 7,000 feet through the Winter, while I heard that there was five feet of snow in Mammoth. But next I will be training in Palo Alto... I am being self-coached, but I do talk with a number of people for guidance and to bounce ideas off of. I talk with Jack [Daniels], my dad, Sarah [Hall, his wife] and Billy Hermann [a steelplechaser who used to train in Mammoth]. I still think Terrence [Ryan's previous coach] is one of the best coaches in the world and I've changed some things up a little bit, but overall have continued to train as I have..."

Geoffrey Mutai
With a 2:04:55 and 2:05:10 marathon to his credit, Geoffrey Mutai is the fastest man in the field. Awarded bib number 2 (the defending champion gets bib number 1), organizers expect something fast from Mutai...

"I've always watched Boston growing up - it's always been the first choice of any marathon for me to run. Also Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot [four time Boston Marathon winner] was an inspiration to me - one day I hope to be like Robert. 2:05 is probably hard to achieve on this course, but if the runners work together, it is possible. If the weather is good, I might try to beat that time."

Photo Credit: John Elliott / MarathonGuide.com

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot
The defending champion set an incredible course record 2:05:52 course record in 2010. Could he do it again.
"My leg is not so good, but I don't want to talk about it much. I will definitely not repeat the speed of last year. I love Boston and want to showcase my talents and defend my title - however, if I was so injured that I could not run fairly well, I wouldn't be here."

Teyba Erkesso
Teyba Erkesso is injured. She told us that she injured her left ankle five days earlier and it still hurts to walk. The ankle was giving her some trouble before and it was because of that that she chose to not defend her title at the RAK Half Marathon. Whether she runs or not on Monday is still up in the air, but if she does she will certainly not perform to her best ability. When asked if winning Boston in 2010 had changed her life in any way, she said no; but in life it's good to have built a legacy - winning Boston will be part of her legacy.

Gebre Gebremariam
Gebre Gebremariam won the 2011 NYC Marathon in 2:08:14 (without previewing the course beforehand) and most recently was runner-up at the NYC Half Marathon....
"At the NYC Half Marathon, I did want to win, unfortunately I was passed at the end, but I was happy with the time: 1:00:25. It's only been 28 days since that race, so my training has been mostly recovery. I haven't run the Boston course and I haven't seen it and I don't want to see it before the race. I've talked with past Ethiopian runners and winners who have run the race, including Abebe Mekonnen [the 1989 winner]. When asked whether he might be selected for the Olympic team for Ethiopia, Gebremariam responded: "There are so many good Ethiopian 2:05 and 2:06 marathoners that it is going to be very competitive."

Photo Credit: John Elliott / MarathonGuide.com

Kara Goucher
Kara Goucher was third at Boston in 2009 and is just recently coming back from giving childbirth in September. We asked her about her return, about her first race back after childbirth and about her plans for Monday's race:

"My speed is back: the 800 meter speed is back, my mile speed is back. I feel good.

The NYC Half was the first race I did after having Colt and it was a good bridge to get back from not running to running Boston and racing. At the NYC Half Marathon, I think I made a tactical error between 10 and 11 miles, by letting the race get away from me, but in a weird way I think that needed to happen because I just had to go through that process: I was like "no, I won't do that again."

I have a race plan. I have a race plan that gives me more aggression, but I don't want to say more than that.

I've been doing more work on hills. I've done more long runs on hills, up hills and down hills. At the same time, I'm coming into Boston more rested this time around."

Desiree Davila
Desiree Davila ran the fastest marathon of any American woman in 2010 2:26:20 - a far cry from her first marathon, a 2:44:56 at the 2007 Boston Marathon.
"In 2007, I knew the potential was there, but I had no idea what that potential was. People say that I've had breakthrough races, but they don't see the work in between and I see it as continual steady improvement. I don't swing for the fences, still go one step at a time. The main difference now from then is that I look at the times the women are running and they don't look so scary."

Florence Kiplagat
At 24, Florence Kiplagat will be running her debut marathon and normally we might not write about her. It would be a surprise to us or anyone if Kiplagat won the Boston Marathon, but Kiplagat is full of surprises. Kiplagat spoke to us with humility and animation: she told us that she was completely surprised to win the World Half Marathon Championships in 2010. "I did not even think I would be top five." Undoubtedly, Kiplagat - who holds the Kenyan record for fastest 10000m - feels the same way for the Boston Marathon, and maybe she will be equally as surprised after this race.

Photo Credit: John Elliott / MarathonGuide.com

Dire Tune
Dire Tune won the 2008 Boston Marathon , narrowly lost in 2009 and dropped out in 2010 after pushing the pace through mile 14.
"Last year I had a side-stitch in my right side which caused me to drop out. This year, I've been working at harder speeds and longer training sessions and I believe I can run even a faster time than the last time I finished Boston."

Catherine Ndereba
Catherine Ndereba has won the Boston Marathon four times (2000/2001/2004/2005). After a couple of years away, she was slated to run the 2010 Boston Marathon, but withdrew because of injuries. Ndereba has a history of winning, but has been away from the distance for a few years...
"When you come to these things, it's 50-50 whether you will win. I've come to win, but if it's meant to be, it will be. I am proud that there are six Kenyan women in the field, and that I have been a role model for many."