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The 38th Running of the New York City Marathon - As It Happens
We're onsite at the New York City Marathon and will be commenting on the race - as it happens. If you haven't yet, read the preview article and the past performance information - so you know who the players are. Then, return to this page and refresh often. We'll have photos and post-race writeups after the race is over.
Refresh this page every few minutes to see the latest updates. We'll have all of the updates for all races on this one page - trying to make it as easy as possible for our readers to see what's happening.
Note, as you read these reports, they will appear in reverse chronological order. Newest updates will be at the top of each section.
Men's Race | Women's Race | Wheelchair Races
Overview
Wow - New York does it again. What drama. The fields were among the best ever assembled. And the matchups lived up to - no, exceeded, expectations. Two champions - and we say that in every sense of the word - became two-time winners at the New York City Marathon. And both races were won by close margins in races that were decided in the final 400 yards... Read about all of it below - it was exciting. And, remember - read from bottom to top (the newest updates are on top).
Official temperature at the start: 51 degrees. We note Sunny skies, 68% humidity. A slight headwind expected for the first half of the race, but nothing that will affect anything. Actually, the perfect weather for the day...
Men's Race back to top
Final Standings:
1. Martin Lel - 2:09:04.
2. Abderrahim Goumri - 2:09:16.
3. Hendrick Ramaala - 2:11:25.
4. Stefano Baldini - 2:11:58.
5. James Kwambai - 2:12:25.
The Finish: Lel makes the first move and gets away from Goumri with 500 yards to go. The gap opens further and further and further. It's Martin Lel! Lel wins in 2:09:04. Abderrahim Goumri finishes second in 2:09:16. What a finish. We'll remind readers that Martin Lel was the winner in 2003 in 2:10:30. We'll also comment that the day before, Ryan Hall finished a marathon in New York City (the USA Olympic Trials) in 2:09:02 - does that mean Hall beats Lel (really, we'll have to wait until the 2008 Olympics to see if that is a headline).
40K (2:02:44). Mile 25 (2:03:26). This is a two-man race. Goumri looks very, very strong. Lel is not faltering at all. We can't predict the outcome of this race... Hendrick Ramaala is now more than one minute back in third place.
Mile 22 (1:48:52). Mile 23 (1:53:43). Mile 24 (1:58:43). Goumri has come up and is now testing the leaders and particularly Lel. Kwambai and Ramaala fall back. This race is now a repeat of the 2007 London Marathon - in that race, Lel outsprinted Goumri. But, that was Goumri's debut marathon and he may be smarter. But, Lel is a past winner of the New York City Marathon and knows what to expect. But....
Mile 21 (1:43:59). James Kwambai has taken the lead - the men are holding on. Rodgers Rop has fallen off the back of the pack, he will not be in contention. It is now a four man race.
Mile 20 (1:38:52) - Martin Lel is leading the pack, but the lead is nominal. The five men are being tactical at this point - waiting to make a move until closer to the finish.
Mile 19 (1:33:58) - Ramaala and Lel, the two men who have been jockeying and testing each other, seem to be talking, scheming. We'll see what might come of this. Beyond the two remain Goumri, Rop and Kwambai.
Mile 18 (1:29:05). Ramaala puts on a strong surge and Martin Lel answers the surge and pushes further. This continues with these two Kenyans pushing to prove that each is stronger than the other. The surges have no lasting effect except to test the other runners, and the other three men rejoin the pack and stay together. This is going to be a strong race - and it is interesting to watch this strategy as each is testing the others.
Mile 17 (1:24:25). Two additional men have caught the lead group: William Kipsang and James Kwambai. The rest of the field is stringing out behind. The five men in the front look strong.
The men have come off the 59th St. Bridge... Ramaala, then Lel and Rop take off on 1st Avenue, running away from the rest of the pack. These three men are all past New York City Marathon champions, so they know this race. Soon, Goumri catches the leaders, and there are four in the lead. Mile 16 (1:19:59).
Mile 14 (1:10:03). Mile 15 (1:14:53). 25K (1:17:46). Twelve men seem to be ahead of another five or so. It seems that Rodgers Rop is the man who is controlling the race, but the pack is still together. At one point Stefano Baldini tried to take the lead, but he was not able to get away. The men are on the 59th Street Bridge and the "real" race often generally starts in another couple of miles when the pace might break apart - but this year is different than other years in that there are no pacesetters, so things may be different. We will note at this point that Julius Kibet who is in the lead pack worked as a pacesetter at this race for the past couple of years - we wonder how this feels to him to be not have to pull the others along.
Mile 12 (59:58). Mile 13 (1:05:13). Half-Marathon (1:05:48). The pace has slowed in the last few miles and the pack looks very comfortable - it seems to hold 17 men.
Mile 11 (54:50). The men have been slowing and the chase pack has caught the front pack. There are now 16 men in the lead pack, including Stefano Baldini who has moved up with the chasers.
Mile 9 (44:39). Mile 10 (49:35). We see a lead pack of eleven men.
Mile 7 (34:52). Mile 8 (39:36). Baranovsky is back in the pack at the back. The lead pack is ten or eleven (yes, we're bad at counting, sorry).
Mile 6 (30:25). 10K (31:28). Ramaala is leading and seems to want to do something. At the Elite Fluid station after the 10K mark, Ramaala skips his fluids and gets a gap on the other runners. But they catch him. About nine runners remain in the lead pack: Ramaala, Rop, Kiogora, Kipsang, Kibet, Chirlee, Lel, Goumri and Kwambai. Just behind is Baranovsky.
Mile 4 (20:18). Mile 5 (25:24). The pack still holds about fifteen men.
Mile 3 (15:14). 5K (15:47). The pack is wide, no clear leader, just a group. It's hard to make out the runners in the front pack, but we can see these men: Hendrick Ramaala, Joseph Chirlee, Rodgers Rop, Stefano Baldini, James Kwambai, Stephen Kiogora, William Kipsang, Dmytri Baranovsky, Abderrahim Goumri, Elias Kemboi, Marilson Gomes dos Santos, Martin Lel and others. Recounting, we think there may be about fifteen in the lead pack.
Mile 2 (10:03). Two past NYC Marathon runners, Ramaala and Rop have taken off from the front of the group. They are talking with each other and are clearly deciding to do something... The break doesn't get the runners away from the others, but the pack now seems to be down to about eleven runners as some others are staying behind.
Mile 1 (5:24). Hendrick Ramaala and Stefano Baldini lead a large pack of approximately 24 runners.
The men's and open race has begun. As will often be the case in these races, we expect a large field to continue together. Updates as we get them.
Women's Race back to top
Final Results:
1. Paula Radcliffe - 2:23:09.
2. Gete Wami - 2:23:32.
3. Jelena Prokopcuka - 2:26:13.
4. Lidiya Grigoryeva - 2:28:37.
5. Catherine Ndereba - 2:29:08.
6. Elva Dryer - 2:35:15. (first American)
The Finish: Paula Radcliffe wins in 2:23:09, beating Gete Wami who was completely broken in just the last 1/3 mile. The win reminds us of Paula Radcliffe's victory in 2004 in almost the same time - 2:23:10 in 2004 - against Susan Chepkemei who was step for step with Radcliffe in 2004 and lost by just 3 seconds in that year.
With just less than 1/2 mile to go, Radcliffe looks back and then puts on a strong, strong surge and breaks away. Wami makes a strong sprint to catch and then surpass Radcliffe. But Wami's surge seems to have taken it out of her and she can't continue it. Radcliffe then takes off and it is now Radcliffe's race...
Mile 25 (2:16:28). Radcliffe seems to be trying to drop Wami, but Wami will not let go. This race will probably go to the line.
Mile 24 (2:10:56). Wami has caught back up to Radcliffe. This is and will be a great two-person race. Wami is sitting on Radcliffe, so psychologically, Radcliffe is and has been doing most of the work.
Mile 23 (2:05:10). Paula Radcliffe has made her move. She is pulling away from Wami who is falling a few seconds back. Wami appears to be trying to regain on Radcliffe and does not appear to be losing much ground. The break might not be a decisive break...
Mile 21 (1:54:11). Mile 22 (1:59:45). Radcliffe continues to lead Wami. Prokopcuka is running alone in third place about 3:50 behind the leaders. We think that running alone in third may be even tougher - psychologically - than running in the front with another.
Mile 19 (1:43:04). Mile 20 (1:48:39). Radcliffe and Wami are now just 6 seconds ahead of Margaret Okayo's time when she set the course record in 2003. Radcliffe is beginning to look uncomfortable, but this may just be a look.
We've just heard that Constantina Tomescu-Dita has dropped out.
Mile 17 (1:32:19). Mile 18 (1:37:38). 30K (1:41:16). Radcliffe has been increasing the pace, trying to stretch Wami, but Wami is holding on.
Mile 16 (1:27:03). Radcliffe and Wami remain well ahead. In the chase group, Catherine Ndereba slowed to take off her turtle neck and appears to be having some trouble catching back up to Grigoryeva and Prokopcuka.
Mile 14 (1:15:36). Mile 15 (1:21:14). Radcliffe and Wami. The race continues to be a race between three women: Paula Radcliffe, Gete Wami; and from 2003, Margaret Okayo's course record. At this point the two women in 2007 are well ahead of Okayo (1:21:33 at mile 15), but only by 9 seconds. The rest of the women for 2007 are 2:45 behind the leaders.
Half-Marathon (1:10:09). Radcliffe and Wami are still way ahead, and way ahead of the course record. Course record pace at the half-marathon was at 1:11:15 - the women remain ahead of this, but less so than before.
Mile 11 (59:20). Mile 12 (1:04:20). 15K (50:12) Paula Radcliffe and Wami. The chasers are 1:28 back: Grigoryeva, Prokopcuka and Ndereba are just racing for third place or to pick up the pieces if one of the leaders falters. We've seen Ndereba race enough and know that she is smart - in any race like this we'll give the nod to Ndereba, but in this case Ndereba's race might just be for third place.
Mile 10 (53:46). Wow! Previous record pace was 54:22 - this is a big gap on that. Wami stepped ahead of Radcliffe for a short while, but it is Radcliffe who remains in the lead. The chase pack is nearly two minutes back.
15K (50:12). Radcliffe and Wami lead. The others - Grigoryeva, Ndereba and Prokopcuka are now 1:28 behind at 51:40.
Mile 7 (37:36). Mile 8 (43:04). Mile 9 (48:31). Radcliffe/Wami - of course...
10K (33:25). Radcliffe and Wami have a 40 second lead over the other three women.
Mile 5 (26:59). On course record pace! Radcliffe and Wami have more than ten seconds on the other three women... As a comparison, Margaret Okayo - in her course record performance in 2003 - passed mile 5 in 27:11.
5K (16:46). Mile 4 (21:38). Paula Radcliffe continues to set the pace. Gete Wami, just 34 days after winning the Berlin Marathon, is right with Radcliffe - does she think that Radcliffe is her pacesetter as she had in Berlin. Far behind are Ndereba, Prokopcuka and Grigoryeva.
Mile 3 (16:12). After a mediocre performance in her first race back to competition after giving childbirth, Radcliffe seems to now want to prove that she is as strong as ever. But, in that first race - the Great North Run Half-Marathon - Radcliffe ran strong at the start and then faded. We hope that we won't see the same thing here.
Mile 2 (10:41). Paula Radcliffe is already trying to break the field apart - and is succeeding. Gete Wami is now alone in second place, hanging on to Paula Radcliffe. Catherine Ndereba is staying in contact with the frontrunners and is now alone in third place. Behind are Prokopcuka and behind her Grigoryeva. There are no other women who will be in competition - we already know this at mile 2!
Mile 1 (5:42). Paula Radcliffe is setting the pace. Jelena Prokopcuka is right with her and Gete Wami is just behind. We know that there is a secondary race going on for the World Marathon Majors $500,000 bonus. For Prokopcuka to win, she must come in first place or she may come in second if Gete Wami is fourth or worse. Other scenarios may come in to play, but from the beginning we can see that Wami is making sure to watch Prokopcuka. A bit behind is Catherine Ndereba - and we know this is the way she runs, watching for a while... Also with Catherine are Lidiya Grigoryeva, Constantina Tomescu-Dita and Elva Dryer.
The women's race has begun. Approximately 35 women begin ahead of the rest of the field as the women's elite field, but only a few will be of interest. Paula Radcliffe immediately takes the lead and is the one setting the pace. Jelena Prokopcuka is right with her and the lead pack is immediately down to seven runners.
Wheelchair Race back to top
The Women's Finish - Edith Hunkeler has set a new course record of 1:52:38. Shelley Woods finishes in second place at 1:54:19. Amanda McGrory is third in 1:56:09.
The Men's Finish:
Men:
Kurt Fearnley wins! 1:33:58. Fearnley had set the course record in 2006 - 1:29:22 - so while not the fastest, this was a dominant performance.
Krige Schabort - alone in second at 1:35:08.
3. Masazumi Soejima - 1:36:16.
4. Saul Mendoza - 1:38:06.
5. Aaron Gordian - 1:38:06.
30K (1:03:11). 35K (1:15:28). 40K (1:28:28). Fearnley, 1:32 back, Krige Schabort, 1:05 back from there, Masazui Soejima.
20K (40:02). Fearnley leads by 2:28. Schabort is with the next group which consists of Verdaguer, Mendoza, Schabort, George and Gordian.
15K (29:35). Fearnley is now in a definitive, probably uncatchable lead. Krige Schabort is 1:23 back.
10K (19:24). Kurt Fearnley has broken away and is by himself. Krige Schabort is alone 45 seconds back.
5K (9:49). Kurt Fearnley leads the race, and he is now followed by Krige Schabort. Forty-five seconds behind are Roger Verdaguer, Aaron Gordian, Joshua Goeorge and Saul Mendoza. Where is Ernst Van Dyk??
Kurt Farnley has taken the lead from the gun - he set the course record in his debut and is the defending champion. He should have competition from the veterans in this field: Ernst Van Dyk, Krige Schabort and Saul Mendoza. More as it is available.
The wheelchair race has begun. We'll have more updates as they are available.
More New York City News:
Post-Race Coverage: The Men's Race | The Women's Race | Photo Gallery
Pre-Race: Preview and Starter List |
Elite Athletes Past Performances | Men's Pre-Race Comments | A Chat w/ Abderrahim Goumri
Archive: Live Coverage
Results: Complete Searchable Results
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