Tom Kruwis
Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, in his first ever marathon, is the winner of the 2010 ING New York City Marathon in an unofficial time of 2:08:14. If you're wondering, that's an average pace of 4:53 per mile. For 26.2 miles.
It's the fastest time since Rodgers Rop turned in a 2:08:07 in 2002. Gebremariam becomes the first debutant to win the race since American Alberto Salazar accomplished the feat in 1980.
Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai, the 2010 London Marathon runner-up, finished second, in 2:09:17. Mutai was the aggressor in the second half of the race, but when Gebremariam kicked in Central Park, Mutai just could not keep up.
Kigen Kipkosgei of Kenya crossed the finish line in third place, with a time of 2:10:39.
American Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 NYC Marathon champion, the first American to win since 1982, was dropped around Mile 21 and finished sixth (2:11:30).
As dramatic an accomplishment as Keflezighi had for the United States last year, this year’s men’s marathon belonged to Ethiopia.
By Saturday night, the buzz had begun among the men’s professional field that Gebrselassie’s knee was not in good shape. He was getting it worked on, two coaches noted, but whether that was strategy or reality was yet unclear.
Gebrselassie made it clear on his Twitter feed right before the race, announcing that he had inflammation in the knee after the long flight from Addis Ababa. Officials for the New York Road Runners announced during the race that Gebrselassie had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Saturday, which showed fluid in his knee.
From the very beginning, this was not the same Gebrselassie who owns the world record of 2:03:59. He came off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge tucked into a large lead pack, having run a very slow opening mile — 5:55. He said before the race that he was going to sit back and watch, and apparently the rest of the pack decided to do that in the early miles.
But by the time the runners hit the Queensboro Bridge, Gebremariam moved out in front with a small pack of four runners. It was then that Gebrselassie started drifting to the side of the bridge, on the downhill slope that could have been a metaphor for his career.
He stopped before he even made it to Manhattan. On the delirious First Avenue, flanked by the largest, wildest-cheering crowds on the course, Gebremariam joined a group of four: James Kwambai of Kenya, Mutai and Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco.
Only Mutai and Gebremariam were left in the lead by the time they entered Central Park in the 24th mile. Gebremariam had already won here this year — in the Healthy Kidney 10-kilometer race in May. The finish line was the same as for the marathon, the perfect warm-up for an even more celebrated victory six months later.
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