KENYANS CHEBET, LOKEDI WIN WARM AND HUMID TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

KENYANS CHEBET, LOKEDI WIN WARM AND HUMID TCS NEW YORK CITY MARATHON
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2022 Race Outcomes Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission. 

NEW YORK (06-Nov) — On an unusually heat and humid fall day, Evans Chebet and Sharon Lokedi of Kenya received the boys’s and girls’s skilled divisions of the 51st TCS New York Metropolis Marathon right here this morning.  Chebet, 34, backed up his win on the Boston Marathon final April and have become the primary man since Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 to win each the Boston and New York Metropolis Marathons in the identical yr.  Lokedi, 28, operating in simply her first marathon, ran a affected person race and received a detailed, late-race battle towards Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter by seven seconds.  Lokedi clocked 2:23:23 and have become simply the eighth athlete in New York Metropolis Marathon historical past to win in a real marathon debut.  She can also be the primary athlete representing Baltimore-based Underneath Armour to win an Abbott World Marathon Majors occasion.

DO NASCIMENTO TAKES A FLYER

In a stunning transfer, Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento tried to steal the race after simply the primary three kilometers.  He bolted away from the sphere, taking pictures via the primary 5 kilometers in 14:31 and 10 km in 28:42.  Improbably, he was on tempo for a 2:01:03 end time, quicker than Eliud Kipchoge’s pending world report 2:01:09 set simply six weeks in the past.

Behind him, a robust chase pack was forming, led by Chebet, defending champion Albert Korir of Kenya, Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, Suguro Osako of Japan, Galen Rupp of the US, and Shura Kitata of Ethiopia, amongst others.  Chebet wasn’t involved about Do Nascimento, regardless of the Brazilian’s 2:04:51 private greatest.

“I knew how far the chief was from me,” Chebet mentioned via a translator.  “I additionally knew it was scorching and humid, and I used to be additionally going at a excessive tempo, and I do know I used to be going to catch him.”

Do Nascimento ran with abandon, clicking off miles within the 4:30 vary, and his lead grew.  By 15 km, he was 1:40 forward of the chasers, however his cushion expanded to 2:12 by midway, the place he clocked the quickest half-marathon break up within the historical past of the race: 1:01:22.  His lead held at that stage via 25 km after he accomplished the lengthy climb of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge from Queens to Manhattan.

Heading on to First Avenue in Manhattan, the place the crowds are the thickest, the Brazilian lastly started to gradual. He ran solely 15:41 for the 5 kilometers from 25 km to 30 km (which is downhill), in comparison with 14:37 for the chase group.  He even needed to take a rest room break at 99th Road.  That “pit cease” price him 18 seconds.

Moments later, these quick early kilometers caught as much as Do Nascimento.  He briefly stopped on the ramp up the Willis Avenue Bridge, the place the course goes from Manhattan to the Bronx, after which with 1:40:34 exhibiting on the race clock, he stopped and crumpled to the pavement.  Behind him, Chebet had left the chase group, and seconds later handed the stricken Brazilian who lay immobile on the roadway.  Emergency personnel shortly attended to him.

“I noticed him mendacity on the bottom. I felt dangerous for him, however I needed to end the race,” Chebet mentioned.

Chebet wouldn’t have clear crusing to the end, nonetheless.  Behind him Kitata had closed a lot of the hole behind him and was solely a few metropolis block as the 2 males climbed up the mile-long hill on Fifth Avenue earlier than the race become Central Park.  Chebet seemed behind him a number of occasions, however the exhausted Kitata was not getting nearer.  Ultimately Chebet was 12 seconds away from the Ethiopian who completed second right here for the second time.  Nageeye received third in 2:10:31; defending champion, Korir completed seventh in 2:13:27.

“The race was onerous for me,” mentioned Chebet, carrying the winner’s crown of laurel leaves.  “It was onerous for me to race, particularly as a result of it was scorching.”

The highest American was Scott Fauble of Portland, Ore., who completed ninth in 2:13:35.  The 31-year-old wore a Nike package for the primary time; his agent Josh Cox sealed his sponsorship deal solely final night time.

“With the ability to run nicely on this massive stage may be very gratifying,” mentioned Fauble.

Two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp dropped out in his New York Metropolis Marathon debut.  His final recorded break up was 1:16:08 at 25 km.

WOMEN RAN CONSERVATIVELY

The ladies’s contest was a traditional race of attrition.  Twenty girls remained in competition at 10 km (34:24/2:25:09 tempo), 11 at midway (1:12:17/2:24:33 tempo), and eight at 25 km (1:25:46/2:24:45 tempo).  These eight –Lokedi; Salpeter; Hellen Obiri, Edna Kiplagat and Viola Cheptoo of Kenya; Gotytom Gebreslase and Senbere Teferi of Ethiopia; and Aliphine Tuliamuk of the US– all had an opportunity to get on the rostrum.  Regardless of her lack of expertise, Lokedi felt assured.

“I didn’t anticipate to win (however) I anticipated to run nicely,” mentioned Lokedi, who completed fourth on the United Airways NYC Half final March in a private greatest 1:08:14.

Between 25 and 30 kilometers, Gebreslase, Cheptoo, and Obiri received away and had an 11-second lead over the opposite 5 contenders, together with Lokedi.  It seemed like these three would take all the podium spots, however by the 20-mile mark, their margin was reduce in half.  By 40 km Lokedi and Salpeter have been within the lead and had dropped their final challenger, Gebreslase (the others had fallen nicely again).  Exiting Central Park from the Service Highway and turning proper onto Central Park South, Lokedi solely had a four-second margin on the way more skilled Salpeter.  Each girls have been hurting.

“I wished to be within the race; I do know I used to be robust,” Lokedi mentioned.  “I simply wished to go and put myself in it.”

Within the last 800m, which is almost all uphill, Lokedi lastly broke Salpeter.  Regardless of being in apparent ache –she may barely get right into a director’s chair on the post-race press convention– Lokedi summoned all of her energy and powered to the end.  She instantly broke into tears and fell into the arms of her agent, Stephen Haas.  She mentioned she didn’t know when or if, she would do one other marathon.

“To be sincere, I’m simply going to take pleasure in this and return to Arizona and discuss to my coach and lay out the plans for the subsequent,” she advised reporters.  “It was nice as we speak, so perhaps.”

Gebreslase held on for third (2:23:39), and Kiplagat –at age 42– completed fourth (she received the race 12 years in the past).  Cheptoo, who was second right here final yr in her debut, completed fifth (2:25:34), and Obiri –in her debut– completed sixth in 2:25:49.  Tuliamuk was seventh and the highest American in 2:26:18, a private greatest.

“I feel I excel when the circumstances aren’t excellent,” mentioned Tuliamuk who was not capable of do a full marathon preparation due to an ankle damage.  She added: “I feel as we speak that’s the case.”

FAST TIMES BY WHEELCHAIR RACERS

Within the skilled wheelchair races, Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Susannah Scaroni of the US completely dominated.  Each athletes led from gun to tape and set course data, incomes them $50,000 bonuses on prime of their first-place prize cash checks.  Hug received in 1:25:26, handily defeating Daniel Romanchuk of the US by greater than two minutes.  It was his fifth victory right here, tying Kurt Fearnley of Australia, whose 2006 course report Hug demolished (earlier 1:29:22).

“It was a implausible race,” mentioned Hug.  He added: “I all the time go as quick as doable and never concentrate on the time.”

Scaroni pushed her approach to a 1:42:43 victory, greater than two minutes forward of Switzerland’s Manuela Schär.  Her time was 21 seconds higher than Tatyana McFadden’s 2015 report.

“I really like this sport,” Scaroni advised reporters after the race.  “I’ll all the time give it my all.  That’s all the time my technique on the beginning line.”