Radcliffe strides ahead to win New York marathon for third time

Published on Sunday 2 November 2008 17:51

PAULA Radcliffe once again found New York the ideal place to bounce back from Olympic disappointment as she won the ING New York City marathon for the third time.

The world record holder led from start to finish, wearing down the strongest field in the race's 40-year history to cruise home unopposed over the final four miles to clock two hours 23 minutes and 56 seconds.

Radcliffe was 1min 47secs ahead of 40-year-old Ludmila Petrova of Russia, who held off a strong finish from Kara Goucher of the United States, the American taking third on her marathon debut in 2hrs 25mins 53secs.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men's race, reclaiming the title he first won in 2006.

Gomes dos Santos clocked an unofficial 2:08:43 to win from Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco, the 2007 runner-up in both New York and London, who lost the lead a mile from home and whose time was 2:09:07, with Daniel Rono of Kenya third in 2:11:22.

With her victory, Radcliffe becomes only the second woman to win the race three or more times, trailing only nine-time winner Grete Waitz of Norway.

On both previous occasions in New York, the Briton had overcome serious challenges both before and during the race.

In 2004, she put a failure to finish the Olympic marathon in Athens nine weeks previously behind her to win a sprint finish with Susan Chepkemei in Central Park.

In 2007, Radcliffe came back from injury to outduel Gete Wami and win her second title just 10 months after giving birth to her first child, daughter Isla.

Isla and Radcliffe's husband and coach Gary Lough were at the finish line as the 34-year-old once again put Olympic disappointment behind her and a season of injury fighting a stress fracture of the femur that left her just 23rd in Beijing.

On a sunny but chilly 40-degree morning in New York she saw off a field including old rivals Wami and Olympic silver medalist Catherine Ndereba, rising stars Rita Jeptoo and Dire Tune and much-vaunted debutantes Goucher and Kim Smith as well as the veteran Russian Petrova.

"To win three is really special to me," Radcliffe said. "To even be one third of the way towards the mark Grete Waitz achieved is amazing.

"New York is just a place I love to come but it was different this year. The last two times it was really close at the end but I was nice to make it a little bit easier on my husband and help him stay more relaxed."

Right from the gun, Radcliffe went to the front to lead the elite field over the Verrazano Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn and straight into a headwind on the first, uphill mile toward the apex of the bridge.

American Olympian Goucher made a bold start to her marathon career by staying on the Briton's shoulder while major contenders Wami, last year's runner-up, 2008 Boston Marathon winner Dire Tune, Jeptoo of Kenya all tracking the leader.

Once the bridge had been negotiated, Radcliffe settled into a strong pace between 5:34 and 5:39 per mile that had quickly strung out the 49-woman elite field and whittled down the leading group to just 10 runners as the world record holder led them down Brooklyn's Fourth Avenue.

Radcliffe gradually pushed the pace, further diminishing the leading pack to seven as the race continued through Brooklyn towards Queens.

As the defending champion pressed the pace heading towards halfway, still shadowed closest by Goucher, Catherine Ndereba, one of Radcliffe's greatest rivals, appeared to lose touch with the leaders, who also numbered Russia's Ludmila Petrova, Wami, Tune and Jeptoo.

They went through the halfway point in Queens with Radcliffe still running into a head wind, clocking 1:13:28 for the first 13.1 miles.

Jeptoo was the next to fall off. Goucher was more than holding her own and looking as relaxed as Radcliffe while Petrova and the Ethiopian duo of Wami and Tune were beginning to show signs of strain at the mile 17 mark.

Radcliffe turned the screw again on the 19th mile with Goucher slipping from her shoulder for the first time as Petrova took up second place in the train, followed by Tune and Wami with slight gaps beginning to develop between each runner and the American sitting in fifth.

Radcliffe finally shook off Petrova at Mile 22 as the race turned back into Manhattan and the world record holder was looking as comfortable as she had done on the first mile.

Radcliffe was alone running down Fifth Avenue and getting faster, turning in mile times of 5:12 and 5:14 before slowing to 5:32 for mile 24 and then 5:33 as the finish line approached in Central Park and she was able to savour the acclaim for her third New York win.

"It was tougher out there this year because of the wind but I was determined to come and run a negative split because last year I started fast and wasn't really as strong in the closing half.

"But it was tough out there in the wind and everyone was running behind me.

"I knew Kara was there for a long time and Wami and Tune and Petrova but I just wanted to stay comfortable and be controlled through the first half, I was trying to stay relaxed."

When the race came down to just Radcliffe and Petrova, the British star said she was confident of winning.

"At that point I felt a little more relaxed because even if it came down to a sprint finish I felt I could outkick Ludmila," she said, "but at the same time I wanted to finish my gameplan and finish the race running fast through Central Park."