Catherine Ndereba wins in New York (© NYRR)
In his biggest career win to date, 20-year-old Tadesse Tola of Ethiopia prevailed by one second over Patrick Makau of Kenya in the third annual NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE.
Tola, timed in 1:00:58 in warm, humid conditions, was just half a stride in front of Makau (1:00:59) at the finish by historic Battery Park in the city’s financial district. American Olympic marathoner Dathan Ritzenhein was third in 1:01:38.
The women’s contest saw 2003 and 2007 World Marathon champion and 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medallist Catherine Ndereba of Kenya pull away from Mexican Marathon record-holder Madaí Pérez in the 13th mile to win by eight seconds, 1:10:18 to 1:10:26. Japan’s Yuri Kano was third in 1:10:31. Ndereba also won the inaugural NYC Half in 2006 and was a close second last year to Hilda Kibet of Kenya (now of the Netherlands).
Despite the oppressive weather conditions, the men’s race began with a 4:30 opening mile, with Tola clearly trying to run away from the field. Makau covered his moves as the course looped through hilly Central Park, while Ritzenhein and Kenya’s Richard Maiyo kept the pair within sight. The two leaders shared the pace as the course exited the park to head south through Times Square and then across town to the flat West Side Highway, where their finish order was determined just steps from the line.
“It was a great race, a very competitive race,” said Tola, speaking through a translator. He had previously shown an excellent ability to run well in warm weather when he finished seventh in brutally hot conditions at the 2007 World Cross in Mombasa, Kenya.
“(Today’s) race tells me I can have a good future,” he said.
For Ritzenhein, the race served as a final tune-up performance before the men’s Olympic Marathon, to be contested on 24 August. “This was a great last test before Beijing,” he said. “It was a very good indicator.”
Ndereba also used the race as a tune-up for the Olympic Marathon (the women’s event is on 17 August). A veteran performer who would seemingly have nothing to prove at any distance, she notched her 18th career half marathon victory in 25 known attempts.
“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose,” she said with typical modesty. “I always go with a kind of positive attitude, but I know that only God can give me the victory.”
The New York Road Runners (NYRR) race had 10,564 starters this year and a record 10,506 finishers. “This race,” said NYRR president and CEO Mary Wittenberg, “has every bit of the potential of the ING New York City Marathon.”
NYRR for the IAAF
