Paul Tergat wins the ING New York Marathon as defending champion Hendrick Ramaala falls to the ground (© Getty Images)
A year ago, Paul Tergat and Hendrick Ramaala staged one of the closest, most thrilling marathon finishes ever seen.
Racing side by side over the final miles of the 2005 ING New York City Marathon, they attacked and counterattacked with surges and re-surges, waging a fierce hand-to-hand battle with no weapons except courage and will power, and the winner wasn’t determined until the final step – literally, the final step.
Although Tergat’s official winning time was 2:09:30 and Ramaala’s was 2:09:31, the real difference was a few centimetres.
Yesterday morning they sat at a table surrounded by reporters and rehashed that race and talked about their plans for the return engagement on the coming Sunday, 5 November.
There was obvious mutual respect, even warmth between the two Africans – Tergat, the 37-year-old world record holder from Kenya, and Ramaala, the 34-year-old South African who won here in 2004 -- like veteran warriors recalling their feats of the past as they planned for the next battle.
Tergat, who hasn’t raced at all since New York 2005 because of an injury which caused him to miss London and to cancel out of a half marathon here in late August, says he is ready.
“I know I am in good shape. I’m not concerned about the pace. I have prepared well, and depending on the pace of whoever breaks away, I feel I can go with them.”
Ramaala comes here fresh off a 30 September half marathon victory in Newcastle, England’s Great North Run, which he won in 1:01:03.
“I used the Great North Run just to gauge my fitness,” said Ramala. “I didn’t go all-out.”
“But New York is another story.”
This time, he said, “I think the pace is going to be more painful than last year. I don’t want to have that kind of finish again,” he grinned. “I’ve seen that race thousands of times. It’s in my head.”
“New York is a hard race,” he added. “All those bridges, and then Central Park. It’s very difficult.”
Reflecting on the 2005 race, Ramaala said, “In last year’s race I did nothing wrong. I had a great competitor, and there was noting more I could have done. But I have learned from that that my body can take more than I thought.”
“Now I know I have some reserve than I can get when I need it.”
Neither Tergat nor Ramaala have any illusions that this year’s race is strictly a two man affair. Ramaala summed it up, “I’ve been following most of the guys, and they’re all in good shape. It’s a class field. There are 10 or 15 guys who could win.”
James Dunaway for the IAAF
