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A Race Like No Other
2009 ING New York City Marathon Preview and Starter List
By Sharon Ekstrom
See Also: Starter List (bottom of page) | International Men's Athlete Bios | USA Men's Athlete Bios
The men's race at the 2009 ING New York City Marathon has one of the deepest fields ever assembled including 13 men with finishes under 2:10 and 6 with finishes faster than 2:08. Our favorite to win the 2009 race was Martin Lel (KEN) - the 2003 and 2007 champion, but on the Wednesday before the race, it was announced that Lel had withdrawn from the field with a leg injury and would not be starting. With Lel out, the field was open with a number of impressive names to take the start including: Jaouad Gharib (MAR), Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (KEN), Meb Keflezighi (USA), Ryan Hall (USA), Abdi Abdirahman (USA), James Kwambai (KEN), Patrick Makau (KEN), Hendrick Ramaala (RSA) and Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA) - any could be the champion.
To add to the excitement, the men's race will incorporate the USA Men's Marathon Championship. That race within the race will crown the new USA champion and the added incentive has brought all of the best American men to New York to compete for both the overall title and the champion's crown. Among those who could be counted on for both a top finish in the open field and a chance at the championship include: Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman, Ryan Hall.
What To Expect
Many of the top marathons employ pacemakers to ensure that the men run a fast race - but New York is an exception. That said, the men assembled for the New York City Marathon are a group that include frontrunners and even without "rabbits," the race should be a fast one. The stories of these men leading and pushing the pace are legendary and include these examples: Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot running away from the field to set the course record at the 2006 Boston Marathon in 2:07:14; Marilson Gomes dos Santos running away from the field at the 2006 New York City Marathon to win unchallenged in 2:09:58; Jaouad Gharib running hard and hanging on for Silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in 2:07:16; Ryan Hall running away from everyone to win the 2007 Olympic Trials in 2:09:02 and last year setting and pushing the pace from the start at the 2009 Boston Marathon to finish third in 2:09:40; Meb Keflezighi pushing the pace at the 2004 Olympics enroute to his Silver medal; James Kwambai running hard at Rotterdam to share the Kenyan National record of 2:04:27; and of course Hendrick Ramaala pushing the pace at almost every marathon he attends - to name a few examples.
Jaouad Gharib, one of the oldest in the field at 37, is also one of the fastest and told us that he believes that some time he can improve his 2:05:27 PR to 2:04 and is new to the New York course and likely unaware of its relative level of difficulty. Patrick Makau and Ryan Hall will both be new to the New York City Marathon course, although both have had extensive experience running over parts of the course as veterans of the New York City Half Marathon and the Healthy Kidney 10K (Makau) and Olympic Trials (Hall) races that run through Central Park.
Others have significant experience on the New York City Marathon course and will be used to the standard New York Marathon race: an honest pace and pack together through mile 16 and the race beginning in earnest as the runners turn onto First Ave. And all of these are frontrunners: Hendrick Ramaala, the 2004 Champion, will be running his eighth New York City Marathon and will undoubtedly push the pace as he always does. Meb Keflezighi will be running his fifth New York City Marathon and hoping to improve on his runner-up and third place finishes. Abdi Abdirahman will be running his fourth New York City, while Marilson Gomes dos Santos will also be running his fourth and hoping to become just the third man to win the New York City Marathon three times. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot - the four-time Boston Marathon winner - will be running just his second New York City Marathon, but has also participated in other races in Central Park as well...
With the depth of the 2009 field and the incredible experience of this group running in New York - we can expect anything.
40th Anniversary of the New York City Marathon - Return of the Champions
As an added bonus for the 2009 race, the 40th running, the New York Road Runners have invited back past champions and will offer a champion's bonus of $70,000 to any previous winner who claims the 2009 victory. While a group of legendary past men's champions will run the 26.2-mile distance, some will not be hoping for that bonus: 1983 winner Rod Dixon of New Zealand, 1988 winner Steve Jones of Great Britain, two-time winner Orlando Pizzolato of Italy (1984, 1985), and two-time winner German Silva of Mexico (1994, 1995). But the two mentioned above in this article: Marilson Gomes dos Santos and Hendrick Ramaala may have their eyes on that prize.
| Male Elite Athletes |
| Athlete | Country | Bib | Personal Best | NYC |
| Marilson Gomes dos Santos (32) | BRA | 1 | 2:08:37, London, 2007 | History |
Martin Lel (31) | KEN | 2 | 2:05:15, London, 2008 | History |
| James Kwambai (26) | KEN | 3 | 2:04:27, Rotterdam, 2009 | History |
| Jaouad Gharib (37) | MAR | 4 | 2:05:27, London, 2009 | History |
| Ryan Hall (27) | USA | 5 | 2:06:17, London, 2008 | History |
| Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (31) | KEN | 6 | 2:07:14, Boston, 2006 | History |
| Patrick Makau (24) | KEN | 7 | 2:06:14, Rotterdam, 2009 | History |
| Meb Keflezighi (34) | USA | 8 | 2:09:21, London, 2009 | History |
| Hendrick Ramaala (37) | RSA | 9 | 2:06:55, London, 2006 | History |
| Abdi Abdirahman (32) | USA | 10 | 2:08:56, Chicago, 2006 | History |
| Abderrahim Bouramdane (31) | MAR | 11 | 2:08:20, Seoul, 2007 | History |
| Jackson Kotut Kipkoech (21) | KEN | 12 | 2:08:07, Tiberias, 2008 | History |
| Tesfaye Girma (27) | ETH | 38 | 2:09:58, Berlin, 2009 | History |
| Migidio Bourifa (40) | ITA | 39 | 2:09:07, Paris, 2002 | History |
| Felix Limo (29) | KEN | TBA | 2:06:14, Rotterdam, 2004 | History |
| Chala Dechase (25) | ETH | TBA | 2:08:31, Amersterdam, 2008 | History |
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