Radcliffe in closest finish; Ramaala wins men's title
NEW YORK -- Maybe this will make up for her Olympic heartbreak.
Britain's Paula Radcliffe surged ahead in the final feet Sunday to win the tightest New York City Marathon in history in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 10 seconds -- less than three months after pulling out of the Athens Games just a few miles from the finish in a fit of tears.
Radcliffe edged Kenya's Susan Chepkemei by 4 seconds to become the race's first non-Kenyan women's champion since 2000. She raised her arms in triumph after crossing the line and wrapped herself in the Union Jack flag.
No crying this time around.
The previous record for closest women's finish in New York was 5 seconds, Wanda Panfil's margin over Kim Jones in 1990.
"I was reasonably confident I could overtake her," Radcliffe said.
The men's race wasn't nearly as thrilling, with Hendrik Ramaala of South Africa winning in 2:09:28 for his first marathon victory. Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi of the United States was next across, 25 seconds behind.
Ramaala, like Radcliffe, got a bit of redemption in this race after pulling out of the Olympic marathon with a groin injury.
"I always said I will win a big marathon one day," he said. "It didn't happen for four years, but I kept on trying. Finally, I made it."
But Ramaala actually missed out on the tradition of cracking the tape across the finish line because he didn't see it, leaving Mayor Michael Bloomberg and race director Allan Steinfeld holding the unbroken tape. Ramaala later apologized for his mistake.
Radcliffe and Chepkemei ran side by side for the final 5 miles, with both women trying to jostle for position. But Radcliffe made one final push under cascading autumn leaves to pull out the victory.
"I was pleased Susan was running with me. She's a good friend," Radcliffe said.
The scene was the complete opposite of what happened under the blazing Greek sun last August. Radcliffe entered the race with a nagging left leg injury that forced her to take anti-inflammatory drugs. The medicine, combined with the stress and heat, left her feeling queasy.
She could not go any further, stopping to sit on a curb 3 miles from the end. Radcliffe sobbed uncontrollably. She tried running the 10,000 meters a few days later but could not finish, either, for one of the most disappointing turns in her career.
But she got back to training after letting her injury heal and decided just two weeks ago to run in New York, hoping to get back to the form that earned her a world best over 26.2 miles last year in London.
And she did just that, becoming the first British woman to win the race through New York's five boroughs since Liz McColgan in 1991.
Russia's Lyubov Denisova was third in 2:25:18, while defending champion Margaret Okayo of Kenya was fourth in 2:26:31. Lornah Kiplagat, who called Radcliffe "selfish" earlier this week for joining the field so late, finished seventh in 2:28:21.
Olympic bronze medalist Deena Kastor dropped out of the lead pack around the eighth mile Sunday and then fell at the bottom of the Queensborough Bridge around the 16th mile. She was not seriously injured but had to pull out of the race, giving up her bid to become the first American woman to win the race since Miki Gorman in 1977.
Kenya's Michael Rotich, the fifth-ranked marathoner in 2003, dropped out of the men's race early and was taken to the hospital. Race organizers didn't have any immediate word on his condition.
France's Benoit Zwierzchiewski also dropped out. He fell about 20 minutes in, while running in the lead pack, and pulled out a short time later. American Bob Kennedy withdrew with about 8 miles left.
Mexico's Saul Mendoza won the men's wheelchair race, and Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland took the women's race in a course-record 1:53:27. Todd Philpott of Australia won the men's handcycle race in 1:17:12, while Angelique Simons of the Netherlands won the women's division in 1:50:02.
Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
