Radcliffe, Gomes Dos Santos Win ING New York City Marathon – Again – Runner-up Petrova sets Masters world record; Goucher third in U.S. debut record; four U.S. men in top 10 – By Jim Gerweck, Running USA wire

NEW YORK – (November 2, 2008) – It's perhaps fitting that New York City, which prides itself on being a cosmopolitan melting pot of nationalities, should sport a diverse list of winners of its famed five-borough marathon. While the Africans, East and North, continue to dominate the other top 26-milers of the world, New York 2008 saw athletes from Brazil and Great Britain, both former champions, break the tape at the 39th edition of the ING New York City Marathon in Central Park on Sunday.

Marlison Gomes Dos Santos, 31, proved his 2006 NYC victory was no fluke by overtaking Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri, also last year's runner-up, in the final mile to win in 2:08:43 to 2:09:07, while defending champ Paula Radcliffe moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time NYCM women's champions list by taking her third title, still only a third of the total amassed by the legendary Grete Waitz back in the 70s and 80s. Unlike her 2004 and 2007 victories, when she was pressed to the wire, Radcliffe, 34, opened a comfortable lead a bit earlier over 2000 champ Ludmila Petrova, who hung on to take second behind Radcliffe's dominant 2:23:56. The 40-year-old Russian's time of 2:25:43 bettered the Masters women's world record of 2:26:51 set by Britain's Priscilla Welch in London 1987.

Behind Radcliffe and Petrova came another record setter: Kara Goucher, whose 2:25:53 for third is now the fastest debut marathon by a U.S. woman, supplanting the 2:26:58 run by Deena Kastor in 2001. That was also the U.S. women's course record here, which also now belongs to Goucher.

Perhaps that's fitting, since she is coached by Alberto Salazar, the last American man to win New York in 1982. "He told me he believes I was built to do this, and he trained me the way he trained himself, and I just put all my faith in that," said the 2008 Olympian said. "I doubted myself a little bit here and there. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle it. When I hit 23 miles, I was like, wow, this is the farthest I've ever run. I'll go away from this much more prepared the next time."

Radcliffe, who admitted a victory here was imperative in assuaging the hurt from her Beijing Olympics 23rd place, ran as she always does, leading from the gun, a tactic made even tougher into the chilly headwind the runners faced on Sunday.

"I was hoping some of the other girls would do some of the work – the pace wasn't that fast today," said the world record holder.

Radcliffe, whose goal was to run negative splits, kept gradually ratcheting down the pace by a second or two each mile, with the result of gradually whittling away the other women contenders from an initial pack of 10 down to half before finally dropping Goucher, Petrova, Ethiopian Dire Tune and her countrywoman Gete Wami, who had pressed Radcliffe to the line last year and finished sixth this year.

Joining Goucher in the top 10 was Katie McGregor, ninth here in 2006. The Team USA Minnesota veteran knocked more than a minute off that performance to place 10th in 2:31:14.

The U.S. men were even more impressive, placing four in the top 10. Three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman was the top American, placing sixth in 2:14:17, with fellow Americans Josh Rohatinsky seventh in 2:14:23, Jason Lehmkuhle eighth in 2:14:30 and Bolota Asmerom tenth in 2:16:37. It was the most U.S. men to place in the top 10 in New York since 1982, when Salazar's victory in 2:09:25 led five Americans in the top 10.

Following the 2008 ING New York City Marathon, Martin Lel of Kenya and Irina Mikitenko of Germany have earned the 2007-08 World Marathon Majors Series titles ($500,000 each). They will be honored at a special luncheon on Monday, November 3 at The Boathouse in New York City. Mikitenko tied Gete Wami with 65 points, but in a tiebreaker vote by the five WMM race directors, Mikitenko was selected as the winner because she had achieved her points in fewer races and her average times across her scoring races were lower than Wami's.

Complete WMM Series leaderboards can be found at: WorldMarathonMajors.com

39th ING New York City Marathon
New York, NY, Sunday, November 2, 2008

MEN
1) Marilson Gomes Dos Santos (BRA), 2:08:43, $165,000
2) Abderrahim Goumri (MAR), 2:09:07, $95,000
3) Daniel Rono (KEN), 2:11:22, $45,000
4) Paul Tergat (KEN), 2:13:10, $25,000
5) Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR), 2:13:33, $15,000
6) Abdi Abdirahman (USA / AZ), 2:14:17, $10,000
7) Josh Rohatinsky (USA / OR), 2:14:23, $7500
8) Jason Lehmkuhle (USA / MN), 2:14:30, $5000
9) Hosea Rotich (KEN), 2:15:25, $2500
10) Bolota Asmerom (USA / CA), 2:16:37, $1000

WOMEN
1) Paula Radcliffe (GBR), 2:23:56, $165,000
2) Ludmila Petrova, 40, RUS, 2:25:43*, $93,000
3) Kara Goucher (USA / OR), 2:25:53, $65,000
4) Rita Jeptoo (KEN), 2:27:49, $35,000
5) Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 2:29:14, $15,000
6) Gete Wami (ETH), 2:29:25, $10,000
7) Dire Tune (ETH), 2:29:28, $7500
8) Lidia Simon (ROU), 2:30:04, $5000
9) Lyubov Morgunova (RUS), 2:30:38, $2500
10) Katie McGregor (USA / MN), 2:31:14, $1000
*Masters world record (previous record, 2:26:51, Priscilla Welch (GBR), London 1987)

Complete results at: INGnycmarathon.org

Source: Running USA