NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 3, 2002

Sonia O´Sullivan

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I think it made it -- a lot of the girls were watching each other a lot. That's why the pace was not so fast because I think people were -- didn't want to run away and be out there on their own.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I don't know. I think the first half was great, the crowds were fantastic, and I think the second half I struggled a lot and I just was trying to get -- I just wanted it to end really, and just get to the finish line. I think my legs were really just, got really tight and I couldn't run properly so it was something that I wasn't used to feeling and didn't enjoy.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I don't know exactly right now. Only one thing, I suppose I had enough time in those last 10 miles when I was trying to run fast but not managing to think about why can't I keep going and what was the problem. The best thing I could come up with was, I think in some ways maybe the pace was too slow and I should have went faster earlier on. I think I am not really used to the slow rhythm of running and even in training, I tend to run a bit quicker. I think maybe my legs just tightened up because I was trying to hold back because I had taken advice from so many people "No matter how good you feel, try to relax and don't go fast the first half." I don't know, looking back, if I would start over again, I think I would go faster in the first half even if I was in the same position the second half then. At least I would know that I tried my best at the first half.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: At this stage, I don't know. At this stage, you'd like to say no and be like get at that and say never again.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: Definitely, yeah.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: No. The gap opened up really quickly on the bridge. I don't know if it was before that or after that that my legs just tightened up and I couldn't feel myself run properly. Margaret went past me. I tried to go with her. I know she'd probably catch up with me, if I go with her, I'd catch up too. But I went for a little while but just keep going.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: Definitely not, no. If anything, I think it was enough races to prepare me for this race. No, I don't think so.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I think she didn't want -- I think she kept looking behind and there was nobody willing to go with her. I think she just didn't want to be running out there by herself and just stop. I think it was one of those things, it was a lot of good really good runners in the race and when that happens, people tend to watch each other and nobody is willing to go out there and run fast unless they decide they are going to do that beforehand.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: A bit, yeah. I spoke to her afterwards and she also said that she probably would have preferred to have run faster from the start and maybe it is a mistake that both of us made that you'd be a bit cautious and you still feel the same way the last bit.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: No, I didn't notice that she had any trouble.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I don't know. It's hard to say right now. Right now, I don't know, I just want to have a break and I suppose start all over again pick a few more things to look forward to things to train for. I don't know right now the marathon is not the next race I want to run.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: The only thing I noticed during the race I think Marla ran really well and I just felt that she was running strongly throughout the race. The race was perfect for her, it was a pace that she wanted to run.

SONIA O'SULLIVAN: I don't know. It's hard to imagine, I mean, it's hard to close your eyes and go for one lap at a track, so it's hard to put yourself in that position. But I know that she's been in the Olympics and she's run shorter road distances. She obviously knows what she is doing. She's well prepared and trained.