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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 2, 2008Kurt FearnleyEdith HunkelerBob LauferNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK RICHARD FINN: Bob Laufer, our wheelchair coordinator, a brief description of today's race, then a statement from Kurt and Edith and we'll open it up to you questions. BOB LAUFER: Thank you, Richard. I think the big story is the wheelchair race this year is twofold. One, that we have the same winners as before, and in Kurt's case, it was pretty much the same. He finished by himself. Unusual this time, Edith finished by herself, making away from a tight group early on. Kurt within eight miles was within Aaron, and a little after eight miles he took off and Aaron couldn't stay with him. The other part of the story was it was cold and windy. It doesn't seem to have bothered the runners as much today looking at their times, but I think Kurt's record is 1:29 and change, and Edith's is 1:52 and change, and today Kurt did 1:44 and Edith 2:06, and that isn't because they've slipped in any way as professional wheelchair racers. They are probably better than they were when they set those races. But the wind was really difficult. I think they can tell you going up the Verrazano Bridge it was almost scary, and when they came down the second mile they were not moving very fast. Last thing I'll say is I caused a little bit of panic at the finish line because I called around the 24-mile mark because I had not set my watch. I don't know what I was doing that I forgot to do that, but I called and said, look at the center lane and tell me what the time is, and they said something like 1:38, and I told David Katz it was wrong. It wasn't wrong, but they ran around trying to double check it, and of course it was right. Beyond that it was still a perfect day in every respect for this race. Everyone came through without injury, without incident, and I had fun. I hope they did. RICHARD FINN: We'll go ladies first. Edith, just a comment about the race. EDITH HUNKELER: It was a tough race. I mean, I've never done a race like that. Really, everything is sore right now. But to win here, it's always great. It's my fourth time and it's my fourth win, so that's great to be here. But it was the hardest one for sure in my whole career. I started 12 years ago. But it's always nice to win. RICHARD FINN: Kurt? KURT FEARNLEY: Yeah, this was a tough race. I think that it's going to be the most taxing on the body so far this year. It's great to be up here again with Edith. Actually we won the pair Olympic marathon in September, as well, so it's nice to be getting the continual podiums. I've just got to give a huge thank you to Bob Laufer and the New York Roadrunners for once again throwing a fantastic wheelchair race, once again, without a hitch, and it's because of those guys that it's so. BOB LAUFER: I'll add that we increased our prize money this year for place finishers and for time bonuses. I'll say unfortunately, even though we saved some money, I don't think there are going to be any time bonuses this year. RICHARD FINN: First place prize for both men and women is $10,000. Q. How did the wind affect you? EDITH HUNKELER: I'm not so fast, so when you come up and it's really cold, you lose a lot of power. It's tough to race with cold weather for us. I mean, with the wind and all this stuff, and in the beginning it was strange to go up and the chair was always going to the left side. You know, you have no wait at the front. So it was not really comfortable for me. But I think all of us had the same conditions. KURT FEARNLEY: I think that wheelchair racing is a bit of a sport of finesse. Literally your gloves are rubber and the push rim is rubber as well, so in the cold it takes a way a lot of the friction, so you're slipping and you can't get the same sort of power. The wind just makes it seem like every single push is that little bit harder. It's like you've turned an extra 10 kilograms on your bench press and you're doing that again and again and again for 42K, so it causes a lot more damage in the muscles and with the reduction in slippage and power there, it makes it a lot tougher. Q. You said you were tired, but at the end you said you did everything yourself from the beginning. What did it take to do that, to start from the beginning and go strong the entire way? EDITH HUNKELER: I was fast, and I just want to go away. When you have the chance to break away, so good, and I did my pace all the time. I felt well at the time because I knew all other athletes had the same conditions, but it wasn't easy. It's the first time I have done a marathon by myself, and I knew they can catch me, but I just tried, and it was good for me. But it was a tough race. BOB LAUFER: The way you tell Edith is tired at the end is the length of her celebration is much shorter. Last year it went on for a long time. This year it was just brief. Q. Was it a good way to end the season? How do you guys feel in general after that? KURT FEARNLEY: Fantastic way to finish the season. I think that I'm going to celebrate long and hard tonight if the wrists and the old shoulders can stand up to it, or maybe even this afternoon as soon as I get back and wash up. But it's been a long season, again, since September. The limbs were on and did the marathon there in Chicago and then straight back here. It's kind of extended the celebration, and it's going to definitely compound the celebrations, also, for the next month or so. EDITH HUNKELER: And the same for me. I go home and enjoy and do nothing. BOB LAUFER: Maybe Kurt can tell us what's happening with his mustache next month. KURT FEARNLEY: I'm really happy actually because it got on the commentary that I've got a Fu Manchu. I'm not sure what that is, but I've got 30 more days of growing my mustache for charity. It's the month formally known as November is changed to Movember, and it raises issues for men's health that nobody speaks about like depression and men's prostate cancer, the taboo, and it's a way to kind of throw that out there and it's changing the face of men's health. It's a bit of a fun old charity. I hate to see what I'm going to look like in 30 days, I'm sure a leather-clad wheelchair racer rather than a lacquer-clad one. Q. When did you begin with this and now much have you raised? KURT FEARNLEY: I started yesterday, and I think I'm up to two, two and a half grand. This is the first time I've been involved in it. It's more about raising awareness than raising dollars. It's not too late to sign up on the website and sport a mustache for the next 30 days. End of FastScripts |
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