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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 2, 2008Ludmila PetrovaNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK RICHARD FINN: Our second place runner up finisher Ludmila Petrova, I guess the most fascinating and telling stat with Ludmila is that she was 32 when she won here in 2000, and now eight years later she comes in in second place. Ludmila, if you could just give us your comments about the race and then we'll open it up for questions. LUDMILA PETROVA: I want to say that in eight years I am happy to be back here again at the start line, and I am especially happy to place second in this elite field that we had today. Q. You broke the world record for women over 40. Was that an important goal? Were you aware of that record? LUDMILA PETROVA: I thought I would make 2:26, and I actually wanted to break the record. Q. There was a bit of a struggle between you and Kara Goucher going for second; was there a point where you weren't sure or you felt solid in second? What were you thinking? LUDMILA PETROVA: Yes, I had some doubts. I was afraid that she may catch up and overtake me. It indeed ran through my mind, and I actually was aware that she was not that far away from me, not that far behind. But I did my best, tried to do my best to be second. Q. Were you surprised that it was just you and Paula Radcliffe left in this amazing field? LUDMILA PETROVA: Yes, I was a little bit surprised (laughter). Q. What surprised you? LUDMILA PETROVA: Well, to begin with, I'm 40, and everybody in the field was -- some of them, way younger than I. But I was ready for a fight. Q. Do you do anything differently now than you did eight years ago, training-wise? LUDMILA PETROVA: In 2003 before the Olympics of 2004, I went to train in the mountains, and I did not do a good job. I did not train right there. Since then I've never returned to the mountains. After the mountains I only ran 2:29 here in New York. I asked those athletes who know how to train the right way in the mountains, and this was the year that I talked to those people and I went back to get the training in the mountains. I was there, I got trained there, and you see the result. Q. Did you ever entertain any visions that you could win? Did you feel that there was a weakness in Paula that you had a chance? LUDMILA PETROVA: Yeah, the thought of being able to win actually did cross my mind. Paula normally runs away fast from the start line, but this time she sort of held back with the pack. We kept an even race with the pack. Then she participated in the Olympics, and I thought that she might have worn off a little bit, but when there were only two of us left in the lead, I realized that she is a much faster finisher, that I actually would have to accept her winning the race. Q. Did you know that coming into New York, did you come here thinking you could take the masters record today? LUDMILA PETROVA: That question has been asked already, and yes. I hoped I would. Q. The story about the mountains, you went there in 2003? LUDMILA PETROVA: I got over-trained there, and my results in the years that followed did not match up my expectations. But this year I went back there again. Q. After taking advice from some other athletes? LUDMILA PETROVA: Yes. I talked to my coach. I spoke to the new coach, asked him for assistance, and he did helped me. It helped me out. RICHARD FINN: Thank you very much. Ludmila, our second-place finisher. End of FastScripts |
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