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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 1, 2009Jaouad GharibRyan HallMeb KeflezighiJorge TorresNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK THE MODERATOR: Little change of plans. We have our number three finisher, Jaouad Gharib, and our number four finisher, Ryan Hall. RYAN HALL: Ryan Hall. JAOUAD GHARIB: Jaouad Gharib. THE MODERATOR: I'd like to ask both gentlemen to make a comment about the race, and how it went. JAOUAD GHARIB: I was very happy and excited to participate in the New York Marathon. Of course, I was hoping to win the first place, but happily I came in the third place. THE MODERATOR: Ryan? RYAN HALL: It was a disappointing day for me to be honest. I felt like I was in better shape than that, but the day was what it was. I was really happy for Meb. Someone yelled to me that Meb was going to win, I was passing mile like 23 or 24. I was just, I smiled and I was like, man, that's awesome. He totally capitalized on a golden opportunity. He continues to break barriers for us young Americans to try to follow in his footsteps. So good day for the Americans. THE MODERATOR: Ryan, you seemed to drop off there for a little while, then you actually came pretty close, it seemed back -- was there a problem, a physical problem or something where you had that bad stretch or was it a tough stretch? RYAN HALL: Yeah, it's kind of going in and out of feeling good and not feeling good. And I think I made some tactical mistakes just sitting too far back. I don't tend to run well at the back of packs. I was trying to stay relaxed and trying to conserve as much energy as possible. But I think I need to be up in the mix more. So I think I made some mistakes that way. Q. Talk about the rise of Americans in the marathons? RYAN HALL: I think there's -- we're obviously coming around. I think a lot of that has to do with Meb and Deena bringing home medals in 2004, that kind of kicked it off for us. There are tons of Americans pushing the envelope, and Jorge debuting and running so well. I think we're going to see -- we're going to continue to see guys running better and better because there are more of us now whereas before there were a lot of guys that were kind of done with their careers. Now it's a lot of young guys coming to the marathon with fresh legs. So I think we're continuing to see improvement. Q. Last year you were second, and this year you are third. Was it more difficult this year? JAOUAD GHARIB: This is my first time participating in the New York Marathon. During this marathon I experienced some pain in my groin and cavs which hold me back a little. Which prevented me from moving forward and winning the first place. Q. I saw you giving a big hug to Meb afterwards. What did you say to him? And can you also talk a little about your practices? I know you're coached by different people, but you're in the same place. What's that like? RYAN HALL: Yeah, I told Meb that he deserved it. If there was one other guy in the race that I wanted to win, it would have definitely been Meb. So I've learned so much from him, you know. I feel like he's an older brother to me, so it was really neat for him to win. Just seeing him go through those hard times and a lot of people were kind of starting to write him off saying he's older, and he's had too many injuries and all this. To see him come back and win here was just, you know, huge for him. You know, with his family and a kid on the way, he's just one of those guys that you want to see do well. So I was really happy for him. Like I said, I've learned a lot from him about the marathon. I've learned from him again today. So hopefully, you know, years down the road that will pay off. Q. Your training in Mammoth, how often do you actually run with him? RYAN HALL: We don't train together a whole lot. We hooked up for a couple of long runs and stuff like that. Meb usually runs faster on easy days. Maybe I need to start running faster, I don't know. But we have different workouts. We did a couple of tempo runs together and stuff like that. But we live like 400 meters away from each other. So we're practically neighbors. THE MODERATOR: We were just joined here by Jorge Torres, seventh place finish in his marathon debut. Third American to finish. Jorge, your comments about your first marathon and what it was like out there? JORGE TORRES: It's a very long race (laughing). My legs are a little sore, but it's a good feeling. It's everything I thought it was going to be. I gave myself a good shot to be up front with the front pack. Obviously First Avenue was -- I expected it to be that fast. But expecting it and feeling it is two different things. I have to say it was overall a great experience for the first time around. THE MODERATOR: Ryan talked about what it was like to see Meb win, and about American long distance running today. Jorge, your comments about what happened out there with Meb? JORGE TORRES: As soon as I came in and I heard Meb won, I was like, that is fantastic. It was a good feeling to hear that an American brought the title back home. You know, I just saw the results posted up on TV, and it was we went first, fourth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth, which is pretty impressive for the American men. I think it's something that's been in the works. You know, I just hope that it just keeps on improving and to see people winning majors like Meb, Ryan, even hopefully myself some time. Q. Can you just talk about your role model growing up in long distance running? I know you live in Boulder, and Steve Jones is your coach, I don't know if you've talked with him at all, and maybe talk about the beginning and where you see long distance running for the U.S. going? JORGE TORRES: Well, my role model was -- you don't know who your role model really is until he's no longer there. He passed away this summer, it was Greg Fedyski, he's a coach of mine that I grew up with and taught me a lot of things and was a mentor. So when I crossed that finish line, it was sad for me, because I wish he was there to witness what I just ran, and he always wanted me to run 26.2 miles. Unfortunately it was a few months too late for him to see me do it. As far as for us and the American runners, I think there is a new era of distance runners that are coming behind us who may or may not look up to us, but they're definitely going to try to challenge us. And it's the young guys are always going to be hungrier than the older guys. So I think it's going to be pretty exciting next couple of years that I think American distance running is where it should be, and it's going to get even better. Q. You have a lot of experience in many marathons. First time in New York. It seemed to be a very different race after maybe mile 18. It changed where the first 18 were some fast, some surges, and after that it seemed to be very much a strength race, somewhat like the World Championship races. Can you comment on your experience in New York compared to these other championships you've run in? JAOUAD GHARIB: I can say in participating in this marathon was a little bit difficult. Considering it's my first time participating here in the New York Marathon. And I would like for the future to participate more in the New York Marathon. And hopefully I'll do better and achieve more than I did this time. THE MODERATOR: On behalf of all of us at New York Road Runners it's taken several years to get you here. We'd love to have you back. We're expecting Meb here in a minute or two. We'll continue. Q. You put in all this work for these marathons and like you said, it's like a boxer. You go out a couple times a year. So when it doesn't go well for you, I kind of sense that maybe you're frustrated. You're trying to like think of why it didn't go well. So is that how you feel, and what have you come up with so far? RYAN HALL: Yeah, it is. It's really disappointing when you don't feel like you did as well as you were expecting to do. I don't know. I was looking at my splits out there, and I was like, man, I was doing 18-mile tempo runs at five-minute pace, and the same split I hit today at 7,000 feet in practice in the middle of 130-mile weeks. So when you start to see that it's easy to get down on yourself. Yeah, it's tough. I invested a lot. Brought up a massage therapist. Got two hours of massage every single day. You're running for these kids out there. Trying to raise money for their schools. I wanted to bring home a big paycheck for them, you know. I had a lot to run for with our foundation that we're starting. You know, I was thinking about my family and my wife who has invested so much in me. I mean, there are so many people, my coach, my teammates, everyone back home watching. You want to do well not only for yourself but for them. And when you don't, it's a big let down because you invest a lot, so it hurts a lot when you don't hit it. But, you know, it takes a couple of days, and then you realize that there's going to be more opportunities, and you learn from it. I think you learn a lot more from your disappointments than you do from the times that you win. And it's good to have a good humbling experience every once in a while. I always run my best races after a humbling experience. You know, I'll get over this. In a couple of days I'll turn my head toward the spring and start looking forward to that. Q. When you ran in Boston you had a lot of headwind. Today you had a lot of headwind. That's tough to run that much in a headwind. Do you think maybe you just need to catch a better marathon for you where you kind of can get in that better rhythm? It's hard to tell when we're watching the race, but when you're in that wind it's really hard. RYAN HALL: Yeah, you get in the wind and you're out there leading. You hear the people back in this media room being like what's he doing leading this race in the wind, you know. And everyone back home is giving me a hard time for leading in Boston into the wind. So you start to second guess yourself. And honestly, it doesn't feel comfortable when you're leading into the wind. There is not a lot you can do about that. Yeah, just wasn't my day today. Q. You had a lot of, I don't want to say pressure, but a lot of focus on you coming into this race. Everywhere you went in New York, you were on a billboard and stuff. And it seemed like you had a lot of, maybe not expectations, but attention placed on you. Do you think maybe that hurt you a little whereas Meb, people are saying, he's old, he's washed up, he's been hurt. He kind of flew in under the radar and was able to kind of sneak in. Was being in the spotlight, did that maybe blur your focus a little? RYAN HALL: Honestly, I don't know. You know, I handled it the best I could. Felt really confident and comfortable going into the race. You know, it was nothing new. Every time I've been to the starting line of a major marathon, people are expecting big things. I think I just expect a lot from myself. So maybe this is going to be a good thing not to lower my expectations, but just to, I guess just to go into it more humble and expecting it to be hard, because it is hard. And, yeah, it's just not easy to pick up a win in a major marathon. Everything's got to click right on the day. THE MODERATOR: We're going to welcome up Meb, our champion. We'll let Meb give us his thoughts on today. MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, just had a wonderful day for myself and the rest of the American guys. Ryan and I are teammates. We train together a lot of times. You know, he was -- first comment from him to me was, "You deserve it." And I would have done the same thing if he had won it. Thank you for your support and believing in me. And Coach Terrence Mahon and Coach Bob Larsen have done a great job with us. Today was a huge day. You visualize, you visualize, but when reality hits, it hits home, and it's pretty sweet. You know, I've been doing the Prayer of Jabez (ph) for a long time and every day I'm in the ice bath. So he told me I was going to win one of them, and he did today. I can't put in words. If it wasn't for God and where I am, where my life would have been would be pretty different. It's just New York where I started, you dream about it, in 2002 I think I could pull it off. But to finally do it, it's amazing. I'm just glad the crowd is phenomenal as always. Great field. Probably the best assembled, both on the international and U.S. level. And to come out on top of that, you know, it was huge. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. How sweet is it to have it done here, Central Park, in the same place where you almost ended your career at the U.S. trials with the injury, to come back and have it come full circle here? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: You know, it's great. The Big Apple has been good to me. You know, you visualize, visualize, visualize, you know, I've done 8k, 10k, Half Marathon, and to be able to win my -- I don't know if you guys know -- my first, my first in seven years to win the U.S., a title, and the whole thing with New York, it just can't get any better. It can't get any better. Q. Since 2004 when you won the silver medal and came in second, how have you seen U.S. distance running change? And how excited are you to be now on top again? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, 11 years ago I wrote a letter to Mr. Alberto Salazar, you know, we need to change the U.S. distance running. To visualize that and to be the first American to win since him is a big honor, obviously. You know, done a lot in my life. I have appreciated him. But I mean, great runners here. You know, Jorge Torres has been in the 10k before, and Ryan has done a great job in the marathon, getting fast time and finishing third in Boston is huge. At the high school level, collegiate level, professional level, we are set. And there's more to come, you know. With the results also speak for themselves, and there's a lot of great things going on. This is a division that has been mine since 1998 and I'm still glad to be part of it. Q. What was that letter all about, and did you give suggestions to Alberto? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I just said you know what my accomplishments were in high school and at UCLA. And you know, to give me an opportunity to be able to lead the USA in terms -- he was working for Nike. And to get an opportunity to give me the chance to run as a professional instead of going to try to get a part-time job and things like that. That's what it was. And visualizing I was a 5k, 10k runner, and we need to change that into the marathon, you know, the road racing and things like that. So that was the letter. I still have it. You know, it's from the summer of '98. Q. Ryan said earlier that you winning the silver and Deena winning a medal in 2004 did a lot for Americans in the sport. Did you feel that? Did you feel like 2004 was a turning point and you being able to do that was a big influence? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Most definitely. If you look at the results of the Olympic team in 2000, we have one male and one female represent us. But in 2004, you know, the only contribution was the two medals. It was not Kenya, not Morocco, not Italy and things like that. So that was the contribution. The starting of it, and hopefully we inspired a lot of guys, Deena and I. And I know Ryan gave me a lot of credit for what I've accomplished. He's a great guy. I'm glad to be part of them. But I think that was the starting of it. But we had phenomenal in the '70s, and in the '80s, and then we let it drop in the '90s, but we're back at it again. Q. Have you given any thought or have you been able to give any thought then if you had changed American distance running in a way, what this victory for you will do going forward, or have you not been able to think that far out yet? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, it was very emotional when I finished. It was a big way. You can say I'm going to win New York. I'm going to win Boston and things like that, but to actually do it is -- we were running with Ryan one time. I don't know if you remember one of our long runs. And Ryan said, you know, it would be great for you to win New York, and I'm going to also win Boston. That's how much support we get from each other. You know, he believed in me, and my coach believed in me, and our group does. It's just -- Deena just told me yesterday, hey, you had a great base build up, go out and use it now. That was encouraging to hear from each other to be able to support each other. Sometimes you might not have that self-confidence with you, but from people that sees the workout that you do and training, they see you and say, hey, go for it. A lot of people in Mammoth have done that for me. They've said, hey, you're going to pull it off. But the stacked field as it was, to actually do it was a big accomplishment. And to run a PR on this course, it's huge. THE MODERATOR: Back in Central Park the course runs past where you were on the trials course. Was there something special, especially Ryan and Meb, who were in that trials race in 2007 when you went past that particular spot on the course where Ryan passed away? Jorge, you were not on the trials. Ryan and Meb, anything out there? Were you able to remember it or was it something a little bit special? RYAN HALL: Yeah, I definitely thought about it when I went by that spot. I thought about Ryan. You know, I wasn't thrilled with how things were going for me out there, but that definitely, I think, put things in perspective. I know Ryan would have loved to be in this race and be in fourth place or whatever. So, yeah, it kind of put things in perspective. MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I definitely did, probably from eight or nine miles to go he came to my mind. But I kept driving hard and I don't exactly know -- I know the vicinity of 200 meters from where he fell and passed away -- but I don't know if you saw on TV, I did this right when I was there, the cross, that's what it was for. If I hadn't made that move before that 24 miles, I knew I was going to do it there. That was I'm going to give it all I have, and that's what I was visualizing. And I have been visualizing hopefully with the Town of Mammoth, give a little bench at the place where I remember of him. And I promised myself I'm going to try to do that if I win one of these titles. Q. You sometimes equate a marathon as climbing a mountain. You know, earlier in your career you started somewhat humbly here, but you made your way up to the mountain in Athens. Then you had a lot of adversity. First the food poisoning then the hip. It seemed like a second climbing of the mountain. What did you draw from your first climb up that mountain, that experience, and how did that help you get to your first victory? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: You know, in 2006 training was really well. You know, my brother, and my agent and my family made a shirt that says, "He who strives will succeed." "He who strives will succeed." And that was the motto that I used. You work hard, life is about ups and downs. But you try to not stay there too long. I always look for guidance from people, and God uses people to elevate you. And to get the second chance, you know, unfortunately Ryan is not here, Ryan Shay, but injuries are something that you recover from. A lot of things you can recover from in life. So I hope to be an example when the going goes tough, there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you keep your hopes high. Q. When you first got that diagnosis on your hip, what was your reaction at that time? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, they were going to do a cortisone shot from what they saw on the MRI. And I flew all the way from San Diego to come here to get it done, there's been numerous doctors who helped me. But I called Dr. Natalia Natife, I've known her, she's a bone specialist. And she does research between swimmers and runners and impact on their bodies. Thought it was a crazy study when I was at UCLA. But I called her and I said, hey, can I walk or can I run again? And that was my question. My wife and I prayed hard. You know, that's not the way to make a living or to live when she saw me crawling. But I wasn't sure if I was going to recover from it. That was the first question I asked her. And she said, you know, we have to be patient. You can't rush it, but you can definitely recover. So that was reaffirming to hear that. Q. I know you moved to Italy after you left. Can you tell me exactly which year you were there, and which town? And I know you went to school there, if you can give me the name of the school, and I know you are still in touch with one of your teachers, if you can tell me his name as well. MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, it was beautiful. I lived from late '85 to October 21st, 1987, is when I came to the U.S., luckily about 22 years ago just last week. I lived in Milano, the city, and then I went to school in Monsa at a boarding school. And I still keep in touch with my teacher Angela Depee (ph), and my good classmate, Martin Meni (ph). So, you know, I'm going to wait a little bit, and maybe take a vacation over there sometime. I saw her in 2002, my teacher and my classmate. Q. You still speak Italian? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: [SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]. Q. Can you talk about the last few miles coming down Central Park. And when you knew you could win the race? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, I made a move right at 24, I knew where that was with 2.2 miles to go. I just made a left turn. Once I made that left turn I made a move that kind of let me go. I just kept trying to expand that lead a few times. But it wasn't. Every step was great for God. I just used his power to be able to get away and try to enjoy it as much as I can until the last. Q. So you've been setting PR's all year. But did you have any idea you were going to set a PR here today? Did you recognize that as you were running the race? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I did not recognize that as I was running the race. I think we were at 1:05 or so halfway. But I did visualize in practice the running PR. And Coach Terrence Mahon and Coach Larsen we have talked. With that stacked field it's going to happen. Maybe to '08 or '09, definitely faster. But during the halfway, but by that time I was not; it was about 25 miles we were 2:03 or something around that time. But I just try to compete as much as I can. THE MODERATOR: We're going to let Ryan and Jorge leave. We thank both of them for their performances and their time with us. Q. When you made your move at 24 miles, did you sense that you had a break? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Yes. I mean we were on Fifth Avenue, I was trying to get up in front. I knew he was looking a lot back and he was trying to get away from me. But it was windy. You know, Robert's a great champion. Four-time Boston champion. I was just praying that this would be my day. A lot can change by winning this race. My wife always after watching the 2000 -- 2004-2005 video she said you could have one of those years, but you've got to be patient. Don't lead. That's why you saw me in the back the whole time, and hopefully try to put it together. Q. Could you sense people dropping off the pack? Because you seemed to be -- we were watching you and you were kind of watching around as Dos Santos dropped back and a few others. Could you sense when people were dropping off the back? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Most definitely. Ryan and I talked about it at the 59th Street Bridge, about 15 or 16, Dos Santos was falling back. And we said he might be in trouble. So we need to focus on each other. Gharib was going back and forth, but he was, I think, pretty strong. He kind of -- coach can tell you a few things to plan, but you have to use your head and intuition. And looking back to see and sense what's going on. I didn't go crazy on First Avenue, that was what we talked about, Coach Larsen, and we visualized that, and stayed back and mastered it pretty well. Q. What made you decide to wear a shirt that said "USA" on it today? Is that a shirt that you had worn in competition? THE MODERATOR: That's actually more of the New York Road Runners decision as we tried to put different runners in different uniforms. And I think Meb has run with "USA" several times. MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Yeah, I did that a few times. But it would have been different without that today. It was just a perfect time for it to have that. Since high school or UCLA days, whenever you put that San Diego or UCLA jersey, you take pride in it. And definitely today wearing that USA jersey got the crowd going, and definitely wore it with big honor and pride. Q. Ryan said that he would celebrate with cupcakes and an In-and-Out Burger. I'm just wondering what's on the menu for your celebratory meal this evening? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: He's right. I love In-and-Out. It's a California thing. My wife loves Chick-fil-A. But it's Sunday so they're not open. I just try to eat some food right now. Steak. Trying to get protein to recover from the grueling race, but I'm not hungry right now. But we'll see what has -- probably steak or, you know, something really nice. Q. Are you surprised with not so great results for the Kenyans in the streets of New York? THE MODERATOR: Were you surprised possibly of the fact that we had several leading Kenyans, Kwambai and Makau that maybe they didn't do as well as we thought they would, or people thought they would coming in? MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, practice makes perfect. It's just the stacked field, you know, with Coach Larsen and Terrence, we talked about who the fields are. You have a 2:04:27, and, you know, 2:06, a lot of guys and things like that. But I ran on a fast course. Obviously, I ran London also, we ran 2:09:21, but I was hoping for bigger PR's. But it's just competition. That's what New York is. That's what Boston is, that's what the Olympic games are. And I've done very well on those, on the podium most of the time, so I guess this course suits me pretty well. Hopefully I can get a fast time too, though. People said we think your time is supposed to be a lot more faster. But I haven't hit that one yet. Q. It looked like those last few steps in Central Park coming up to the finish line you were -- it seemed to be very special. MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I mean, yeah, it was. I mean, tears in my eyes. Part of it is just visualizing your dream and your dreams have become reality. You know, also the other part as I'm running is Ryan, Ryan Shay. That's what I was most crying about was that and how proud he would have been with me. Just a lot of people who was on favors or the hard work I worked, a lot of people were pulling for me. To actually do it is another thing. It's very emotional. And, man, God is great. I'm just thrilled to be able to win my first marathon ever at the place where I started and on a PR, wearing that USA jersey, it can't get any better. It's just sweet. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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