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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 1, 2009

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to our news conference with the ING New York City Marathon 2009 wheelchair champions. On a day we had several surprises on the men's and women's side of the race. There were no surprises though there were great races for our two men's and women's champions up here: Edith Hunkeler who won the women's title for the fifth time here, and the fourth consecutive year, and Kurt Fearnley, who won in a photo finish, almost, won for the fourth consecutive year. So we congratulate our two champions. We'll go ladies first. Edith, if you could say a couple of words about today, I guess it was a good day but a tough day with the conditions.
EDITH HUNKELER: Yeah, it was really a tough day, and we raced all together. I mean, Top 10 women they've been here, and we raced really well. At the four we break away, and we really work together. And at the end, probably it was the last time I left Central Park, I broke away and knew now I can win.
But it was really tough, because a long time I didn't know what happened during the race.
THE MODERATOR: Kurt, I don't think any of us have ever seen a finish like that. You said maybe it's the closest finish you've ever had. Can you talk about those last few yards or meters or what was going on in your mind there as you came down that final stretch?
KURT FEARNLEY: Yeah, I think my arms aren't really set for sprinting right now. I never expected that race to come down the way it did. Attacked a bit too early, and I blew up. Saw Krige's wheel, and just focused in on it, just kept screaming at myself not to let it by me. So, again, it was only a few inches. But a few inches is enough sometimes.
THE MODERATOR: One other note, for the wheelchair champions here, we have a total prize purse of $65,000, and both the men's and women's winner won $12,000 today.

Q. What are you thinking and how -- what's going on in those last few pushes of the chair there?
KURT FEARNLEY: Yeah, seriously the only thing I was looking at Krige's wheel and just screaming to myself to not let it pass me.
So that was more or less it. Just my arms and everything was just screaming fairly loud, but they had got over the top of it.
Again, it's one of those things that could have worked out anyway. But this way it worked out for me.

Q. Did it come down to directing your chair in the right direction towards the end? Because obviously it was "Whacky Races" at the end where you kind of veered him outside the post or into the post.
KURT FEARNLEY: Yeah, it was a bit of pushing, and I think I went around the race. It wasn't -- from London I've had races with Dave where we've been wheeling each other, so it wasn't as bad as that.

Q. You've had punchouts haven't you?
KURT FEARNLEY: We haven't had punch-ups, mates. We've had a lot more beers than we've had punch-ups. But it was one of those things where I was trying to get to the finish line first, and I think that it's -- I think that I've come off on the worse of those a number of times. So it's nice to come out in the front of it.
Rubbing's racing, and I don't think we even started rubbing.

Q. Edith, that is the closest that Shelly's come to you as well here, I think. She was seven seconds behind you. I spoke to her on the phone a little while ago. She was saying she's kind of slow to catching you up. I think she's finished second three times here behind you. And she said she was really pleased today. Did you feel a bit more pressure from them today? Because you tend to dominate the end of the race.
EDITH HUNKELER: Of course, I always feel pressure in the race, because I'm the one who is -- they try to beat. Shelly, it's true, she is the third time second. But it was probably the closest. Last year I was far away from the others, but I can't remember.
But all the women's they're really strong, and they have feel it in the uphills, you know. That's normally my advantage, but they could go with. So I took my time. At the end it's always seconds, the winner. It was probably seven or eight seconds now to Shelly. But she did really strong and worked hard like Kakoda and Christie Dawes. So we all work hard together.

Q. So Christie was the fourth one in the group, correct?
EDITH HUNKELER: Exactly.
THE MODERATOR: The first three finishers all finished within eight seconds of each other. Shelly was seven seconds behind.
KURT FEARNLEY: And Shelly's going to do big things, too. Three second places. I think I went through four years of between second and fourth place, and never really got that crack. And Shelly is going to be huge. She's strong. She's fantastic.

Q. You're 30 now.
KURT FEARNLEY: 28. I feel about 50 today, mate.

Q. But isn't it the case though that it's not your early 20s that you peek in wheelchair racing, it tends to be your late 20's or 30's?
EDITH HUNKELER: Almost 40.

Q. Well, 37.
KURT FEARNLEY: Almost 20.

Q. You peak between 28 and 38 rather than the earlier years?
KURT FEARNLEY: Today I raced down the line with a bloke who is 44, and he was the toughest I've ever seen him. And coming into the race I was looking at him wondering it's all right.
And he actually said to me, Kurt, don't attack now, I need a bit of a buffer between me and the blokes behind me. So I said, yes, and I didn't attack. Then he got stronger and stronger throughout the race.
By 30-K I was looking at him and I was about to ask him not to attack me. You know, the kind of things that come with age, the strength and toughness comes with age. You can't --

Q. You can't buy it?
KURT FEARNLEY: No, you can't. And Shelly is getting that now. She gets three or four second places in New York five years from now, she's down to first or second, nothing will stop her from winning this race. So she's going to be big. She's just paying the piper at the moment.

Q. From my vantage point in the lead vehicle around 24 Miles, Kurt, I saw you knuckle bump with Krige, I said that must mean now they've said gloves are off, we're going to be serious. But I don't know what it meant.
KURT FEARNLEY: We actually had a bit of a conversation there as well. We touched hands and I said thanks, mate, this has been great. Because the day before Krige was one of the blokes I was looking up to when I was a kid. He's been racing since '88, and I started racing in '93. And he said to me yesterday this is the strongest field he's ever raced in outside of the Paralympics, and that kind of jeered me up a little bit last night.
Then when we pushed together today, it was really, really nice. Like it was a chance to run with the legend, and he was in the best shape I've ever seen him. And we got into the park and we turned that last corner. I just said, mate, this has been fantastic, you know. He sat up and he said, very true. It's been a fun race, you know.
And we had worked really well together. We had taken corners, not been to aggressive with each other. We looked after each other and nursed each other through, I guess. At that point it was just a recognition. You know, it's been a good 40k.

Q. You've won here four times both of you. I'm sorry, your fifth, Edith. How do you compare or do you compare this win with any other win? Or are they all equally happy and significant?
EDITH HUNKELER: Exactly, they're equal. Because to win here is the toughest marathon. It was always my highlight of the year. And it makes me happy I never lost here. So it's really something special for me. But, yeah, I can't compare.
I think last year in Beijing it was just one second I won gold in Beijing in the marathon. This was really, really special.
But here to win, that's perfect. That's great. That's amazing.

Q. Kurt?
KURT FEARNLEY: For me, this is, again, the highlight of my year of. The New York Marathon. I think I started here in '05. Really took the recognition and the level and the respect that's shown to the wheelchair division to a new place. You know, every year it's just gotten bigger and better. And I think we've got Bob, and Bob Laufer and Mary, and everyone through the Road Runners show us this level of respect, and it gets bigger and better. And you know, the lines of London have jumped on board the last few years. That's increased tenfold and even Chicago is coming our way as well.
So New York is, I believe, New York is responsible for that. And because of that this race is a pretty special thing for me.
THE MODERATOR: I'll just point out for those who don't know, our wheelchair race coordinator for several years, Bob Laufer right there, and he's certainly available for any other comments afterwards. Are there any other questions.
KURT FEARNLEY: I'm going to the Jets game at 1:00, so I've got seven Aussies over here. In a week I'll be crawling in 96k's with a few of them through the jungle in Papau, New Guinea, which is the reason for the dirty mustache. But for today we're going to celebrate. It's the first time. I've wanted to go to an NFL game since I came over here the first time. And this afternoon is the first time I get to roll in the stadium and have a look at it live. So I'm pretty excited.
THE MODERATOR: So he'll roll into the Meadowlands as once again the champion of the ING New York City Marathon.
KURT FEARNLEY: This should get me a beer, (laughter).
THE MODERATOR: Congratulations.

End of FastScripts

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