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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 3, 2011

Edison Pena

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

MARY WITTENBERG: Many of you have heard of us say the ING New York City Marathon is much more than a foot race. It's all about the triumph of the human spirit, it's about overcoming challenges. It's about perseverance. I think we all remember quite well Edison PeÃ±a's run here last year, and how I think in many ways he's embodied what this event is all about. So let's look back and remember.
(Video shown)
MARY WITTENBERG: A year ago he was running towards the light. From what we understand this past year, Edison's been running for his life. Some of his challenges have been well documented. We understood that once again running was something that was helping Edison, we threw our arms open wide to welcome him back here to New York.
EDISON PENA: Thank you.
DAVID HIRSCH: We'll ask Edison to make an opening comment. If you could talk about what this last year has been like for you, I'd appreciate it.
EDISON PENA: So the last year has been very difficult. I had a lot to process. I had to process everything that happened. I committed a lot of mistakes, but I also continued to run to illuminate my path.

Q. Last year the goal was to finish. What is the goal this year?
EDISON PENA: My goal this year is the same as last year. I want to run this race and I want to finish it. That's important. I also am dealing with a lot of pain and injuries, so it's going to be particularly challenging, and I'm going to do everything I can. But run it and finish is what I want to do.
Well, actually, let me amend that. I wouldn't mind winning either (laughing).

Q. You said you have some injuries; what are the injuries and why has running been so important to that?
EDISON PENA: I have a very bad knee. My bones rub together, and it's very painful. But I'm here because I have to show that I can do this, and that when we fall down, we need to rise up again.
So I'm here despite the fact that I've fallen down to show that I've risen up. I don't really want to go into depth about the challenges that I faced, but suffice to say that I have gotten help and declared a truce with the problems I've had.
I'm very fortunate to have a team of therapists, and right now I feel pretty good.

Q. I'm wondering have you had much contact with other miners and how are they doing? I understand some of them don't have jobs.
EDISON PENA: Yes, it is true that many of us don't have jobs yet. Each of us is living our life pretty much separately. Everybody's trying to get by and to move on. But that's not how we thought it was going to be.
A lot of us have psychological issues to address. A lot of us suffer from insomnia. But something that is really crucial to convey is that really the impact of being trapped in the mine we're feeling after we got out of the mine. It's hit us now.

Q. Would you describe running as therapeutic to kind of help your mind through all these things? I wonder if you've ever tried to talk to some of the other miners into trying running to help them along?
EDISON PENA: I haven't been in touch with a whole lot of the other miners, but when I am, I always urge them to try running. There is not a lot of interest on their part to try running.

Q. (Inaudible)?
EDISON PENA: What a runner feels after running, that runner high is so satisfying and really helps dissipate my problems. So yes, running, but especially the wonderful feeling after running is very therapeutic for me.

Q. Do you receive any sort of benefit, monetary benefit from either the mining company or the Chilean government?
EDISON PENA: No.

Q. I'm also curious when did you hear from the New York Road Runners? And given the challenges that you've faced over this past year, did you think at all that maybe it wouldn't be in your best interest to undertake this again and answer all the inevitable questions about what the year has been like?
EDISON PENA: Yes, it's hard to be in my shoes. But I decided to run again because I like challenges. Also I decided to run again because I wanted to encourage others, and I wanted to show them and show myself that, yes, we can.

Q. Last year you had a giant room full of reporters and photographers, this year a much smaller group. Are you relieved or disappoint at the difference?
EDISON PENA: No, it's actually a great relief.
MARY WITTENBERG: If you want to chime in on timing, last year as Edison was leaving and he said he wanted to come back and run with training, we invited him to join us. So we touched base at the end of August, and then we, like others, read that it had been a challenging year. We worked through the consulate and wanted to ensure that this made sense for Edison, and even advised that it would still be a lot of attention, and something to be careful about. But the response back to us was that running had become -- I'm trying to recall the words given to me so I don't use mine -- but it was effectively that Edison was really looking forward to running here, and that that would be the best thing for him.
EDISON PENA: Yes, that's right, Mary. I do want to run again, and I do want to run here. Just point me in the right direction.

Q. You seem a lot more serious this time around. Are you having fun in New York?
EDISON PENA: I just haven't gotten any sleep.
DAVID HIRSCH: He had a long journey yesterday. It was a long trip from Chile yesterday.
MARY WITTENBERG: But you arrived in the sun. Last year you arrived in the rain.

Q. It's good to see you back here after you entertained us last year with your enthusiasm, but also your great singing of Elvis songs. I'm curious, have you had a lot of requests? Have you considered singing either professionally, because you do have a really good voice. So whether it's singing Elvis or Chilean songs, have you done that and considered doing that any time in the past or since last year?
EDISON PENA: No, no, no. There's plenty of people who sing much better than I do, and I think they're the ones who should be the professional singers.
I was very humbled when I saw a music festival in Canada, I thought, "Wow! They really sock it to it."

Q. I was wondering how your wife and family have been helping you cope and help support? And did any of the book or movie deals come through so far?
EDISON PENA: I haven't had any updates on the books or the movies, and yes, my family has been supportive. Of course, it's difficult for everyone involved, including myself to accept that I have some challenges and problems. But I think really what I have to do is take responsibility and move forward.

Q. I understand and want to respect that you don't want to chronicle what this whole last year has been like for you, but I wonder if you might be able to shed some light on what the most difficult time for you has been? If you could just amplify or expand on that at all, I'd appreciate it.
EDISON PENA: The hardest time of the last year was when I was hospitalized. I realized that I felt like I was divided in two. That there was a normal me and a me that was a gorilla, and that I need to control that gorilla.

Q. What do you think of New York, and would you like to live here? Before you go, would you sing before the cameras before you leave us?
EDISON PENA: New York is fantastic. And this year I really hope to take more pictures. I'm doing some photography, and I want to take pictures home for my friends. I don't think there is anyplace else on earth where people are so zipped up. They're all running around. So stay tuned for songs. Maybe not today, but another day, perhaps.
MARY WITTENBERG: I think for Edison, this event has had incredible healing powers in the past. We'll hope for that for Edison on Sunday, and it's always also lots and lots of fun and positive energy, and we hope that that's what Edison experiences on Sunday once again.
EDISON PENA: Thank you so much.
MARY WITTENBERG: Friday night in our first ever opening ceremonies Olympic style, we're going to have our parade of nations welcoming runners from around the world. We're going to have our Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Grete Weiss, and we're going to have fireworks, and Edison will join us together with a special guest as one of the highlight portions of the program tomorrow evening. That's in Central Park, 6:00 p.m.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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