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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 6, 2011Tsegaye KabedeEmmanuel MutaiGeoffrey MutaiNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK RICHARD FINN: We congratulate and have the one, two, and three finishers on the men's race. Closest to me, Geoffrey Mutai, Emanuel Mutai, and Tsegaye Kebede, our third-place finisher. Just a quick note, Geoffrey Mutai's 2:05:06 is a course record here in New York. Also Geoffrey becomes the first winner of the Boston and New York City Marathons in the same calendar year since 2002 and Rodgers Rop. So we congratulate him. Geoffrey, if you could say a few words about the race today, and your thoughts of being both the Boston and New York Marathon champion in 2011? Geoffrey? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, I would like to thank the organization of the New York Marathon, and the place, and the people cheering us outside there, I say thank you for them because they help us a lot. For me in the race, the race was not easy. Although I won, it was not easy. The course was tough. But I thank my colleagues because we helped each other. And then we performed well, so that's why we performed very well. But I was not expecting to win at that time. RICHARD FINN: For Geoffrey, it was a very productive and lucrative day. $130,000 for the win, plus $70,000 as a time bonus to all three gentlemen. So it was quite a lucrative day. Emanuel Mutai, second place here, on top of that he claims the World Marathon Majors crown for this year for the 2010-2011 season, another $500,000 for claiming that. Emanuel, your thoughts about running against Geoffrey, and your thoughts about the race today? EMMANUEL MUTAI: Yeah, for me the race was a bit tough today, but I knew it would be a bit of challenging as I say in the higher time when we were with the press. So for me, I'm happy with the results. On top of that, maybe the weather today was so favorable for us, that is why the good results we produced by my friend setting a new course record, and even for me. I ran 2:06 under the time today. So I as I come back today and last year, it was a lot of difference. But for that I'm happy with that. About winning the major marathon points, I was second after Patrick Makau, so for me it was so hard for me. I was supposed to be in the top three so I could secure that amount. So for that I'm happy about it because I tried my best. But I'm happy, but because I was coming second, I was still in the lead, so I'm happy about it. RICHARD FINN: Tsegaye, your thoughts about the race today? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: The race was more or less very good for me. It's a new race for me. I've never run here before, and the course has a lot of uphills and downhills, which is also good for me. So I believe it went well. Q. Geoffrey, after you won Boston, people said it isn't a world record. It's an unrecognized course. You had a big wind. How do you feel now beating this field of top people and taking down the record by so much? Do you feel that this proves that you are worthy of being considered the world record holder? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Thank you for that question. For me, I am happy now because even although it was not recognized, I'm happy to be at that level. And I know one day or maybe another coming years, maybe I can come to do something. But the course here, it was tough, but the weather it was so good. So I think I'll try to maintain myself to prove it right. Q. Geoffrey and Emanuel, can you talk about not having pace setters as there are at the faster courses of London and Berlin, and does that make this accomplishment perhaps even greater in your mind? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me what I can say or maybe all of you can see the difference about the races which people are breaking one record. You see all of those races have pace makers, and here we don't have pace makers. I don't think if those people can come here and run here, if they can break the world record here. So for me that is challenge for everyone, or I think maybe they can see something about those races or without the pace maker is different. EMMANUEL MUTAI: For me in terms of pacing, I see sometimes it is more challenging because sometimes you might find some athletes stay behind all the way. Maybe the last few kilometers, maybe between 12. But a race like New York, you have to be more -- have concentration and use your own skill to see how far you have to go, at what point will you have to move. So for me, because I'm used to being in front always, so I don't care if the race has a pace maker or not, because I'm used to training, even in training we used to stay with each other. So the training also matters how you train with a group. And if you don't have a group, what do you do, and you have to do the training. So that makes me feel when I am in the race so I don't see -- I don't feel more nervous when there is no pace makers. I always say, "let me do it according to the strength I have." Q. Geoffrey, how do you compare the New York course to the Boston course in terms of difficulty? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I think it's more tough because in Boston there are more hills, but it's not so much like in New York. I think it was different. That time it was different competition, that time and today. So, yeah, when I compare New York and boss and Boston, I see it's more different. In Boston I traveled to see the course. But today I don't know the course, so I was going without knowing what was coming. Q. Geoffrey and Emanuel, do you both feel like you've done enough here today to impress the selectors of your Olympic committee to make that team? GEOFFREY MUTAI: What I can say? I'm happy if they select me to be in the Olympics. I'll do the job which will get me there, and I'll try my best in the Olympics. EMMANUEL MUTAI: For me I say it is more challenging because the Federation have mentioned the names of Patrick Makau and Abel Kirui, so they need only one. So I don't know what criteria they'll use. Of course today in New York we have ran a good time. The last time it was Geoffrey ran 2:03. So I don't know what they'll use. But for me, if I will be included in that team, I'll be happy about it. But for that, I cannot say I am eagerly waiting for the Olympics. Or maybe they might say, yes, we have mentioned the names, but you have to participate in the marathon. So maybe they might say so you have to produce another, so I don't know what they'll say. But for me, I am ready for anything. Q. Has the Kenyan Federation said because there are so many fast runners that they might have you run a spring marathon? Would you run possibly London or Boston before the Olympics? Or is this your last marathon before that? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, I don't know how they say about the selection. But if they would select me, I'll be there because when you have been selected, you must do it for your country. So I don't know which people or maybe me, I will be there if they select me. Q. If they tell you or ask you to run in the spring again, the Federation, either run Boston or London, would you do that? What are your thoughts about that? Do you think they will ask you to run again in the spring to finalize their selection for the Olympics? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I don't know what criteria they will use, but what they will use, we must do, because you have been selected. So you don't have any other choice. EMMANUEL MUTAI: Yeah, for me, if they will say, "you will have to participate in the spring," I will have to follow the rules because maybe at that time they will have to see what you produce at that time and compare it with the past. So maybe that will be the challenge again because they might say, "you participate," and then they'll see if you are capable of producing a good result, then you'll go onto the team. But if you do not produce at that time, they'll say, no. So you have to prepare for anything to happen. Q. Geoffrey, were you a little concerned that the pace was slow in the first half and many runners around you? And did you have a plan about where you would make your attack and go for it? And Emanuel, why was it hard to stay with him when he made his attack? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me I was not saying that I would stay up to above somewhere, and then I was hoping. But I was controlling myself and how I was feeling. But I discovered that if I continue like this, maybe we can go to the end like to go to the finishing line. But for me, I used to run like that at the end of a race, but I was not expecting to -- I was not waiting until that time. Q. Why couldn't you match Geoffrey when he made his move? EMMANUEL MUTAI: For me, sometimes it's very difficult to follow somebody, but you have to use your running skill to see how strong you are. So for me I was not saying if Geoff removes, I will have to follow. But just let me try my best to secure the position in the top three. Q. Do you think you ran a better race today or a better race in Boston? If you do get to run at the London Olympics, how confident are you now that you can win that Gold Medal? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Today, an even last time in Boston, all of those races were no pace makers. So I'm happy with this and in Boston. So even if they select me, the Olympics will not have a pace maker. I think maybe I'll have the chance to prove it again. Q. About a year ago in Chicago you had a great battle with Sammy Wanjiru who has since passed away. How do you remember Wanjiru and what do you think of him? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: It's true last year Chicago we had a very stiff competition between him and me. I tried very hard to win, and at the end I wasn't able to beat him, and he won. I actually prefer not to think or talk a great deal about him, because when I think about how he passed away, it really disturbs me and it makes me very sad. Q. A follow-up on Sammy Wanjiru and his impact on marathons. Today the weather was good, but the record went from 2:07 to 2:06 to 2:05, almost to 2:04. Something has changed in the marathon, and you're very much a part of it. You have no fear of courses and you go out and run fast times. All the time you challenge each other. Can you talk about how you approach the race with no fear and to run these fast times for all three of you? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me what I know about the race because when I have been invited to come here it was either to win or to lose. So I prepare my mind well to come here not only to win, but I know if I lose, I lose. If I win, I can win. So when I am running, I run with no fear. So you see I try to perform like that. So if somebody even follows me, I don't have fear. If he wins, that is for him. EMMANUEL MUTAI: For me in the recent weeks, about the performance of the races, it's been more impressive. So if you have trained well and maybe your fellow colleagues were running good, so sometimes when you go to the race you say if my fellow colleague was doing better, so how far am I going to do? So for me I see it was a big challenge because the guys would run before, they ran good. So even me I was expecting maybe this time I might do better as compared from last year because I was feeling more better, and maybe this year was there. So I see even the weather for this year was ideal, good for all who participated in the marathon. So I see sometimes some other races, maybe some more races like from the end, they produce good results running 2:05. So even a big race like New York, sometimes they could have done good, so a big race like New York, so what will you do? Sometimes even people give us pressure. They say you are capable of doing good if they put big names in a race. So everybody was having a good result. So sometimes you say maybe this person is more stronger than me or the other is stronger. So when you are coming here, you are so prepared mentally and physically. That is why you see sometimes the race is producing more or good results every now and then. Q. Because the times are getting so much faster, how many years do you think it will take to break that two-hour barrier? And do you think you could still be there to do it? EMMANUEL MUTAI: Yeah, for me I see the record is still going down and down every now and then, but it depends also with the favorable weather conditions, and maybe the shape you are at that time. But I see if now the world record was 2:03:59, it's now 2:03:38, so I think maybe it will not take too much more time, maybe after three years or one year, the record will be broken again. I assure you that one. Even if it's not me, the other generation is coming, you see. Every now and then everybody is producing good results. The younger people are coming up and running good every now and then. GEOFFREY MUTAI: What I can say for me in everything for now, everything will change. Everything has come to be modified. The generations, everything now is computers, even the cars are using that, so even the training now will be changed. The training which is going on now is not like the other years back. So even competition now change. Everyone who comes here prepares themselves well. So for the record, I don't think for me I can say I can break it. Everyone can break it, but I cannot say I'll break it or I'll do it. Q. Geoffrey, do you think the time you did today, the incredible time maybe on a different course like a flatter course could be if we push it a little bit like a world record or something like that; do you have that in your mind? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me I have that thing in my mind if it was maybe another course, maybe I was to do it. Although I was on this course, I do it like that. But if I get a chance to go to another place which is a world record course, maybe I can do it. But it depends. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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