|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NYC HALF MARATHONMarch 17, 2013Wilson KipsangDiane Nukuri-JohnsonCaroline RotichNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to have our champion Wilson Kipsang with us. Today Wilson, 1:01:02. That's a tune‑up for going back to London for the championship. Wilson, would you just say a few words about the race today. You pulled away from the pack. A couple comments about the race. WILSON KIPSANG: I think, first of all, I'm very upbeat, and I feel grateful really winning this race, being my second time coming back to New York. Winning this race, it was very cold. Despite the fact it was very cold from the start, through Central Park, but after 10K I was feeling good, and I saw that the guys were very strong. It was really a very strong field. I know that it could be a very tough race. When I tried to break off from the group, I saw that I was really feeling good, and I was in a position to break off from the group and win this race. Q. Wilson, was your plan to go‑‑ you broke between 15K, that was where you sort of put your surge in. Was that your plan ahead of time, or were you just sort of playing the race as it went? You thought you'd see how you felt and make a move when you felt good, or had you thought ahead of time, when I get to 15K, I'm going to push? WILSON KIPSANG: I think it wasn't part of my plan to wait until the 15K, but I think at the start it was not really possible to push too hard because it was very cold. The group also, you saw that many guys were trying to push, but it wasn't possible because it was really very cold. After 10K, I saw that the time was a little bit slow, 29 or so, so I decided to try to push for the second half to see if I could run a faster time. But the time I managed to finish was very good, and I'm happy for this. THE MODERATOR: We're also pleased to have our ladies champion with us again, a repeat champion from 2011, fellow Kenyan, so it's a Kenyan sweep. Caroline Rotich here, and we're bringing up our second place finisher Diane. Congratulations. So before we get back to any more questions, we'll ask Caroline if you could make a comment about your race coming back, winning the final stretch when you were challenged by Diane and others. Caroline? CAROLINE ROTICH: Yeah. Well, good to be back and be a champion again. So thanks so much for everyone. THE MODERATOR: How tough or how good of a race was it for you? Did you feel very pleased with it. They caught up with you for a little while, and you pulled away. Just some more comments about the race itself. CAROLINE ROTICH: When they caught me, I get back, and I knew they were there. So I'm just like, okay, I just have to hold it a little bit and then see if I can pull up or something at the finish. Close to the finish, I was really good and happy for it. THE MODERATOR: We're pleased to have Diane, who chased down and tried to chase down Caroline. Diane, if you could just talk a little‑‑ comment about the race, especially when you were running together with Caroline, and then maybe when she pulled away. DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: The race was very good for me. Didn't quite catch her, but we started out a little slower compared to her, and we just kind of got closer and closer. We started running together for a couple of miles. Then she pulled away once we got in the tunnel. I thought I was going to outkick her in the end, but then she pulled away. I don't know. I did everything I could, but maybe next time. THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions for any of the three athletes up here. Any questions, please. Q. Wilson, going into London, does this give you confidence going into London, and how do you feel? WILSON KIPSANG: I think for amount of pace with this kind of race, I think it's really good. And even the pace for the 10K, in a marathon pace, you learn that it's really okay. I often run faster the second 10K, and I still feel good. I think towards my next marathon, I hope that in the next two to three weeks I will really be in a position to pick my top level shift. Q. Diane, you're a much taller runner than Caroline. On a windy day, are you buffered around by the wind, and is that more of a problem for you than, say, Caroline? DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: I think so, and I had some girls that were using me. I felt really used out there. I mean, I guess I have the advantage of also having long legs and having long strides compared to them. So it wasn't as bad, but I struggle when it's windy. I didn't feel it as much. I think it's because I was having a good day. THE MODERATOR: Just to clarify and just to make sure we have it down here on the bio, that you're 6 feet tall, is that correct? DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: Yes. THE MODERATOR: 6 feet tall. Q. Diane, you said you were having a good day. I would say that's pretty obvious. You just ran a personal best by three minutes. What are you doing differently? What's going on? DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: No. It was by‑‑ Q. We have 1:12. DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: No. I ran a 1:10:55 here last year. Q. Really? Bad media guide. Still a huge personal best. DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: Yeah, I've just been training a lot. Last year I wasn't in as good of shape like this year. Just been putting in mileage and getting more confident. I know I can run with anybody now. So it's just putting in more work. THE MODERATOR: Diane, what place were you last year? I don't have it. DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: 11th. THE MODERATOR: Diane was 11th last year in 2012. Q. Wilson, you ran your second 10K, in 28:14, which was 59:30 pace, which is real good. There's been talk about world record at London. Is that a possibility? Has there been any talk about the pace making there? Are you focused on the time or just competing in London? WILSON KIPSANG: I think it will be really determined by the fastest half. The timings of the half, if we will be at a world record pace and still having a strong group, then I think the possibilities will be very high. Q. For Wilson, speaking of records, one of the huge barriers in this sport is the sub two hour marathon. We're within like three‑plus minutes of that now. Do you see this possible any time in coming years or within your lifetime or sometime very soon, a sub two hour marathon? WILSON KIPSANG: I think it is not easy. It's not very easy to run a sub two hours, but I think the main target, maybe for the athletes at the moment, is to go for the world record. The more we bring it down, you find that in the near future the sub two hours will be possible. Q. Caroline, hi. When the other two women caught up with you, were you confident that you were going to be able to pull away, or were you worried? CAROLINE ROTICH: When I took off, I knew it's not over until it's over. So when they came, I was like, yeah, I was waiting for this. So I just get back a little bit and make a couple. I saw they didn't pass me, so I knew, oh, I just have to sit with them and see what happens in the finish. Q. Wilson, if it had been a warmer day, would you have taken off faster from the beginning? Would you have taken it out? WILSON KIPSANG: I think, if it could have been a little bit warmer, you find that the guys could really run at a faster pace from the start, but because it was very cold, it was really‑‑ everyone was not comfortable with the cold. So if you try to keep a push, you really feel that you are running faster, but in a real sense, the time is slow. THE MODERATOR: One more question for either the ladies and our champion before we go over to our second and third place finisher. Q. Diane, you've been running indoor track this season. Did you think because of that, you could outkick Caroline? You said earlier that you thought you could outkick her. DIANE NUKURI‑JOHNSON: I think so. I did a mile. It wasn't super fast, but my coach told me that, out of a lot of these people doing the marathon, you ran a fast mile. I was like, how many people that ran the mile? He's like you're the only one. I'm getting confident. I worked on my speed, and I worked a mile, 5K. When you're doing a mile and 5K, it's definitely more you feel like you're doing 400 when you're doing marathon training. Yeah, I thought I had a chance. That's why I was trying to stay as close as I could, but I'm still happy with it. THE MODERATOR: We're going to have our champions and second place ladies finisher leave. We thank you. Congratulations. We're going to bring in our second and third place men's finishers. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|