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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONOctober 30, 2013Firehiwot DadoBuzenesh DebaNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Q. How does it feel to come back to New York City? FIREHIWOT DADO: I'm happy that I'm back. Q. What does the City mean to you? FIREHIWOT DADO: I am very glad, grateful that I'm invited to New York City. I wasn't here last year. This year I'm glad that she was invited. It was because of the will of God that I'm here. Q. How does the New York marathon compare to other marathons around the world for you? FIREHIWOT DADO: The New York Marathon is one of the biggest marathons in the world. To win at this marathon is going to be one of the biggest achievements for me. This is my second time, and I have has been training better, and I'm hoping to win. Q. Where does you do all of your training? Are you in Ethiopia year round to do the training? FIREHIWOT DADO: Ethiopia. Q. You took some time off due to the infected blister on your heel. Just wondering if you stopped training completely and how you have come back from that. FIREHIWOT DADO: I was training for the marathon last year, and my shoes give me a blister. I continued to train in the same shoes. It wasn't an entire year that I was away. Then I started for a little bit, and then I have been training because I was determined to get in this marathon. Q. Which foot had the blister? FIREHIWOT DADO: The right foot. Q. What do you remember from your 2011 run, running with Buzunesh together? FIREHIWOT DADO: It was the happiest moment of my life, that day. Q. And you're good friends with Buzunesh, right? FIREHIWOT DADO: If there is anything I will never forget, it's that day because Buzunesh‑‑ we grew up together. We were very close friends and running with her was, again, the happiest day of my life. I love her very much. Q. Did you talk at all during the race? FIREHIWOT DADO: After a certain amount of distance, we started talking, and Buzunesh was getting me water, and she was trying to control Mary, another runner, and she was encouraging us. She's looking forward to that kind of race this time too. Q. You said you were hoping to win, but you ran a half marathon last‑‑ earlier this month, and you only ran 72 minutes, 1:12, which is slower than the 2:23, if you double it, you won with. Do you feel like you are in really good shape? Because that race doesn't seem to be very good. FIREHIWOT DADO: She was always training for the marathon, and she had no intentions to run the half marathon. Her manager insisted that she did. So her training was not for half marathon, but for full marathon. This time she's trained for the full marathon, and she's running a full marathon. Q. Perhaps a question that you both can address. Last time you guys ran, you finished one, two. But this year a lot of people are talking about Jeptoo and Kiplagat. Maybe overlooking how well you did at that time, how do you approach that you're underdogs despite your victory last time, and how do you feel in confidence competing with those two from Kenya? FIREHIWOT DADO: Kiplagat is very‑‑ she's an amazing athlete, and I am her fan, but Buzunesh and I have been training tremendously, and we are hoping with the help of God that we will keep them in check. Q. Have you heard about the Boston situation, and did it make you hesitate at all about this year's marathon? FIREHIWOT DADO: Yeah, I had heard of the Boston marathon, and have seen it. People from my country were running as well, but my focus at this marathon was to win, and I wasn't in the least bit perturbed by what happened in Boston. Q. Can you tell us a little bit about‑‑ last year, the two of you may have thought that Mary Keitany was pulling out too far, but against people like Jeptoo and Kiplagat who probably run at a saner pace but also a fast pace, would you feel that you have to stay with them from the very beginning, or you might be able to run them down? BUZUNESH DEBA: I don't know. We'll see. Maybe they're going fast in the beginning or maybe not. But I will not pace off that. Q. So let's say that they would go through‑‑ if they go through the first half very quickly, do you feel that you need to stay with them, or do you think you'll come from behind again? BUZUNESH DEBA: Maybe the first half is fast, I'm with them. If it's slow, I'm going to do myself. I need to run my best time. Q. When did you meet Firehiwot and where? Where do you guys start to be friends? BUZUNESH DEBA: We are the same village, and we train in Ethiopia, the same club. We know each other long years. Q. How many years, do you think? BUZUNESH DEBA: I think ten, nine years, yeah. Q. So would that have been right up until the time you came over here? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. So that would have been like 2003? That you came here? BUZUNESH DEBA: No. I came here 2005. Q. What's the name of the club over there? BUZUNESH DEBA: It's police club. FIREHIWOT DADO: It's a police club. It's a detention center. Q. So it represents the police detention center? FIREHIWOT DADO: Yes. Q. Being in New York, what does it mean to run and race for the City? BUZUNESH DEBA: New York is‑‑ I don't know. I don't have any words. I love New York. New York is my second hometown, and I'm so happy I run again in the New York Marathon. I'm excited. Q. Where do you‑‑ you mentioned that you take the subway from your home to your track workouts. Where do you do your track workouts? BUZUNESH DEBA: It's not far, around my home, like 30 minutes walk. Q. Is that a high school track? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, Van Cortlandt track. Q. So you live on the other side of Van Cortlandt? BUZUNESH DEBA: East side, yes. Q. Do you do all your training in New York, or have you been training with her, for example, while in Ethiopia? BUZUNESH DEBA: This time? Q. Yes. BUZUNESH DEBA: No, I train here. Q. So no altitude for you? BUZUNESH DEBA: No altitude. Q. And the winters here are okay for you? BUZUNESH DEBA: Winter maybe going to move Albuquerque. Q. I think last time your husband said something about how at one point you were‑‑ you almost left New York for a little while, and you missed it. How is it that, of all the opportunities and places that you could have picked in the United States to run, how did you end up in New York? BUZUNESH DEBA: When I came here, I arrive New York in Bronx, the first time, and I love the Bronx, and I love the people. I love the place. Yeah. Q. Leading into the Houston marathon earlier this year, were you training in New York, or did you train elsewhere as well? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, I'm training in New York. Q. What did the 2011 marathon mean to you? BUZUNESH DEBA: 2011 is‑‑ I don't know. I'm excited. At that time, I prepared very well, and I'm focused to win, but I lose, for second. I'm happy with second place. Q. Compared to that year, how has your training gone this year? BUZUNESH DEBA: In 2011, I did the most. I prepared very good this year. My training as hard as 2011, yeah. Q. About how many miles a week do you put in? BUZUNESH DEBA: This year? 2011 is a week 130. Q. 2013? BUZUNESH DEBA: I know, this year, 135 and 130 a week. Q. What races have you done since Houston? BUZUNESH DEBA: Washington, Spokane. And after that, I was injured. I stopped running [inaudible]. Q. What was the injury you had? BUZUNESH DEBA: It was muscles. Q. Just a muscle strain? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. In your calf? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. Like a strain? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. Right? Left? BUZUNESH DEBA: Right. Q. Is it all cleared up? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Now I'm fine. Q. You used to run three or four marathons a year about three years ago, and you scaled back. Is that because you felt that many marathons a year would be hard for you? Do you feel that's better for your performance? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, it's better. Before, I ran like every month, and now I'm focused to my training. I need to run my best time. Q. What do you train with here? Do you have a group? Any men that you train with? Or are you by yourself? BUZUNESH DEBA: I'm training with my husband, and now I have friend. I'm training with her. Q. Do you have any time goal? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, of course. Q. What is it? BUZUNESH DEBA:  Under 2:30. I mean, under 2:23. I need to broke my time. Q. When you were living in Ethiopia and have been training with her in the altitudes, now you're training at sea level. Does this make a difference to you, or do you see her at an advantage because she's been training at altitude? What do you think about that? BUZUNESH DEBA: I don't believe in altitude. I prove‑‑ before I was running short distance, and now I'm training low altitude, I prove my best time here. Yeah, I don't believe in altitude. Q. Patricia Jeptoo has very fast times on the track, and she ran a very fast half marathon. Do you guys have any plans in terms of how to tactically maybe take some of the sting out of her last 5K? Like what is your plan for how the race will be run, how you approach that? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, we didn't talk each other. Maybe later. Q. What's the name of the village you were from? BUZUNESH DEBA: Arsi Assella. Q. When you were little in the same village, are you the same age? Did you race each other? Who would win the races back in Ethiopia? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, I think we are not the same age. I start with the school, and after school, like under 13 years, yeah. Q. So you didn't race each other back in Ethiopia? BUZUNESH DEBA: No. She ran 150 meter, shorter distance. I ran the 1,500. Q. She ran what? She was a sprinter? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. Really? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. Usain Bolt. So were you surprised when she ran the marathon, or did you know that she was? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, I was surprised. Q. When did you two like sort of find out that you both were running in 2011? You said that you had sort of‑‑ had grown apart and then 2011 was the first time you saw each other. BUZUNESH DEBA: Oh, 2011, I saw her on the list name, and I'm so happy. And I miss her. I miss her after seven years. Q. And were you entered last year? Were you planning to run New York last year? I know Firehiwot was injured, but were you? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes, she was injured. Q. But were you injured? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, of course. Q. So what was your reaction when the hurricane, the storm came, and then the race was cancelled? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, I was‑‑ I prepared very good that day, and after New York in 2011, I didn't run any race. I was injured. And after that, I prepare very well New York City marathon last year. I was sad, you know, not running. Q. Did you find another race to do right after that? BUZUNESH DEBA: Houston Marathon. Q. You went to Houston. That's right. BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. By the way, how was your own Bronx neighborhood affected by the storm? BUZUNESH DEBA: No, they are fine. Q. They are fine? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. You said you were a sprinter when you were younger. How long did you try that? What was your best time, and how did you realize you needed to be a distance runner? FIREHIWOT DADO: I wanted to run just short distance, and I had no intentions for any marathon, but my trainer insisted that I train for the marathon, and I did it against my will. But I'm very happy. Q. When was that? BUZUNESH DEBA: 2009? 2008? FIREHIWOT DADO: Was it that time? Four years. Around 2009. Q. Can they talk a little bit about what keeps them motivated and what inspires them to keep going. FIREHIWOT DADO: My trainer is very good. He's a motivator. And I also got a chance to run‑‑ to train with the best, Tune. I thinkshe won the Boston marathon. I am training with the best, and I just looks forward to just being in their company. That by itself is a big deal for me. Q. What keeps you motivated to keep going? BUZUNESH DEBA: This is like fun, and when I didn't run, I'm not feeling good. I enjoy running. Yeah, that's it. Q. In 2011, you guys ran down Mary Keitany at the end. She went out really, really fast, but you maintained enough contact to get her at the end. What did you guys feel when she went out like that. Do you think it would happen again this year with either Patricia Jeptoo or Kiplagat? BUZUNESH DEBA: Kiplagat, she ran, I think, 2010. She's champion, but that time that pace was slow. She ran 28. And Kiplagat, she ran flat course. New York is a very tough course. We'll see, yeah. Q. In 2011, you guys were running side by side, and you had a lot of hard surges throughout the race. What have you prepared for in that last showdown? Because I know it's obvious that you guys will work together a lot of the time. Is there anything that you've done in your training to improve your speed in that last 5K? BUZUNESH DEBA: This time my training is different. The speed, yeah. I prepared very good. My training is different. Q. Have you been doing more on the track this year than last time? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes, more track and more long distance. Q. Who's your coach? BUZUNESH DEBA: My husband. Q. In 2011, in the second half of the race, can you tell us exactly when you saw Mary again. Because I know she was very, very far ahead. When did you start to see her again, and when did you start to think that you weren't running for second place, that you actually could beat her? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, I controlled her. You know, she‑‑ in the beginning, she go very fast. I know the New York course is very tough.  It's not like Europe, you know, and I know she's going to‑‑ exactly I know that pace is going down, and I controlled her. Q. Do you remember when you actually‑‑ she was out of sight, though, wasn't she, for a while? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. Q. When did you start to see her again? Do you remember what mile that was? BUZUNESH DEBA: I think 18 mile, yeah. Q. You mentioned your track workouts. What specifically have you been doing on the track? What kind of workouts have you been doing on the track? BUZUNESH DEBA: It's different every week, every‑‑ yeah, every week. Q. Is there a favorite workout that you have? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yes. One mile and one mile repetition. Maybe one mile is 10 times, 12 times, and 400 twelve times is fast. Q. And how fast would you run the mile, and how fast would you run the 400? BUZUNESH DEBA: One mile is 4:50, yeah. Q. And how fast would the 400 meters be when you're on the track? BUZUNESH DEBA: 62, 63. Q. Can you tell us what kind of goes through your head during the last half a mile? What are you thinking? FIREHIWOT DADO: She said after running for so long and if she's around the finish line, she doesn't even know what she's thinking at that point. Q. And you? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah, last mile? You focus to win. Q. So you give it your best? BUZUNESH DEBA: Yeah. Q. What are you guys going to be doing right after the marathon? BUZUNESH DEBA: Celebration. FIREHIWOT DADO: Same thing. They are going to rejoice. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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