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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 1, 2013Geoffrey MutaiNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Q. How do you feel? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, I would like to thankful for coming back again. This is not my will. It is the will of God. I am feeling okay. Q. What is your goal, Geoffrey? First of all, pronounce your name for us. GEOFFREY MUTAI: My name is Geoffrey Mutai. Q. And how would you compare your condition and your preparation for New York 2013 with your preparation for New York 2011 last time you ran here? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, I have to say I can't compare because last year, the other year it was different, and this time again it's different. But I'm feeling okay. The only thing I can compare with it is after the race because to compare is not easy. You cannot test shape by talking about it until after. Q. In 2011, if you look at your races in 2011 and you look at your races in 2013. There's been a similarity. You're racing well at the 10,000 and racing well at the half marathon. You quit racing in August in Bogota in 2011, and you've raced a couple of half marathons since then. Was that the purpose, to race a little deeper in the season before this marathon? GEOFFREY MUTAI: That's okay because last time maybe I was not testing myself before this time. For this time, I ran the half marathon and 10 kilometer, and I'm feeling comfortable more than the other year. Q. Geoffrey, you've trained with Kipsang and Kimetto. Do you feel in that kind of shape? They've run fast times? GEOFFREY MUTAI: We are the same. We are training together. Kimetto did his personal best. For me, I was feeling it was me. So for me now, I'm feeling confident. Q. Do you think you can run faster than 2011? GEOFFREY MUTAI: That is the goal. I think so. Q. Do you feel a lot of pressure? You see here it's like a circus today? Everybody is asking you questions. Do you feel a lot of pressure for this? Or you say I go into the race and see what happens? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Pressure is always be there, but I'm looking forward to focusing on my race. I cannot change that. It's always easy to adjust all the time is to think of your race. When it comes to answer some of the questions, it's not easy. Again, it's some difficulties in the answering of questions in different language. So every place is different. Q. How do you feel about running in New York? Do you have any security concerns following what happened in Boston? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For sure, what happened in Boston is terrible. As an athlete, we always feel free. All security, I'm okay. I'm feeling okay. I see everything will go. And I'm praying to God everything will be good. Q. What do you remember about New York City 2011? GEOFFREY MUTAI: What I remember about New York in 2011, everything was perfect weather. It was good. Everyone was okay. Q. You have a tough field this year, Kebede, Kiprotich. What are your thoughts on them? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, I don't mind. I've already prepared myself well, and feel strong. Q. Did you learn‑‑ what about this course‑‑ what did you learn about this course? You didn't make your move until 20 miles, 33 kilometers, in 2011, and you finished very, very strong. What did you learn about the course? You ran one of the fastest second halves in marathon history. Will you take that knowledge and apply it this year? GEOFFREY MUTAI: The first half marathon is not easy. And you know here we make it so that we‑‑ in the first half, you must need to go with a group. Somehow, let's say after that, the next half marathon, you know I can do myself. Q. In your preparation, everything went fine, or did you have any injuries, some problems? GEOFFREY MUTAI: This time I didn't have injuries. Last time when I was in London only, I was having an injury. So I am free now from injury. Q. How long did it take to recover? Hamstring? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. How long did it take, time to recover? GEOFFREY MUTAI: It was taking me about five months. Even when I was in Berlin, I was competing in Berlin. I was feeling that problem. But when I compete in that half marathon, it was tough course. Q. That was this year, 2013? It was no good? It was already finished? GEOFFREY MUTAI: It was no good. Q. It was still painful in January of this year? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. Do you like running the hills? You've had success on hilly courses like New York and Boston? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I have tried running flat places and uphills. But I see that, when I run up and down hills in a race course, I feel like I am enjoying it more than flat courses. Q. How important is getting the world record to you someday? GEOFFREY MUTAI: It's not easy. If something happen, I cannot say. But for me, first of all, if we go through first half at a good pace, I think the next half, it will be good. Q. It was 63:16 in 2011. No time in New York history has it been under 63 minutes, and yet we have seen even in Chicago and Berlin now, we see many marathons, flat marathons with pacers, sub‑62 minutes. What do you think for you in your condition, what would be the ideal pace for the first half? If you could have pacesetters here, what would be ideal on this course? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I think for this course, about 62:30 in the first half. The next half, I think if you run 62 flat, it will be possible. Q. You can run 62 flat if you go 62:30. But without pacers, there's no guarantees that somebody will do that? GEOFFREY MUTAI: That's right. Q. But that's the kind of conditioning that your conditioning leads to you that feeling? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. Do you prefer a pace race, or do you like these competitions like New York and Boston where there are no pacers? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, all are having difficulties. The one which have pacemaker in, the pacemaker not strong, they're not controlling themselves, again, you cannot do well. On the other side, if a race does not have a pacemaker, and everyone is pushing together, you will make it. But the race that have pacemaker, you are more relaxed than the one that doesn't have a pacemaker. Q. Less anxiety? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. There might be wind on Sunday, maybe because tomorrow it will be windy, and then Sunday some wind, whereas in 2011 it was perfect. Will that make a difference? What's more important, winning the race or running a very fast time? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, most of the races I'm running, I'm looking for time. So the winning is coming as a result of the time. So when we wait each other, wait for the win, again, that is for me‑‑ I will not be feeling very good. But when I am focused to run even a good time, winning is coming for the marathon. Q. So you're focused on time with a lead to the win, as opposed to focus on win and lead to the time? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. So if nobody goes, that's the problem, what if? You know how it can be. In Boston in 2011, Ryan Vail, bless his heart, he went. So now one goes, everyone goes. But if everyone is you go, no, you go, no, you go, and they're looking at you, will you go? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I cannot mention, but there is something can happen. Q. Would you call this your best preparation for a marathon ever or close or how would you say? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I'm good. I already prepare myself well. Q. So no little‑‑ GEOFFREY MUTAI: None. Q. Say again, when did your hamstring completely ‑‑ when you know, okay, no problem anymore. When was the first time you realized no problem at all? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I was going through some paces, but last time when I was not marathon, I feel okay. Q. Is there anything new for you personally, since we saw in New York two years ago? New coach? New children? New whatever. GEOFFREY MUTAI: The only thing I become new is only you see everything is changed to be tight security all over. But because of something which we can say we don't like because in sports everyone is coming there freely to enjoy themselves. You cannot be all the time‑‑ you cannot accommodate to have that security all the time. So we say God lead us. Q. Geoffrey, when you make a move in the race, you like to make just one move, or do you like to surge at different times in the race? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, when I decide to move, it's not me which I say let me go. My body, I feel like I can run to the end with this speed. So when I start reacting, normally I know that I can go the distance. Q. And maintain that pace? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes, and keep that pace. Q. Going back to what you said about security, did you know anyone in the mall shooting in Nairobi? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I don't know anyone, but all are Kenyans. Many are Kenyans, and even around from different countries. Q. What would you say right now, looking back, what has been your best performance so far in your career? What would you say was your number one performance? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I think my performance, I enjoy it because last time when I was running New York, it was perfect for me. I feel like the race I did it alone because where I decided and put in the time, it was encouraging me all the time, even when I was myself‑‑ when I was running New York, and I compare with Boston. Somehow I'm still admiring how I was running New York. Q. New York slightly better than Boston? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. Now, last year you, again, pushed it 20 miles. Finished the last 10 kilometers at 28:43, 28:45. You seem to have a lot of energy remaining at the end. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. You were not finished. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Right. Q. Now, if you could go back and do it again, would you have moved earlier? GEOFFREY MUTAI: When it come like that, I cannot talk, but the feeling is there when I am in the race, I feel it. It's depending on the feelings, entirely the feelings. Q. What told you? Why did you choose to move at 20 miles? If it you can remember, what was it about yourself, your feeling, or the feeling of Emmanuel or Keflezighi? Was it a sense of them or a sense of how you feel? GEOFFREY MUTAI: My sense of my body only. I don't care who come. I say either come and push it together, or leave me? Q. All about monitoring yourself. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. With all these fast marathons recently, Berlin new record, Chicago new record, do these help make you more excited about the race? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Even when I was in Kenya, everything was going unbelievable because all the races that I was watching, the sub‑2:03. So even I was having to‑‑ I don't know how to react. I don't know. Q. Was part of you saying I wish I was in Berlin? I wish I was in Chicago? GEOFFREY MUTAI: You cannot compare the race, but I say, oh, everything is fast. Q. Now, you've been running, training with those guys; is that right? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. And are you all equal, or is there a leader? How does it work out? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, we are training together. We are the same together. Q. So you do all your work together? Do you train together every day? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. Wilson there all the time too? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Not all the time. Q. More Dennis? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. How many guys in all are in the group? GEOFFREY MUTAI: In my group? About 60. Q. Did you guys know that‑‑ you knew that Dennis was in top form. So when you watched him race, were you expecting‑‑ did you watch that? What were your feelings watching him and Emmanuel in that last five kilometers? GEOFFREY MUTAI: When I see them, I know that Dennis will win because I know he cannot‑‑ if Emmanuel want to win, I think he was to lose. I don't know. Because I know Dennis was more strong. I train with Dennis, and I know Dennis have been running through all the training, and I've seen him. He's still young, and he's coming up. Q. So he's got more to go? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. Talk about have you changed‑‑ in other words, how many‑‑ what's the longest training run you guys do? How many of those have you done in preparation? 40 kilometers two times, four times? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, the long run is 40 kilometers. Q. How many times? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Three times. Q. And how many times before 2011 did you run 40 kilometers? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I run about three and some other distance. Q. Like 35? 30? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Like five or so. I cannot count because all the weeks we are going about 30, 35. Q. And how many total kilometers per week are you averaging? Do you keep track? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Most of the time I ran about 180 to 200. Q. Kilometers? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. Is that months at a time you'll do that much? Per week. 120, that's pretty standard. Some guys go 220, 240. Some guys do a lot are month. You just do what you do. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. And how long have you been your own coach? You base your training on some other system or totally every day how I feel? Do you schedule a plan every week, every month, or every just day? GEOFFREY MUTAI: From Monday to Saturday, all week. Q. Do you write up the workouts for the whole group? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. And do you plan them out one week in advance? GEOFFREY MUTAI: We have a program, and we follow all the program for all the weeks. Q. Just one week at a time? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. And see how you feel? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. So you write the workouts? You're the coach and the athlete? GEOFFREY MUTAI: We don't have coach. We coach ourselves. Q. He's the coach. GEOFFREY MUTAI: We sit down and discuss this is how we use this program, and we follow it all. Q. So this is you and Dennis and Wilson, all, everybody? GEOFFREY MUTAI: We have so much that are there, and we sit down, and we discuss. We start the next year's season, we call each other. We sit down. We discuss. We change it. We change the programs and the run times, and we sit down and discuss as one. Q. But do you change very much, or do you find that you hit your same rhythm and same routine? GEOFFREY MUTAI: If we see that this is okay, we continue with that training. But the only thing which is more different is competition. Q. Different competitions? GEOFFREY MUTAI: So we like to compete so much in the short distance, like half marathon and 10 kilometer. That is why we see some changes in our workouts. Q. Because they need to stop‑‑ taper training down and then come back up. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. Where do you live? Where does your family live? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Eldoret. Q. And you're in? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Kapngetuny. Q. And how many children do you have? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Two children. Two girls. Q. How old? GEOFFREY MUTAI: About 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 years. Q. And how often do you get home? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Weekends. Q. Do you drive on Saturday? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. And then you come back on Sunday night? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. I missed the story. Your preparation has gone very well? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, my preparation is good. Q. Did you do any half marathons this fall? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes, I did some half marathons. I do Brazil and Italy. Q. In terms of back to the coaching yourself, have you changed anything since you ran the 2:05 and ran the 2:03? Do you need to improve on that or pretty much try to do the same thing each year? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I look at what I like to compete most and see if I've really changed in my training program. That's why last time it was not marathon. So I see that I have improved more in areas. Q. What is your plan for this weekend as you enter the race? GEOFFREY MUTAI: When I enter the race, the plan in the marathon for me is I not plan anything now. The plan is coming automatically in the race. Q. So you don't‑‑ you wait until the day of the race to figure out how you want to approach it? GEOFFREY MUTAI: You know it's different because the race like this, we don't have pacemaker. So I cannot say that I want to run like this because we don't have pacemaker. So everything is coming automatically within the race. Q. Do you like that better, or would you prefer a pacemaker? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I've already adjusted myself, and I've already trained to run like this. Q. Are you worried at all about Wesley Korir, the new parliamentarian? Has he helped you at all in terms of sports and training? GEOFFREY MUTAI: He's our minister, but even to meet in Kenya, it's not easy. So we met once last year. Last year up until now, we have not meet. So we are meeting first time again in New York. Q. This New York course, what part of it do you like and what do you not like? GEOFFREY MUTAI: All the places are difficult. After the half marathon, it goes to places that are more different, and I like it. Q. You've run in Boston, so you know the hills. Do you like hill running? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, yeah. I see the difference between flat course and hilly course. I like up and down hilly course because I train in a place like that. Q. How fast do you think somebody can run on this course? GEOFFREY MUTAI: On this course, depending on the group you're running together. So I see it's possible to run even up to 2:04. Q. How do you feel coming into this year compared to 2011? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I see more different that I have improved in short distance. So I would say I have improved. Q. When you say you've sharpened yourself in the shorter distance, what does that mean? What have you done in your training? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I train well, but myself. That year I run 2:06, I push it alone to the end. So I know that I can do it. Q. How much mileage were you running building up to this? How many kilometers per week? GEOFFREY MUTAI: 180 to 200. Q. You've got Dennis in your group and others. When you run your best, do you think anybody can beat you? GEOFFREY MUTAI: In our group? Q. In the world or in your group. GEOFFREY MUTAI: I see that they are more tough upcoming guys. I think to say something, it's difficult, but the competition again is different. So I cannot say. For me, all things are different. I believe in myself. Q. What time do you want to run on Sunday? GEOFFREY MUTAI: I cannot mention. If we have a pacemaker, I would say I want this pace to go like this. But without a pacemaker, it's unpredictable. We can run fast or slow. Q. And in the marathons that you have won, what was common in the success that you've had? Is there anything that was similar in each of your victories? GEOFFREY MUTAI: If there is not everyone with each other, everyone pushing, we try to focus only for the finishing.  So the success come after, let's say, when you reach about 25 or 30 kilometers, this feels comfortable. Q. So the longer you work together with the other runners, it sounds like? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. I'm always curious about something. What do you eat in the morning before a big race? Many times I ask this question of elite runners, and I'm shocked at what I hear. What's breakfast like for you? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Normally it's something you mix with milk. Q. Do you eat some bread or tea? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, tea. Q. That's always normal. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Bananas. Q. So how many bananas would you have before this race? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Two bananas. Q. And some tea? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah. Q. And bread? GEOFFREY MUTAI: No, I don't eat bread. Q. So you run this race on two bananas and tea? I know you have more. GEOFFREY MUTAI: Depending on‑‑ because in the night you must eat. So in the morning only something small which can sustain. Q. How important are your elite stops, on the elite tables, do you have a special solution in your bottle? Do you just drink water? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Some, let's say, sport drinks, which it helps more than the water. Q. So you'll have an elite bottle at each station that you will take? It's important for you to get that? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes. Q. This season, this year you focused on three half marathons, and I realize your times are all under 60 minutes. Was it a decision to focus on the half marathons and not do a spring marathon? GEOFFREY MUTAI: In those half marathons, all of those distance, for me my aim was to come to New York. My preparation in all those half marathons, I was preparing myself to come here to compete. So whenever I was running, it was my preparation. Q. You were happy with the results? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, yeah. Q. You ran London, right, and were injured? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Oh, when I was in London, I was too injured. Q. Did that come up before the race? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, yeah. Even when I was there, it was worse. Q. So who's in your group besides Dennis? Who's some of the best guys in your training group? GEOFFREY MUTAI: There's another guy called Franklin Chepkwony. He was running Rotterdam. But before he ran Rotterdam, he got malaria and got sick. He tried and finished. But this year he was in Brazil. Maybe we'll see him the next race. Q. Seems like a few Kenyan runners have been caught with drugs. Have you heard anything about drugs in the camps? Do the runners talk? Are there some agents trying to push that on runners? What's your view on the doping situation? GEOFFREY MUTAI: They are doing a lot of work now, and that is good because what's happening with athletes, you find somebody using drugs, you don't know how they get it, but it's another bad picture for us as an athlete, as a famous athlete. All the things in sports, the good things coming to us, coming to runners because, when somebody uses that, all the questions are coming to us. If you see those guys, we don't know how we get those drugs because, if you are running, let's say, big races, you cannot do that kind of thing because we are coming without anything up till now. So you see there will be a lot of‑‑ let's say for the guys, you try to get rich, but you try to run, cannot make it. So you try to get something. So they get liars. They lie to you. So we find that many things they can get themselves in trouble, and they don't know. Q. You think they tell the athletes they can take it? GEOFFREY MUTAI: If you come out and ask that athlete, where did you get this? I can tell you that someone was lying to me told you your something blood is down. So some of that, they don't know what they're getting. Q. And like you were saying, it makes everybody look bad. Like a friend of mine, now that some of these runners have been caught, he says, oh, these guys can't run 2:03 without using drugs. What do you say to him? Because like I argue with him. The sport has changed. You can run that fast clean. But he doesn't believe it. He's like he must be on drugs. GEOFFREY MUTAI: I'm happy to meet that guy and tell him, if you want to believe me, all the doping control, all what they want from me all the time, if it's blood, urine, I'm okay all the time I'm free. So for me, when I was deciding to run, I did not decide myself. I was having a feeling in my blood that I'm running, and I started running when I was young. So to go again and to start using other things, that is not within my mind. Even my family, my parents, they know where I was coming from. So I don't want to say and to tell anyone to use drugs because, even if you use drugs, you will suffer later. Q. Are they doing more blood testing in Kenya? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yeah, blood test, urine test, and doping which you cannot say every time‑‑ you cannot say they've come to your place. All the time I'm comfortable with drug testing. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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