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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON


November 2, 2013


Aaron Braun

Sam Chelanga

Nick Willis


NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q.  Just go ahead and start talking about your morning.  How was your race?
NICK WILLIS:  The pace was good from the start.  It was pretty much an even pace the whole way.  The way all of us went in our training, it felt really fast because we haven't been doing specific training for this race.  It's all gearing up for the next 12 months.  But it was a perfect pace, and it was hard the whole way.
Sam Chelanga here made a move with a mile to go as we entered Central Park, and we started in some of the rolling hills.  With three‑quarters of a mile to go, there was a 120 degree turn, and he really accelerated off of that.
I couldn't cover the move, but I just hoped he didn't have anything at the finish.  We had scoped out the course yesterday, and we noticed that the flags start around three minutes to go, but the flags are where the top of the hill is.  So basically start winding it up on the flags and then make the top.  Fortunately, what we sort of practiced in our mind worked perfectly for the race.
I thought Sam was going to respond, and he did a little bit, but thankfully, for me, not quite enough that I was able to keep the momentum going, and it was a bit of a surprise to him.  He wasn't able to gather his momentum in time to catch me over the finish line.

Q.  David said you were about 50 meters back at one point.  To make up the gap, did you knew you had it in you?
NICK WILLIS:  I was looking at my watch.  I was thinking 13:50 would be about the time we were running.  So I was counting down until I was two minutes to go because that's where I'm mentally tougher in training.  If it's more than two minutes to go, I'm trying to sing songs and distract myself as long as I can because it's too much.
With 1:30 on my watch, I can't race David anymore.  I've got to go after these guys.  He's not covering the gap.  90 seconds to go, I should be able to hold him off if I have anything left.
So that's when the momentum was happening.  I was really just trying to hold David off.  He went with me, but suddenly they started coming and coming.
As we hit the hill‑‑ we do a lot of sprint training on hills.  Probably nine months of the year, most of the sprint training is on the hills, not on the track, so it's something that I'm familiar with.  It wasn't foreign territory, I suppose.

Q.  To win again in New York in the span of two months, what's that mean to you?
NICK WILLIS:  It means a lot to come back after the Fifth Avenue Mile.  That was a really great experience after a bit of a frustrating, injury‑plagued track season.
But my wife wasn't able to come on that trip.  So she was here with our child today.  So I wanted to try to win so she got to experience some of that euphoria.
And I had friends coming over from Italy to run the marathon tomorrow as well.  There's about 30 of them.  We spend most of the summer with them in Spoleto.  It was great to have them there at the finish to line to experience with them as well.

Q.  Sam, can you just tell us about your race.  What are your thoughts?  I know second place isn't what you wanted.  But still an overall positive experience?
SAM CHELANGA:  I'm really thankful that I had the opportunity to come to New York City today because I haven't run in a while because I had an injury.
Coming back, I'm not saying I'm happy to be second, but I'm still really stoked that I come back and try to win a race.  Nick Willis is a respectable guy.  He has a kick.  So to lose to him, still, it's impressive.
Overall, I just think it was an awesome experience, and I'm looking forward to an awesome season ahead of us.

Q.  Talk about your decision to move around that turn that Nick was talking about.
SAM CHELANGA:  Well, I just knew that there was one thing, when you get to the park, it's going to be hilly.  I train where it's hilly, and I knew that.
I don't have a kick, so I have to like make these guys tired going up those hills, and it worked until the last maybe two minutes, and the guy passed me.

Q.  Aaron, what are your thoughts, third place?
AARON BRAUN:  It's good to be back in New York.  I knew that it would be a group of guys who are fit and ready to go.  Knew that Sam and I and Alastair would probably be the ones to really push the pace.
Alastair did most of the hard work the first couple of miles, which I thought it was great.  Then when Sam made the move, I was able to respond a couple times, but he just kept moving.
So the last quarter mile or so, I just was worn out.  His plan worked effectively on me, but Nick Willis, I mean, he's a miler.  So that's another story, I guess.
NICK WILLIS:  I'm a 5K guy now.

Q.  Nothing could stop the kick today?
AARON BRAUN:  Trying to push him down.
SAM CHELANGA:  It was powerful, I can tell you.  I was really shocked to see him go by.  I had nothing left.  I just looked at him and said, okay, fair enough.
AARON BRAUN:  He has an unfair advantage too.  He's got his baby watching him today.
NICK WILLIS:  I had an extra boost for the last quarter mile.
AARON BRAUN:  He's got his baby out there watching him.  Me and Sam's kids had to stay home.  We didn't have the extra motivation to show off for our kids.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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