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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHONNovember 3, 2013Lusapho AprilTsegaye KebedeGeoffrey MutaiRyan VailNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Geoffrey, when you were racing Stanley during that period, were you concerned? He has so much good foot speed from the road racing that he's done, that you needed to break with him quickly, that you couldn't go along with him? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, I thank this opportunity for the winning. For me, when I was still pushing a lot, I didn't want to leave him, but if he was‑‑ like I try to call him to come to accompany me, but he tried to follow me, so if someone following me, so I see that will be dangerous for me. So I tried to look forward and to focus. Q. Tsegaye, after you came off the bridge at that 16 miles towards 30K, you did a lot of pushing there. What motivated you to take the pace? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: Well, that's why I come, I want to win this competition. When I look at everybody behind me, I want just to push and to win. When I was at 20 miles, I was getting a calf problem. Because of that, I'm not continuing with them. After I get just out, I keep my pace, then I get better, and I continue and finally take second position. Q. Geoffrey, what does it mean to you to defend your title here? GEOFFREY MUTAI: First of all, for me to defend my title, I think it has very many meanings. For me, actually, today, first of all, it was the birthday of my manager Gerard. The thing is he told me, even before I came here, he told me, no, I want one thing only, a present for you, and that present is to win. So I look down, I tell him, winning is not easy. First of all, to win‑‑ to win is easy, but to defend your title is not easy. So even today, as you see the course today, the weather today, it was not easy. Even for me, I try all what I can, but even if I was not believing that I can finish like that. So actually, it says a lot for me to defend my title. Q. Lusapho, South Africa has a great marathon tradition that recently only Hendrik Ramaala has run at world level. What does it mean to you to bring South Africa back into this level of marathon running? LUSAPHO APRIL: I'm very happy to put my country on the map and to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Hendrik Ramaala. So I'm happy. Q. Geoffrey, just before you killed Stanley, you took a bottle just before you made your final push, you took a bottle, and then you gave it to Stanley, and then you said something to Stanley. What did you say? Can you remember? GEOFFREY MUTAI: He told me, give me water. I tell him it's juice. So I give him, you need water. I tell him, take it. It's not water, but take it. And then I tell him‑‑ what I was telling him, there is not another station for the water. Q. Talking in English to him? GEOFFREY MUTAI: No, he was telling me with our language. Q. A different language? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Yes, our mother tongue. Q. Tsegaye, so you won the World Marathon Majors today. Twice you were a runner‑up in that series. Were you thinking about the World Marathon Majors title during the run today? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: You know, it is not easy to win World Marathon Majors. This is my dream. You know, I don't know. It is not many Ugandans in the history to win that many in history. I'm very happy. I'm glad to get to this point. Q. Ryan, I was just wondering if you could tell us a little bit about what the conditions were like out there, both when you were in the pack and when you were on your own. RYAN VAIL: It was incredibly windy. I mean, we knew that going into it. I was surprised. I feel like it was coming out of the northwest. So even as we were turning left, we were still getting the wind. It was good to run with Jason for a while and have a little group going. Once he dropped, it was a long way to deal with the wind myself, but everyone had to deal with that. So that's not something to be too concerned about. It was an even playing field. Q. This is for all you guys, anyone who wants to answer. Did you guys notice the security presence, especially at the finish line? Obviously you're locked in, but did you notice that at all? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, I was not fearing anything. I know that security was okay, and I was feeling free. I was not even thinking about anything. RYAN VAIL: This is my first time here, so I don't know what it was like before. I didn't feel intruded upon at all by the security. I think they did a great job. TSEGAYE KEBEDE: If there is not security, for everything is not good. But I think maybe just like the last in Boston, maybe it will happen, I think something. But it was without any problem to finish for all. I'm happy without that. LUSAPHO APRIL: The security is really tight and they are strict, which I think it's a good thing considering what happened in Boston. So I'm happy with the security. Q. Ryan, can you talk about your first‑place American finish, your thoughts on that. RYAN VAIL: It's definitely an honor considering the field we had out here. Obviously, some guys had some off days, but still an honor. I would have liked to have finished a little stronger, I thought. Based on my training, I thought I was going to finish a little stronger on this course. I definitely had some challenges that were out of my control. I only got two of my seven bottles out there. So that was a pretty tough situation. So I tried to compensate by taking Gatorade. Again, I was hoping for a stronger finish for myself, but, again, considering the American field, I'm definitely honored to be the first American. THE MODERATOR: Ryan was 13th in 2:13:23. Q. Geoffrey, could you feel Biwott weakening a little bit right around the 20th, 21st mile? GEOFFREY MUTAI: From the starting, after where I was starting to push it when we turn, I think that was the good area because there was not so much wind. So when I was deciding to go, I was feeling okay, the wind was not there. For me, I was not looking to say I've tried to leave anyone, but I was focusing at the end. Q. Kebede, you've had two Marathon Major championships now. What's next? Are you going to go for a third? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: Of course, you know, I have plans, if I get a chance to get again, to win. So I will try to get again. Q. So 2014, that means you're going to go perhaps to Tokyo? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: Maybe I will. Q. This is for Kebede. So knowing that you did not have to win the race to earn the World Marathon Majors title, did that affect how you ran the race? In other words, did you run more conservatively than you might because as long as Geoffrey was ahead, you knew you were still going to win the World Marathon Majors? TSEGAYE KEBEDE: Both me and Stephen were leading in points. Just when I'm running, I make to win. If I win him or if he win me, just to get to a position to where he might get it, but I try, I make for it. If I get position number one, maybe I'm happy, but I have to finish in front of him. I think that, to get this championship. Q. Geoffrey, you were mostly two minutes behind your schedule from your course record earlier because of the wind, but when you got to 20 miles and it's all uphill to the finish, with your training with all the hills, does that give you confidence that, even though it's uphill, that you can attack all the way to the finish? GEOFFREY MUTAI: You know, what I say, from the starting to about 22 miles, when we turn, it was a lot of trees on the turn. So there was not a lot of wind. So when I try to move, I feel comfortable. So even for me, when I start moving, I don't care if you come or if you stay back because I say, if you come, you come and we go together, or leave me and go. So for me, I am focused. I don't look back. I'm only going to my way. Q. Geoffrey, now that you've won twice, second time here in the United States in New York, what's the feeling? Have you got any reaction back from your folks in Kenya, the country? Has your phone been ringing? What's going on right now as we're having this press conference right now back in Kenya? GEOFFREY MUTAI: For me, back where I'm from, everyone knows. To win this course or to repeat again twice, it's not easy. For me, it's a glory, and everyone was‑‑ that's the one which you win a lot of‑‑ let's say a big marathon like this and you repeat twice, it means how you are keeping yourself. So I think I'm more famous now in Kenya. Q. I just wanted to ask Geoffrey about your rivals and friends, Wilson and Dennis. How are they going to receive this victory, the fact that you've now got one the same as they do? GEOFFREY MUTAI: Actually, those are not my rivals, they are my colleagues. So whenever we meet or whenever they go, we run together. The one which is win, everybody must be a winner. So I accept what comes. But for me, those are my colleagues, my training mates, and we're cheering each other. When he wins, we congratulate the other a lot. Q. Ryan, how much potential do you have for improvement, do you think? And what are your next races? RYAN VAIL: I feel like I have a long way to go in the marathon. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to racing and training. I'd like to try to get on maybe a faster course in the spring and see what I can do time‑wise. But I'd also like to come back to New York and learn how to race better. I think there's a lot of room for improvement in my race today. So this may be my first year doing two marathons by jumping into a spring one. I don't have one picked out yet, but I'll be talking with my coach and agent after this about that. Q. Who's your coach? RYAN VAIL: Dave Smith from Oklahoma State. Q. Ryan, you said this was your first New York City Marathon. What were your thoughts about it, about the crowd, about everything you were seeing and feeling as you were running through the streets? RYAN VAIL: It was very different than my first two marathon experiences, one in Houston at the Olympic trials and one in Fukuoka. It's not comparable. The crowd here is incredible, the support. You feel the energy.  You can actually feel the energy here, which is something I've never experienced before in another race. Going through all the boroughs of New York is also an incredible experience, definitely something I'd love to do again. Q. Geoffrey, your group with Wilson and Dennis and your win today, you've now won the three majors this fall. What are you guys doing differently than everybody else? I mean, you've established the top group. What do you think you're doing differently in your training than even some of the other Kenyan groups? GEOFFREY MUTAI: There is no difference. I think what is different only is competition. Maybe we go to competition, like half marathon or 10 kilometer. That's what can hurt us. But let's say there is no difference.  Like our colleagues again, which is training not so far, like our colleague which he won in Frankfurt last time. We train near each other. So you see lots of times, this time again, it's like lucky. Last one we didn't do well, but this time we do. So sometimes it comes like that. We don't say that this is only way to win. But when we train, you see that we train together. So when one wins, you normally know that everyone is near there. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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