New York, New York

New York, New York: if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, at least according to Frank Sinatra. It's a reasonable assumption, at least in terms of the NYC Marathon. The NYC Marathon course is challenging. You run NYC to run NYC, not to set PRs. Then again, tell that to this year's winners.

This year's NYC Marathon had its own set of happy endings. Meb Keflezighi won this year's NYC Marathon, becoming the first American since 1982 to win this event. The win was particularly emotional for Keflezighi; two years ago, he feared that an injury would end his career. Moreover, two years ago, his friend, Ryan Shay, died whilst running the NYC Marathon. His victory was not only a personal comeback, but he also notched a personal best (2:09:15). Keflezighi made his break at mile 23 and beat second-place Robert Cheruiyot to the finish by 41 seconds. Ryan Hall, the other great hope for American runners, finished fourth.

In the women's event, Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia took the victory, beating Paula Radcliffe, the two-time defending champion in New York. Radcliffe, struggling with an injury, finished in fourth place. Tulu only decided to race in New York in September, after she ran a solid half-marathon in Philadelphia. She completed the course in 2:28:52. At age 37, Tulu is the oldest woman to win NYC since 42 year-old Priscilla Welch won the event in 1987. Interestingly, the second place finisher, Ludmila Petrova, is 41. Apparently, 2009 was a good year for "women of a certain age" racing in NYC.

As for our friend and mentor, Dr. Jean Marmoreo, Jean had an outstanding race. She completed the course in 3:49:33 notwithstanding a 14mph headwind that slowed runners down and the inherent challenges of the rather hilly NYC course. Jean finished third in her age group. Congratulations, Jean! As always, we are proud of you!

For a full race report, see the article by Fanhouse Newswire, "American Meb Keflezighi Wins Emotional NYC Marathon".