Paula Radcliffe successfully defended her title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday to become the second woman to win the race three times.
Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil won the men’s race for the second time in three years, passing Abderrahim Goumri with about 1.6km to go.
On a cool, windy day, 38,377 runners started the race.
PHOTO: AFP
Unlike Radcliffe’s tight victories in 2004 and last year, the world record holder from Britain pulled away from Ludmila Petrova of Russia during the 36th kilometer to win comfortably in 2 hours, 23 minutes, 56 seconds.
“The last two times it’s been a really close finish at the end,” Radcliffe said. “It was nice to make it a little easier on the husband.”
Finishing behind Radcliffe were a veteran proving she can still keep up with younger runners and a marathon rookie showing she can race with the best in the world.
The 40-year-old Petrova was second in 2:25:43, the oldest woman to finish in the top two since Priscilla Welch of Britain won in 1987 at the age of 42.
Kara Goucher finished third in 2:25:53, becoming the first American to make the podium since 1994.
Gomes won in 2:08:43. Goumri settled for the runner-up spot for the second straight year in 2:09:07, and Daniel Rono of Kenya was third in 2:11:22.
The NYC Marathon was again the site of a stirring comeback for Radcliffe. As in 2004, she rebounded from a disappointing Olympic performance with a victory.
Last year, she won her first marathon since the birth of her daughter less than 10 months earlier.
Radcliffe has won eight of the 10 marathons she has started — all but her two Olympics, when she was thwarted by health problems both times.
“It does make it frustrating because you think, ‘Why can I get it right all the time in New York and I can’t get it right there?’” Radcliffe said. “But sometimes you have to take what life gives you.”
It was an emotional day for Goucher, running in the city where she was born and where her father was killed by a drunk driver just before she turned four.
“I was so excited to run here and sad that it’s over,” she said. “It was awesome.”
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