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|  Jifar Wins New York City Marathon in Record Fashion November 5, 2001 Courtesy: Running USA
In the first New York City Marathon since the world changed on
September 11, Tesfaye Jifar fashioned some changes of his own,
these far more positive, in winning the 32nd edition of the
race. Jifar used an unanswerable surge at 23 miles to become the
first Ethiopian to win in the Big Apple, and added a course
record as an exclamation point to a remarkable day of racing.
Jifar's time of 2:07:43, bettered Juma Ikanga's 12 year old
record by 18 seconds, and came as a result of near-prefect
conditions (cool temperatures, low humidity, and little wind)
and a fast pace pushed by a large pack in the early miles. The
New York course was changed slightly this year, eliminating one
short hill in Central Park, but Jifar's time was intrinsically
better than the old mark, and he garnered a $50,000 course
record time bonus in addition to the first place prize of
$80,000 and a Pontiac Grand Am.
Jifar and a group of nearly two dozen runners set a strong tempo
from the opening miles of the race, maintaining a sub-five
minute pace through Brooklyn and into Queens, passing through
the halfway split in 1:03:50. As the group climbed the
Queensboro Bridge to cross the East River into Manhattan, the
pack was whittled to 15, then 10. As is so often the case in New
York, the real racing began as the leaders ran through the sonic
gauntlet of First Avenue, and as the northern end of Manhattan
was reached four contenders remained: Jifar and three Kenyans,
Japhet Kosgei, Rodgers Rop, and 1999 champ Joseph Chebet, who
was the first to drop off the pace.
The trio stayed together through the Bronx, within sight of
Yankee Stadium, and then back into Harlem. Then, just before 23
miles, Jifar surged, and only Kosgei could respond, answering
with a surge of his own. Jifar counterpunched himself, and
within a few blocks had a lead of 10 yards that he continued to
extend as he ran down Fifth Avenue and into Central Park. For
the last miles, he seemed to resemble one of the Park's weekend
joggers rather than a man bent on winning one of the world's
premier marathons, smiling and giving thumbs up to the thousands
of fans who lined the course. Looking back several times on the
course's turns, he realized the victory was secure, but pressed
on to the finish, blessing himself and kissing the pavement
after he crossed the line. His margin of victory over Kosgei was
1:36, with Rop another 32 seconds back.
For the first time, the New York race served as the USA Men's
Championship, and Boulder's Scott Larson turned it into a solo
affair, placing 13th overall in 2:15:28. Larson's pre-race plans
called for going through the half in about 1:04:30, which
quickly put him in no-man's land, between the open and American
packs. Forced to virtually time trial the whole distance, he
felt his effort would have been around 2:11 if he'd had someone
to run with. "I couldn't pick a better place, or more important race, to win
my first U.S. title," he enthused. "They told me the crowds were
unbelievable, but I wasn't prepared for what I experienced.
Right from when we came off the bridge they were cheering so
loud you couldn't hear yourself breathe." Larson's performance also earned double USA Running Circuit
points which earned him a share of the USARC Grand Prix crown
with Dan Browne (both 40 points.) The two will split the $10,000
combined first and second place purse. Larson was followed by Clint Verran (2:17:20) and Chris
Lundstrom (2:18:08), both members of Team USA Distance Running
training centers who notched significant PRs of two and five
minutes respectively.
"I think this really proves the value of training with a group
like Hansons Team USA," said Verran. "I don't think I'd be running if it hadn't been for joining Team
USA," added Lundstrom.
Significantly, both men are in their mid-20s, and figure to be
running through at least two more Olympiads.
"Look at how much we improved, and do the math," said Verran. "I
think we can be running in the 2:11 range by 2004." New York also served as a one day window for Americans to
qualify for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and 12 men
and 13 women (four with the "A" standard) did so. The next
opportunity to qualify begins in January 2002. Security was high for the event, with the four major bridge
crossings closed to traffic and police presence more noticeable
than in the past. Spectator turnout was as larger or large than
ever, with American flags joining the international assortment
that usually festoon the New York streets. "Today's race was a statement by the people and city of New
York," said Allan Steinfeld, race director and president of
Running USA. -- Jim Gerweck
New York City Marathon
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