Where Your Dreams Become
Reality
Where Your Dreams Become
Reality
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Healthy Kidney 10k Preview Last year at the Healthy Kidney 10,000m, Dathan Ritzenhein put on a fine performance as he ran 28:08 to break the Central Park 10,000m record and pick up a $20,000 bonus. The question on a lot of people's minds at Thursday's press conference for the Healthy Kidney 10,000m Saturday in Central Park was whether Ritz's record will be broken and the $20,000 bonus given away. Ritz is out of the race with an injury, but a strong field is assembled that could threaten the record. The strongest guy in the field in our opinion is half marathon specialist Patrick Makau. In 2007, Makau emerged almost out of nowhere to set the road running world on fire. He ran four sub 1 hour half marathons and topped the season off with a second place finish at the World Half Marathon Champs. In 2008, Makau has run four half marathons and picked up four wins.
Abderrahim Goumri had great track credentials (12:51 for 5k) but he took the marathon world by storm (2nd in NY and London losing both in the final quarter mile) in 2007 and followed it up with a stunning 2:05:30 for 3rd in London this year. He was a late addition to the field when Ritz pulled out last week. Marilson Gomes dos Santos surprised the world by winning the ING NYC Marathon in 2006, but he has gone on to great things since then. Last year he ran 27:28 for 10k and 59:33 for the half-marathon. On Thursday, Makau, Goumri, and dos Santos addressed the media along with American 15,000m champ Andrew Carlson. Not a Lot of Respect for Ritz's Course Record  Patrick Makau Patrick Makau said of the record, "The course record is not so hard." He did add, "So I think it will be easy for my colleagues to push and maybe by the end I will be lucky and go (away from the race) with the record." Goumri said of the record, "If the athlete is preparing good and is almost 90% I think he can break the course record. The course is not easy. He should be in good shape (to break the record)." All the athletes indicated that the weather needed to be right for the record to fall, but they did not have a lot of respect for the record despite its $20,000 bounty. Now let us briefly turn to handicapping the race. dos Santos' interpreter said that dos Santos said he would "win the race," but we don't think he will. He is in form coming off a 13:35 5k 3 weeks ago, but Makau in our minds is the guy to beat. Makau has run very few 10,000m races, but his total dominance of the half-marathon distance would seem to bode well for him at 10,000m. It's rare to find a half guy who did not come up racing a lot of 10,000m, but Makau is one of them. While Goumri is the fastest of the bunch he (and NYRR staff) indicated he is just now recovering from his third place London Marathon finish. He was brought in at the last second to replace Ritz to give the field another named star. He said, "I am happy to come back again to New York... I hope I do my best on Saturday. I think I have recovered a little bit from the London Marathon. I will do my best...I hope my body responds on Saturday." So you can count him out. (He said after this he will just do marathon preparation for Beijing) An in form Linus Maiyo might be a factor but he is running terribly of late. Expect a two man battle between Makau and dos Santos with Makau coming out on top. Andrew Carlson Update Carlson was appreciative to be on the stage with the more accomplished runners, "I just want to thank the New York Road Runners for letting me sit up with you guys because it is pretty cool." Carlson was pretty forthright and interesting to talk to. We talked to him one on one afterwards and just let the camera roll as he talked about a variety of things including slurpees, Dairy Queen, running in the bitter, bitter cold of North Dakota, and of course important things like trying to make the Olympics (and Olympic Trials). Carlson despite winning the 15k champs, does not have a qualifying time for the 10,000m at the Olympic Trials. He was going to possibly run it at the Pre Classic, but now that Bekele is going for a world record there, Carlson said they may not want guys of his caliber in the race. Carlson definitely has not let the 15k championship go to his head as he pointed out that Goumri's 15k split in London was basically the time Carlson ran to win his 15k championship. He then talked about the 2006 Reebok Grand Prix where he ran a 13:38 p,r but got the sympathy clap for finishing 30 seconds behind the winner and then afterwards had to pretend to be upset with the fans in the stands trackside. We've got video snippets from the press conference below with the guys who spoke English and then we also have our conversation with Carlson where we just let the camera roll (a quasi interview).
Runner's World &
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