Sunday's New York City Marathon was about the first and the last.For Gebre Gebremariam the first, as in his debut marathon, was a stunning success. Gebremariam capped off a rousing victory with a 4:36 26'th mile followed by a celebratory last .2 miles filled with triumphant finger pointing, and gesticulations.
For Haile Gebresalassie the last, as in presumably his last race ever, ended prematurely in mile 17. The bitter disappointment of the setback left him emotionally distraught and ready to move on to the next chapter of his life in a remarkably abrupt fashion.
The race itself was unmistakably shaped by Gebresalassie's plight. The Emperor's resume speaks for itself and weighs heavily on the mind of his competitors. The respect that his competitors have for him was in evidence early on in the way they treated his early reluctance to push the pace or assert himself with a surge or two. The gravity the man holds is astonishing for an athlete at the age of 37. His impact ensured that even as the pace dawdled the first 16 miles, no one made any bold moves nor tried seriously to break away from the field.
Before the race, however, Geb had revealed to the press that he suffered a knee ailment a couple weeks before the race and his condition was exacerbated by his flight over. He had received an MRI and had some fluid removed from his balky leg only a couple days before the race. As much as he wanted to downplay the news, the diagnosis had been grim and the almost-constantly enthusiastic and game Gebresalassie had to cancel some commitments for "sleep" and had the New York Road Runners gravely doubting his ability to participate.
Of course, Geb was on the starting line, the great competitor that he is. Before the race, he confided to compatriot Gebremariam "Gebre, if I finish this race, I'm special". Knowing of all those who wanted to see him compete and of all the hard work he had put in in preparation, Geb tried valiantly to complete the task all the same. This day just wasn't meant to be, though.
The New York course is brutal, hilly and unforgiving to youthful athletes with two good legs let alone an older one with only one good one. The pain slowly built up on Haile and as the race turned onto the pivotal moment when it moved onto First Avenue, the pain overcame Gebresalassie and he was forced to resign, a broken and beaten man.
In the moments when Haile was beginning to waver, his countryman and friend Gebre Gebremariam encouraged him saying "Come on". Gebresalassie, responded characteristically in the ultimate sportsman's fashion "I can't, Gebre, you have to move, you have to reach them". Of course, Gebre did just that, extending his dominance of the road circuit in America to the biggest marathon of them all.
The race itself shifted dramatically as the leading pack hit First Avenue. Was it was the sudden disappearance of Gebresalassie or the excitement of emerging from the bridge that spurred a new aggressiveness and urgency, or both? Whatever it was, the pace accelerated to what in marathon terms constituted a "sprint"- a 4:26 mile. The pace hovered around 4:30 for the mile for a few miles more, and the pack was disintegrated by the injection of intensity.
Eventually, the race withered down to just two, the debutante Gebremariam and Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai. As the two approached the final four or five miles of the race, Gebremariam looked like the stronger man. The pace began to lag a little bit, as Gebremariam seemed somewhat uncertain about his own ability to deal with the distance, and Mutai's form began to subtly disintegrate. Gebremariam patiently continued to wait until the finish line was more tangible. In the midst fn one of the Central Park hills with a few miles to go, he could wait no longer and Mutai had no response to his increase in tempo. Gebremariam kept his head on a swivel, frantically looking to see if Mutai could respond. He could not, the race and the distance was Gebremariam's in his first try.
Gebremariam, without doubt, came into the race with the credentials to be an excellent marathoner. His strength is evident in both his stellar track marks (12:52/26:50) and his biggest accomplishment before his New York City title, a world cross country championship (12KM race). His summer was filled with road triumphs including Beach To Beacon and Falmouth. However, before the race he conceded to his wife that he thought he had no chance to win. Ed Eyestone even said that Gebre sheepishly admitted that his mileage was only 105 to 115.... kilometers per week. That low number aside, a hot runner on the roads is a hot runner on the roads. His success with so much racing, no doubt emboldens proponents of a greater number of race efforts and a slight deemphasis on workouts and training for leading Americans like Ryan Hall and Dathan Ritzenheim. From his success in shorter road races, Gebremariam was able to carry his momentum both in the half marathon in Philly, where he finished a close second a month and a half ago, and in the marathon here. His victory in New York further establishes himself as one of the finest all-around distance runners in the world.
As for the best distance runner of all time, Haile Gebresalassie, he met the press at the podium looking defeated and put simply, sad. To see such a cheery and bubbly personality so despondent is heartbreaking for distance running fans everywhere. His key message in his words was that he didn't want to "complain". When chided about his injuries, he reiterated that he was just tired of complaining. To me, he really meant he was tired of making excuses for his older and more fragile body. He was tired of the disappointments and setbacks, for himself and for his stakeholders, that had become more frequent, more inevitable.
The decision was emotional and hasty, perhaps it is possible he will lace them up one more time with the same youthful anticipation and enthusiasm that he has exhibited on the world stage for twenty years. If he does not, his career is filled with so many peaks and astonishing achievements that his last race will be easily forgotten amongst his many successes. David Epstein of Sports Illustrated probably said it best about Gebresalassie: "Like Babe Ruth, who invented the homerun, Gebrselassie invented the modern distance world record." He also set a standard of excellence, longevity and versatility in athletics that will likely never be matched, and a legacy of philanthrophy and ambassadorship away from athletics that will never be forgotten.
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