by Larry Eder
©2011 Rich Cruse/LA Marathon
On the men’s side, Markos Geneti, in his debut marathon, decimated the Honda LAM course record, running 2:06:35. On the women’s side, Buzenesh Deba, in her ninth marathon, battled Amy Hastings, in her debut, until 22 miles, when Deba made her move, finishing in 2:26:34, her personal best. Amy Hastings held on, finishing in second, and running 2:27:03.
RBR sent five questions to Honda LAM Race Director Peter Abraham to assess his race. This is what he sent us this morning.
2011 Honda LA marathon winners, Markos Geneti & Buzunesh Deba, ©2011 Rich Cruse/LA Marathon
RBR, # 1. How do you assess your day?
Peter Abraham: Given the weather, the day went surprisingly well. We addressed
many of the issues from last year, although there are still many areas
where we can improve. I have to note the effort of the volunteers who
stood out in the rain for hours to support our runners. The event could
not happen without them.
Elite Women’s race, 2011 Honda LA Marathon, ©2011 Jim Safford/LA Marathon
RBR, #2. LAM has a new course record…your thoughts?
Peter Abraham: Marathons rarely go exactly how you expect they will. Wesley Korir
came to town in the best shape of his life, and he knows this course
better than anyone else in the field. But it just wasn’t his day. Then
Markos Geneti blasted out at a seemingly impossible pace.
©2011 Kristen Burns/ LA Marathon
At Mile 20,
he was on pace for 2:05 flat, which would have been the fastest marathon
ever run in the US. Still, his 2:06:35 will raise the profile of our
event. No more can anyone say that we don’t have a fast course. The
women’s race was also really exciting, and the battle between Amy
Hastings and Buzunesh Deba is one I won’t ever forget.
RBR, #3. Tell us about the weather conditions.
Peter Abraham: As we got closer and closer to race day, the forecast got worse and
worse. It was telling that I did a couple pre-race live interviews on
The Weather Channel!
Battling the miles and the rain, Amy Hastings, Buzunesh Deba, Mera Dibaba, ©2011 Rich Cruse/LA Marathon
It was not a question of IF it would rain, but
WHEN. As it happened the rain started immediately after the gun went
off in the men’s race.
Markos Geneti runs 2:06;35, CR, ©2011 Rich Cruse/LA Marathon
Hollywood Boulevard, conditions has deteriorated to what felt like a
monsoon. I was waiting at the finish line, and I can’t recall ever
seeing heavier rain in LA. But marathons are all about overcoming
obstacles and doing something heroic, and I believe all of our finishers
felt an even greater sense of accomplishment that they would have in
less trying conditions.
©2011, Kristin Burns/LA Marathon
RBR, #4. How many runners?
Peter Abraham: We had a total of 23,542 runners this year. 97% of our field
finished the race, which is an amazing figure when you consider it was
50 degrees and raining.
Students Run Los Angeles, ©2011 Kristin Burns/LA Marathon
RBR, #5. Where do you go from here?
the lonely moment,©2011 Kristin Burns/LA Marathon
Peter Abraham: For us, it’s all about improving the runner experience from year to
year. We’ll do a couple weeks of debriefing and then start planning
again for next year. There are so many moving parts in an event of this
size that you never get it perfect. But we listen to runner feedback
and make changes accordingly.
Josh Cox (AR holder, 50k), Chris O’Donnell (actor, first time marathoner), Peter Abraham, LAM Race Director,
©2011Kristin Burns/LA Marathon
For more on the Honda LA Marathon, we suggest www.lamarathon.com.
©2011 Kristin Burns / LA Marathon
