by Larry EderThe New York City Marathon was a battle of human wills and Mother Nature. The cool weather was a huge benefit to the runners, as was the rain. But the races in New York, at least in the front, were two very different races. On the men’s side, Geoffrey Kamroror, Lelisa Desisa, Wilson Kipsang and Lemi Berhanu battled through 25 miles.
Then, Geoffrey Kamworor, with the words of his training partner, Eliud Kipchoge, repeating in his ears, ” be patient”, knew his time to move was finally there. After waiting 25 miles, Kamworor was ready to move.
Geoffrey had run five marathons so far, and was running his sixth marathon. Geoffrey had won two World Championship half marathons, and he had won two World Cross Country races. On the track, Kamworor had taken silver over 10,000 meters to Mo Farah in the 2015 Beijing World Champs. His most recent 10,000m at the world champs, he had taken sixth.
Since the 10,000 meters in London in August, in his training with Eliud Kipchoge, Geoffrey told @runblogrun that he had learned much about training and racing. “I must be patient”, was how Geoffrey Kamworor explained it after his magnifiscent run.
In the last mile, Geoffrey Kamworor ran a 4:31 mile. He broke all but one, Wilson Kipsang.
Over the last six hundred meters, Wilson Kipsang moved from ten seconds to three, but, he could get no farther.
Geoffrey Kamworor had not come this close to finish second, and he held on.
The picture below, the embrace from Eliud Kipchoge, is a “welcome to the club” kind of message. Geoffrey Kamworor has won his first marathon, in six attempts.
He will win more.
