The first half of the 2018 NYC Marathon was, well, tame. The pack, down to ten, hit the half marathon in 1:15:50. Mary Keitany then, took control. He second half, run in 66:58, was one of the fastest second half marathons ever for an elite woman, and Mary’s final time of 2:22.48, as only seventeen seconds off the very best time ever run.
Mary Keitany wins number 4 in the Big Apple, photo by Photorun.net
Mary Keitany made history in NYC on November 4. Her fouth win in New York makes Mary Keitany the second most winning marathoner in NYC history. The most winning marathoner at NYC was the late Grete Waitz, who won nine times.
This podcast is my salute to Mary Keitany, done right after the race, and similar to the audio I did for BBC radio that day.
My biggest impression from the race? Mary Keitany showed, for the first time, the self control needed to win a championship race. Several runners misinterpreted Mary Keitany’s reluctance to lead early on as a sign of weakness. Keitany kept her cool and broke the race wide open by 25 kilometers, and that party was over. Keitany ran five of the last 13 miles under five minutes per mile pace.
Thanks to Mike Deering for producing and Brian Eder for posting.
We saw history made in NYC. Mary Keitany kept it in control in the first half, and then, dominated the second half like few others!