by RBR Admin
This Day in Track & Field/Marathon-November 4
TCS NY City Marathon
1990—The race was dedicated to race director and NYRR president Fred Lebow, who was battling brain cancer.
In the closest women’s finish to date, Poland’s Wanda Panfil (2:30:45) held off runner-up American Kim Jones (2:30:50) by just five seconds. Attempting a 10th New York City Marathon victory after two years of injuries, Norway’s Grete Waitz (2:34:34) finished fourth and soon after announced her retirement. 1988 U.S. Olympian Nancy Ditz finished 8th in 2:37:15.
Winner of the men’s race was Kenya’s Douglas Wakiihuri (2:12:39), the 1987 World Champion and 1988 Olympic silver medalist. 4th was Tanzania’s Juma Ikangaa (2:14:32), the defending champion.
Runners had to deal with temperatures in the 70s.
Other Notable Finishers
Men: 2.Salvador García (Mexico) 2:13:19…5.John Campbell (41/New Zealand) 2:14:34…29.Gerry O’Hara (1st American!) 2:26:15; DNF-Ken Martin (USA)
Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/901104/finishers
Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_New_York_City_Marathon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pDfFsyUno0
2001—The event took on added significance this year, with the city still reeling in the aftermath of 9/11.
The winners were Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Jifar (2:07:43) and Kenya’s Margaret Okayo (2:24:21).
Deena Kastor finished 7th in 2:26:58 to take the U.S. title.
The race had a significant course change, with runners entering Central Park at 90th Street instead of 102nd Street and thereby eliminating a short but steep hill.
Other Notable Finishers
Men: 2.Japhet Kosgei (Kenya) 2:09:19, 3.Rodgers Rop (Kenya) 2:09:51…5.Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa/would win in 2004) 2:11:18…7.John Kagwe (Kenya/winner in 1997, 1998) 2:11:57, 8.Joseph Chebet (Kenya/winner in 1999) 2:13:07…13.Scott Larson (1st American) 2:15:26
Women: 2.Susan Chepkemei (Kenya) 2:25:12, 3.Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) 2:25:13, 4.Joyce Chepchumba (Kenya/would win in 2002) 2:25:51…6.Lyudmila Petrova (Russia/defending champion) 2:26:18…10.Elana Meyer (South Africa) 2:31:43
Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/b11106/finishers
Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_New_York_City_Marathon
https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-2001-nyc-marathon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeC-spxeH8A
https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a24492717/nyc-marathon-after-september-11/
2007-2003 winner Martin Lel of Kenya returned for his second New York City Marathon and outsprinted Morocco’s Abderrahim Goumri (2:09:16) to win again in 2:09:04, the day after Ryan Hall ran 2:09:03 to win the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon, hosted by the NYRR in Central Park. In a front-running tour de force, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain led from the start and finally dropped Ethiopia’s Gete Wami (2:23:32) with 400 meters remaining; Radcliffe won in 2:23:09, one second faster than her winning time in 2004.
Other Notable Finishers
Men: 3.Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa/2004 winner) 2:11:25, 4.Stefano Baldini (Italy/2004 Olympic champion) 2:11:58…8.Marílson Gomes dos Santos (Brazil/winner in 2006, 2008) 2:13:47
Women: 3.Jeļena Prokopčuka (Latvia/2-time defending champion) 2:26:13…5.Catherine Ndereba (Kenya/World Champion-2003,2007) 2:29:08, 6.Elva Dryer 2:35:15, 7.Robyn Friedman 2:39:19, 8.Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) 2:41:58, 9.Melisa Christian 2:42:07, 10.Alvina Begay 2:42:46
Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/a71104/finishers
Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_City_Marathon
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/sports/04iht-athletics4.8180917.html
https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20791606/paula-radcliffe-wins-nyc-marathon-com/
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJYc-_3aXk
2012—The official race might have been canceled the day before, but almost 2,000 entered runners, many of whom had already traveled to NYC from around the world, showed up in Central Park on the day the Marathon was supposed to take place and ran 4 loops of the park, just as runners did when the event started in 1970.
Runners were asked to donate food, clothing and money that would be given to victims of Superstorm Sandy.
“This may sound cheesy,” said Caroline Lewis, 39, from Wales, who was there to cheer for her husband David. “But this is such a great example of that American spirit, that you find a way to get up and keep going.”
https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/11/04/sports/SPTSMARATHON1104.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/11/03/sports/SPTSMARATHON1103.html?searchResultPosition=2
2018—Kenya’s Mary Keitany and Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa were the winners at the 48th running of the TCS NY City Marathon on a beautiful fall day.
It was the 4th NY win for Keitany, who also won in 2014, 2015, & 2016. She was 2nd in 2017 to Shalane Flanagan, who finished a creditable 3rd (2:26:22) behind Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot (2:26:02) today. Molly Huddle finished 4th (2:26:44), Des Linden 6th (2:27:51), and Allie Kiefer 7th (2:28:12) to give the U.S. 4 top-10 finishers. Keitany’s winning time of 2:22:48 was the 2nd-fastest ever run in NY at the time (Behind Margaret Okayo’s Course Record of 2:22:31, set in 2003).
Keitany was inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame tonight
It was the first win for Desisa, who had previously finished 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2015, 2017) in NY. As with Keitany, his winning time of 2:05:59 is the 2nd fastest ever run in NY (behind Geoffrey Mutai’s CR of 2:05:06, set in 2011). And Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata (2:06:01) and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor (2:06:26), the defending champion, are now 3-4 on the all-time NY list). Desisa pulled away from Kamworor in the last mile, then held off a late charge by Kitata.
The U.S. also had four top-10 finishers in the men’s race-6.Jared Ward (2:12:24), 7.Scott Fauble (2:12:28), 9.Shadrack Biwott (2:12:52), 10.Chris Derrick (2:13:08).
Bernard Lagat, a month shy of his 44th birthday, finished 18th (2:17:20) in his debut at the distance.
Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/M2018/finishers
Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_New_York_City_Marathon
Post Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyhlhUbYzXs
https://www.letsrun.com/events/2018/11/2018-tcs-new-york-city-marathon
Past NY City Marathon Winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_New_York_City_Marathon
Through The Years:
Born On This Day*
Damian Warner—Canada 36 (1989) 2021 Olympic gold medalist—Decathlon (2016-bronze, 2012-5th); DNF at the 2024
Olympics after no-heighting in the Pole Vault—had been in gold medal contention at that point.
2022 World Indoor Champion-Heptathlon
4-time World Championships medalist—2013 & 2019 (bronze), 2015 & 2023 (silver)/2017-5th. 2022-DNF
An injury forced a last-minute withdrawal from the 2025 World Championships—Had scored 8527 points at the Hypo
Meeting in early June
Silver medalist in the Heptathlon at the 2018 World Indoor Championships (2014-7th)
2014 Commonwealth Games Champion; 2015 & 2019 Pan-American Games Champion
7-time winner of the Hypo meeting in Götzis, Austria (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024)
PBs: 9018 (Olympic Record/#4 All-Time); Hep PB: 6489 (2022/#6 A-T)
2025 SB: 8527
All-Time List
9126 Kevin Mayer (France) 9/16/18
9045 Ashton Eaton (US) 8/29/15
9039 ————Eaton 6/23/12
9026 Roman Šebrle (Czech Republic) 5/27/01
9018 Damian Warner (Canada) 8/05/21
8995 ————Warner 5/30/21
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Warner
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/122729
https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/damian-warner-14173337
https://olympic.ca/team-canada/damian-warner/
Tokyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7SceKfDC2c
OG Report: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/decathlon-tracker-live-updates-results-highlights-each-event
Preparing For The 2021 Olympics:
Paris Disappointment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=857eYsuKhcA
George Stanich 97 (1928) 1948 Olympic bronze medalist—High Jump
At 97, he’s the oldest living male Olympic medalist in Track & Field
All-American at UCLA—7th at the 1948 NCAA Championships, 4th in 1949
Played basketball for coach John Wooden, and also played baseball at UCLA. Went on to play minor league baseball.
PB: 6-8 ¼ (2.04/1948)
Oldest Living Olympians: https://oldestolympians.sdsu.edu/
Read Gary Cohen’s interview for more on this unlikely Olympian!:
http://www.garycohenrunning.com/Interviews/Stanich.aspx
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79088
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stanich
https://uclabruins.com/honors/hall-of-fame/george-stanich/275
Deceased
Max Truex 55 (1935-March 24, 1991) 2-time U.S. Olympian-10,000m (1956-DNF, 1960-6th)
3-time U.S. Champion-3 Miles (1957, 1961, 1962—finished 2nd to international runners each year)
3-time U.S. Champion—10,000m (1956, 1959, 1960/3rd behind 2 int’l runners)
(I’m not 100% certain that he was actually declared the U.S. Champion in the years he didn’t finish first!)
1957 NCAA-Country Champion (USC)
NCAA: 1956—5000 (4th), 1958-2 Miles (3rd)
Former American Record holder:
3-miles-13:35.7/1957, 13:21.0/1961
5000m-14:22.8/1956, 14:14.5/1957, 14:04.2/1957, 14:03.6/1960, 13:49.6/1962
6-miles/10,000m-28:50.2/1960
Reported elsewhere that he set a National H.S. Record of 4:20.4 at the 1954 Indiana State meet (Warsaw,IN), but
that was most likely the record for a “H.S.-only” race, since the “absolute” HSR at the time was no slower than
4:18.2.
PBs: 4:06.6 (1957), 8:44.6 (2-mile)/1960), 13:49.6 (1962), 28:50.2 (1960)
https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/26/obituaries/max-truex-55-dies-star-runner-of-50-s.html
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79140
https://warsawxc.wordpress.com/max-truex/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Truex
Mildred “Tex” McDaniel 70 (1933-Sep. 30, 2004) 1956 Olympic gold medalist—High Jump
Set a World Record of 5-9 ¼ (1.76) in the Olympic final—it was also her 4th American Record
3-time U.S. Champion (1953, 1955, 1956; 2-time U.S. Indoor Champion(1955, 1956)
1955 Pan-American Games Champion
Was also a basketball player at Tuskegee Institute.
Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1983…coach at Tuskegee was fellow Hall-of-Famer Cleve Abbott
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_McDaniel
HOF Bio: (Currently unavailable)
https://blackthen.com/mildred-mcdaniel-excelled-basketball-gained-famed-track-field-athlete/
Kamila Skolimowska-Poland 26 (1982-Feb.18, 2009) First Olympic gold medalist in the Women’s Hammer Throw (2000)
Was a month shy of her 18th birthday when she won in Sydney (youngest ever Olympic champion in the event—man
or woman)
Also competed at the Olympics in 2004 (5th) and 2008 (qual.round).
Died from a pulmonary embolism in 2009 at the age of 26.
The Kamila Skolimowska Memorial is an annual track and field meet held in Chorzów, Poland
PB: 252-0 (76.83/2007)
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/88379
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamila_Skolimowska
