Deaths mar big day in the Big Apple
NEW YORK: New York City marathon chief Mary Wittenberg hailed Sunday's race a resounding success despite the deaths of two participants, the first at the event since 1994.
Ninety nine percent of the 38,356 starters finished and more than $18 million was raised for charity.
"We express our deepest condolences to the athletes' families," Wittenberg told reporters on Monday. "We are not going to share the identity of the athletes in deference to the families. Both athletes finished the race."
Wittenberg said there were three heart attacks in the race. One individual was pronounced dead on site and the other two were resuscitated and taken to hospital.
The other participant who died left the Central Park finish, returned home and an hour later there was a call for emergency help.
Two heart attacks resulted in deaths at the 1994 race.
A total of 37,899 participants crossed the finish line, Wittenberg said. The oldest man was 87 years old and the oldest women 83.
Britain's Paula Radcliffe won her third women's crown and Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos topped the men's field for the second time.
Forty-year-old women's runner-up Ludmila Petrova of Russia set a world masters record of two hours, 25 minutes, 43 seconds, surpassing Priscilla Welch's 2:26:51 set in London in 1987.
American Kara Goucher, the third place finisher, set a US women's debut record of 2:25:53 that was the third fastest time ever for an American women.
Goucher, a top-10 finisher on the track in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the Beijing Olympics, said she did not suffer from too many aches and pains from the long race.
"What hurts is watching those highlights and wishing I was Paula," said Goucher, 30, who was trained by three-times New York winner Alberto Salazar.
"I feel like I have found my event because I know I can do a lot better than yesterday."
Agencies
(China Daily 11/05/2008 page22)
