Did You Know?
3,213: Finishers from Italy, the country outside the U.S. with the most finishers
3,358: Finishers from Britain, second to Italy
105: Total countries represented
11,081: Total finishers from the tri-state area (NY, NJ, CT)
7:48:46: Time of the oldest female finisher, Yolande Marois, age 83
8:00:39: Time of the oldest male finisher, Peter Harangozo, age 87
6,000: Volunteers that assisted with ING New York City Marathon operations
66: Percentage of male finishers
34: Percentage of female finishers
44: Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit at the start of wave one
3,400,221: Page views of the ING New York City Marathon website on race day
$3,653,735.60: Total funds raised by New York Road Runners Foundation Team for Kids
10.95: Overall weight in tons of recycled material at start, including cardboard and plastic
6.7: Overall weight in tons of recycled material at finish, including cardboard and plastic
Breaking Down the Numbers
This year’s ING New York City Marathon had 38,832 starters and 38,096 finishers. Nearly 105,000 people applied to run the ING New York City Marathon 2008.
The Champions
It was a day for repeat champions on November 2, with Paula Radcliffe winning her third ING New York City Marathon title in 2:23:56 and Marilson Gomes dos Santos outlasting Abderrahim Goumri in the final mile to claim his second ING New York City Marathon crown in 2:08:43.
Kara Goucher set an American debut record of 2:25:53, surpassing Deena Kastor’s mark of 2:26;58, set in 2001 at the New York City Marathon. She also became the third-fastest American woman ever behind Kastor (2:19:36) and Joan Benoit Samuelson (2:21:21). Goucher is the first American woman to reach the podium in New York since Anne Marie Letko in 1994.
Female wheelchair winner Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland finished in 2:06:42, capturing her fourth ING New York City Marathon title. Male wheelchair defending champion Kurt Fearnley of Australia finished in 1:44:50 to claim his third consecutive crown.
New York Road Runners awarded $814,300 in prize money and time bonuses this year, up from $809,300 awarded last year. Radcliffe and Gomes dos Santos each earned $165,000.
World Marathon Majors
Irina Mikitenko of Germany was voted the winner of the World Marathon Majors (WMM) series for 2007-08 over Gete Wami of Ethiopia. The two athletes were tied at 65 points and equally matched in head-to-head races (1-1); a vote by the five race directors broke the tie and awarded Mikitenko her first WMM title.
Martin Lel of Kenya, the ING New York City Marathon 2007 champion, won the 2007-08 World Marathon Majors series with 76 points. Lel had planned to compete in New York, but he broke his foot at the RTP Portugal Half-Marathon in Lisbon on September 28.
Record-Setting Field
Ginette Bedard, 75, from Howard Beach, NY, set a pending U.S. age-group record at the ING New York City Marathon 2008 with a time of 4:08:31. The previous (un-aided) record was 4:38:12 by Helen Klein, 79, of Rancho Cordova, CA, set in 2002 at the Oklahoma City Marathon.
Paula Radcliffe's 2:23:56 ING New York City Marathon winning time is the fastest women's marathon recorded in North America in 2008. It is also the ninth-fastest time in the world this year.
Marilson Gomes dos Santos's winning time in New York is the fourth-fastest marathon in North America this year behind Evans Cheruiyot (2:06:25) and David Kipkorir Mandago (2:07:37) in Chicago and Robert Cheruiyot (2:07:46) in Boston.
This year’s race featured the strongest American men’s field in recent history, with Abdi Abdirahman (sixth), Josh Rohatinsky (seventh), Jason Lehmkuhle (eighth) and Bolota Asmerom (10th) finishing in the top 10. The last time four or more American men placed in the top 10 in New York was in 1982.
The 40th running of the ING New York City Marathon will be held on November 1, 2009.
Content written by Meghan Chisholm
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