The New York City Marathon took Stewart down memory lane.
When I looked at the women’s New York Marathon results, it was like a reunion of old friends.
Second place is Helen Obiri.
I got to know Helen when she regularly ran 3k’s and 5K’s at the Diamond Leagues. I remember one year in Birmingham when I went to the gym in the evening and there was Helen on the treadmill next to me; good thing he was going a bit faster than me. The next morning, feeling virtuous, I went back to the gym and there was Helen again on another treadmill. After that, we always treat each other as training partners. It actively happened for the third time in Doha in the gym.
It’s interesting to look back at an interview with Helen in 2017 when she told me: For the World Championships, I’m focused on the 5000. I still haven’t achieved what I wanted to in running, but maybe I can do a marathon in the future.”
Last year I interviewed Mary Moraa, who told me that as a young runner she didn’t have the right shoes, and when Helen discovered this, she immediately got Mary a pair of proper shoes.
Vivian Cheruiot finished third
I first met Vivian at the 2011 Daegu World Championships when she won the 5K and 10k. I actually met him at the tree planting ceremony. She then took a year off in 2013 to have a baby before returning to win the 10K in 2015. World champions. I was based in the Olympic Village during the 2016 Olympics and I remember bumping into Vivian the morning she won the 5000m gold medal, her fourth Olympic medal and finally a gold medal. After taking up marathons, he won London in 2018.
Vivian explained to me her reasons for running the marathon, the process and the adaptation; Because of my age, at 33, I decided to run the marathon while I was still strong. I chose London for my first marathon because London is my second home. I love London because of the people. They are very supportive and always cheer you on. The training hasn’t changed much, with a slightly longer run. There is no difference except for long runs, and marathon pace is not the same as jogging pace. Sometimes you think that you are not running fast and you are not in shape. But I was told to slow down because you can’t do the same speed in a marathon as you do on a track.”
Edna Kiplagat, now 44, is 12 years oldth
Edna was runner-up three times in London (2011-13) before winning in 2014. I remember talking to him at probably all those marathons. I also remember that he was runner-up at the 2017 World Championships in London after winning the World Championships in 2011 and 2013. He is an impressive man, with a family of five children, two of his own, two adopted from a sister who died of breast cancer in 2003, and one adopted from a neighbor who died in childbirth in 2013.”
I still smile at one answer he gave me. He spoke of his Christian faith, telling me: “I believe that all things are possible when I trust in the Lord. I pray that he will give me strength, hope, faith. I depend on God for everything.” I asked if he prayed while he ran. He looked at me sternly. “Not just when I’m running, Stuart. I pray for everything. I teach my children to always pray and trust God.” The interviewer took his place.
Jenny Simpson was 18 years oldth.
I first met Jenny in 2011 in Daegu when she won the World Championships in the 1500m. and we’ve been in touch ever since. Two years after Daegu, he was second at the World Championships held in Moscow, which he repeated in 2017 in London. He was third at the 2016 Rio Olympics
He won the 5th Ave Mile seven years in a row (2013-19). Before she won, Laura Muir noted that she had come second to Jennie Simpson in New York, adding that most of the people running Fifth Avenue were second to Jennie.
I remember asking Jenny if she remembered her first race. He answered: “I’m doing it because a girl named Brittany won and I came in second. We were both third graders. It was a dive for the finish. It was my first race with 100 kids and 2 of us were strong at the finish line. It’s such a fun moment to look back on when I I was 9 years old and I’m still doing it.” I thought it was funny that after all these years he even remembered the name of the nine year old who beat him up.
In his first Olympics, he ran the track, but he told me, “My absolute true love is cross country. That’s where I started. That’s where my heart is, I love running cross country races. I love the man-to-man combat you experience at the intersection and the courses are different every time. And you face the elements. There’s a lot about cross country that speaks to me as a person and makes me feel very competitive.”
Running track, cross country, running, she is now on the road, I wonder if Brittany is still running?