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As
they headed up around the northern end of Central Park and back
down the east side, Lornah Kiplagat seemed to be pushing the pace...
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...But
Asmae Leghzaoui, who received virtually no mention in the pre-race
press, was hanging right in there.
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Kiplagat
and Leghzaoui passed through 5k in 15:06, well ahead of course record
- and world record - pace.
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If
they could hold on, they would be challenging Liz McColgan's WR
of 30:39. Paula Radcliffe held the course record of 30:47, set last
year.
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Around
the four mile mark, which they passed in 19:39, Leghzaoui began
to pull away from Kiplagat.
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Leghzaoui's
biggest challenge seemed to be getting to the race. Her visa had
only been approved earlier in the week and she flew to New York
from Casablanca on Thursday.
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As
they head down the east side of Central Park, Lornah Kiplagat fights
to hang on as Asmae Leghzaoui calmly pulls away.
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Though
many of the spectators were unfamiliar with the 25-year-old Moroccan,
Leghzaoui had a solid 10k PR of 31:16.94 (run at the 2001 Mediterranean
Games) heading
into the race.
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By
the five-mile mark, Leghzaoui led Kiplagat by about 35 meters and
seemed to have the victory in the bag.
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Leghzaoui
passed through five miles in 24:26, still under world-record pace.
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Until
last year, when Paula Radcliffe ran 30:47 here, many thought Grete
Waitz's course record of 31:00 was "unbreakable."
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Asmae
Leghzaoui showed that no record is unbreakable as she crossed the
finish line in 30:29 - a new world and course record.
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Unlike
Kiplagat, Leghzaoui did not take water at any of the stations along
the course. Her first request upon crossing the finish line was
for water.
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Kiplagat
finished second in 30:44 - the second-fastest time ever run here.
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Sonia
O'Sullivan hung on for third in 31:22.
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After
dropping out of the lead pack, O'Sullivan ran alone for the last
four miles of the race.
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Olivera
Jevtic, 24, of Yugoslavia finished fourth in 31:42.
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Jevtic
again.
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20-year-old
Ejagayou Dibaba of Kenya finishes fifth in 31:44.
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Deena
Drossin, one of the pre-race favorites, didn't have her best day
but finished sixth in 32:08.
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