NEW YORK — While most of the 38,377 starters in Sunday’s New York City Marathon were still out there — somewhere between the Verrazano Bridge and Central Park, each addressing the event’s promotional question, “What Does It Take?” — Brazilian Marilson Gomes dos Santos was striding happily toward the finish line, waving and blowing kisses.
Even without translation from his native Portuguese, Gomes seemed to have the answer: Just hang in there.
Gomes, 31, the 2006 New York champion, stuck with the early leaders in the professional men’s race. Surged a bit during the noisy run up First Avenue, 17 miles into the 26-mile, 385-yard journey. Engaged in a tough two-man duel with Moroccan Abderrahim Gourmi from Mile 21 to 23. Kept his cool when Gourmi appeared to break away at 23½. Slowly reeled in Gourmi over the next two miles. Then blew Gourmi’s doors off with three-quarters of a mile to go.
“The marathon is a difficult event,” Gomes understated after his victory in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 43 seconds. “I have seen many marathons that are decided at the last minute, so you never lose hope. You have to keep trying, and I kept pushing even though it was six, seven seconds behind. I got focused, and that’s why I could pass him and win the race.”
In the 24th mile, Gourmi, 32, had expanded his lead to a solid nine seconds. After a second-place finish here last year, suddenly feeling in command, “I said, ’I can win today,”” Gourmi said. “After I pass Marilson and I think I give him almost 10 seconds, 15 seconds, I said, ’It’s my day.””
A mile later, though, Gourmi’s legs were seizing up and Gomes had gained three seconds. “I just turned back,” Gourmi said, “and I saw Marilson come back. I said, ’I think he’s going to win today.””
Gomes quickly went a safe 18 seconds ahead, leaving Gourmi second again, 24 seconds behind, in 2:09:07, and regretting he had not drunk more water on the course. Until that final mile, he had been more threatening than any of the other 43 elite men: none of them able to sustain a challenge after the 18-mile mark.
From the early lead pack, Kenyans Daniel Rono and Paul Tergat would finish third and fourth and Gourmi’s Moroccan countryman, Abderrahime Bouramdane, fifth. After them came an unusually strong showing by Americans: Abdi Abdirahman, sixth; Josh Rohalinsky, seventh; Jason Lehmkuhle, eighth; and Bolota Asmerom, 10th.
It has been 26 years since the United States put so many men in New York’s top 10. (In 1982, the Americans were led by winner Alberto Salazar, coach of this year’s No. 3 woman, Kara Goucher; while Daniel Schlesinger was third, Thomas Raunig sixth, George Malley seventh and Dean Matthews 10th. That was in marathon’s pre-Kenyan era.)
So what does it take? Runners referred to their training, of course, and Gomes mentioned the enormous New York crowds along the route. “The people give me the feeling that gets me going,” he said. Abdirahman noted how physical discomfort caused him to drop back at the 18th mile, and when he began to feel good again, he needed “guys in front of me to go after.”
For Gourmi, again overtaken at the end, it will just take another try. “I hope I can come back and win one day,” he said. “No problem.”
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