This Day in Track & Field, November 4, Grete Waitz takes 4th in NYC Marathon, announces Retirement (1990), by Walt Murphy

This Day in Track & Field/Marathon-November 4 

 

TCS NY City Marathon

 

1990—The race was dedicated to race director and NYRR president Fred Lebow, who was battling brain cancer.

In the closest women’s finish to date, Poland’s Wanda Panfil (2:30:45) held off runner-up American Kim Jones (2:30:50) by just five seconds. Attempting a 10th New York City Marathon victory after two years of injuries, Norway’s Grete Waitz (2:34:34) finished fourth and soon after announced her retirement. 1988 U.S. Olympian Nancy Ditz finished 8th in 2:37:15.

Winner of the men’s race was Kenya’s Douglas Wakiihuri (2:12:39), the 1987 World Champion and 1988 Olympic silver medalist. 4th was Tanzania’s Juma Ikangaa (2:14:32), the defending champion.

Runners had to deal with temperatures in the 70s.

Other Notable Finishers

Men: 2.Salvador García (Mexico) 2:13:19…5.John Campbell (41/New Zealand) 2:14:34…29.Gerry O’Hara (1st American!) 2:26:15; DNF-Ken Martin (USA)

Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/901104/finishers

Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_New_York_City_Marathon

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/05/sports/new-york-city-marathon-wakiihuri-and-panfil-win-marathon.html

 

2001—The event took on added significance this year, with the city still reeling in the aftermath of 9/11.

The winners were Ethiopia’s Tesfaye Jifar (2:07:43) and Kenya’s Margaret Okayo (2:24:21).

Deena Kastor finished 7th in 2:26:58 to take the U.S. title.

The race had a significant course change, with runners entering Central Park at 90th Street instead of 102nd Street and thereby eliminating a short but steep hill.

Other Notable Finishers

Men: 2.Japhet Kosgei (Kenya) 2:09:19, 3.Rodgers Rop (Kenya) 2:09:51…5.Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa/would win in 2004) 2:11:18…7.John Kagwe (Kenya/winner in 1997, 1998) 2:11:57, 8.Joseph Chebet (Kenya/winner in 1999) 2:13:07…13.Scott Larson (1st American) 2:15:26

Women: 2.Susan Chepkemei (Kenya) 2:25:12, 3.Svetlana Zakharova (Russia) 2:25:13, 4.Joyce Chepchumba (Kenya/would win in 2002) 2:25:51…6.Lyudmila Petrova (Russia/defending champion) 2:26:18…10.Elana Meyer (South Africa) 2:31:43

Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/b11106/finishers

Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_New_York_City_Marathon

www.nytimes.com/2001/11/05/sports/marathon-2001-the-overview-celebrating-continuity-mourning-the-absent.html

https://www.911memorial.org/connect/blog/remembering-2001-nyc-marathon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeC-spxeH8A

https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a24492717/nyc-marathon-after-september-11/

 

2007-2003 winner Martin Lel of Kenya returned for his second New York City Marathon and outsprinted Morocco’s Abderrahim Goumri (2:09:16) to win again in 2:09:04, the day after Ryan Hall ran 2:09:03 to win the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon, hosted by the NYRR in Central Park. In a front-running tour de force, Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain led from the start and finally dropped Ethiopia’s Gete Wami (2:23:32) with 400 meters remaining; Radcliffe won in 2:23:09, one second faster than her winning time in 2004.

Other Notable Finishers

Men: 3.Hendrick Ramaala (South Africa/2004 winner) 2:11:25, 4.Stefano Baldini (Italy/2004 Olympic champion) 2:11:58…8.Marílson Gomes dos Santos (Brazil/winner in 2006, 2008) 2:13:47

Women: 3.Jeļena Prokopčuka (Latvia/2-time defending champion) 2:26:13…5.Catherine Ndereba (Kenya/World Champion-2003,2007) 2:29:08, 6.Elva Dryer 2:35:15, 7.Robyn Friedman 2:39:19, 8.Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) 2:41:58, 9.Melisa Christian 2:42:07, 10.Alvina Begay 2:42:46

Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/a71104/finishers

Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_City_Marathon

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/sports/04iht-athletics4.8180917.html

https://www.runnersworld.com/races-places/a20791606/paula-radcliffe-wins-nyc-marathon-com/

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPJYc-_3aXk

 

2012—The official race might have been canceled the day before, but almost 2,000 entered runners, many of whom had already traveled to NYC from around the world, showed up in Central Park on the day the Marathon was supposed to take place and ran 4 loops of the park, just as runners did when the event started in 1970.

Runners were asked to donate food, clothing and money that would be given to victims of Superstorm Sandy.

“This may sound cheesy,” said Caroline Lewis, 39, from Wales, who was there to cheer for her husband David. “But this is such a great example of that American spirit, that you find a way to get up and keep going.”

https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/11/04/sports/SPTSMARATHON1104.html?searchResultPosition=1

https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/11/03/sports/SPTSMARATHON1103.html?searchResultPosition=2

NY Times

 

2018—Kenya’s Mary Keitany and Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa were the winners at the 48th running of the TCS NY City Marathon on a beautiful fall day.

It was the 4th NY win for Keitany, who also won in 2014, 2015, & 2016. She was 2nd in 2017 to Shalane Flanagan, who finished a creditable 3rd (2:26:22) behind Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot (2:26:02) today. Molly Huddle finished 4th (2:26:44), Des Linden 6th (2:27:51), and Allie Kiefer 7th (2:28:12) to give the U.S. 4 top-10 finishers. Keitany’s winning time of 2:22:48 was the 2nd-fastest ever run in NY at the time (Behind Margaret Okayo’s Course Record of 2:22:31, set in 2003).

Keitany was inducted into the NYRR Hall of Fame tonight

It was the first win for Desisa, who had previously finished 2nd (2014) and 3rd (2015, 2017) in NY. As with Keitany, his winning time of 2:05:59 is the 2nd fastest ever run in NY (behind Geoffrey Mutai’s CR of 2:05:06, set in 2011). And  Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata (2:06:01) and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor (2:06:26), the defending champion, are now 3-4 on the all-time NY list). Desisa pulled away from Kamworor in the last mile, then held off a late charge by Kitata.

The U.S. also had four top-10 finishers in the men’s race-6.Jared Ward (2:12:24), 7.Scott Fauble (2:12:28), 9.Shadrack Biwott (2:12:52), 10.Chris Derrick (2:13:08).

Bernard Lagat, a month shy of his 44th birthday, finished 18th (2:17:20) in his debut at the distance.

Results: https://results.nyrr.org/event/M2018/finishers

Top 20: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_New_York_City_Marathon

NY Times Coverage

Post Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyhlhUbYzXs

https://www.letsrun.com/events/2018/11/2018-tcs-new-york-city-marathon

 

Past NY City Marathon Winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_winners_of_the_New_York_City_Marathon

Media Guide (2025)

Through The Years:

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/nydn-sports-44-years-new-york-city-marathon-history-1-47895-photogallery.html

 

Born On This Day*

 

Damian Warner—Canada  36 (1989)  2021 Olympic gold medalist—Decathlon (2016-bronze, 2012-5th); DNF at the 2024

Olympics after no-heighting in the Pole Vault—had been in gold medal contention at that point.

2022 World Indoor Champion-Heptathlon

4-time World Championships medalist—2013 & 2019 (bronze), 2015 & 2023 (silver)/2017-5th. 2022-DNF

       An injury forced a last-minute withdrawal from the 2025 World Championships—Had scored 8527 points at the Hypo

           Meeting in early June

Silver medalist in the Heptathlon at the 2018 World Indoor Championships (2014-7th)

2014 Commonwealth Games Champion; 2015 & 2019 Pan-American Games Champion

7-time winner of the Hypo meeting in Götzis, Austria (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024)

       PBs: 9018 (Olympic Record/#4 All-Time); Hep PB: 6489 (2022/#6 A-T)

       2025 SB: 8527

All-Time List

9126    Kevin Mayer (France)                    9/16/18

9045    Ashton Eaton (US)                        8/29/15

9039    ————Eaton                              6/23/12

9026    Roman Šebrle (Czech Republic)      5/27/01

9018   Damian Warner (Canada)           8/05/21

8995   ————Warner                     5/30/21

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Warner

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/122729

https://worldathletics.org/athletes/canada/damian-warner-14173337

Damian Warner

Tokyo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7SceKfDC2c

OG Report: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/decathlon-tracker-live-updates-results-highlights-each-event

Preparing For The 2021 Olympics:

https://theprovince.com/sports/olympics-pmn/ed-willes-canadas-warner-hopes-new-coach-helps-vault-him-to-olympic-gold

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/trackandfield/damian-warner-indoor-training-tokyo-olympics-1.5785135

Paris Disappointment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=857eYsuKhcA

2025 Disappointment

George Stanich 97 (1928)  1948 Olympic bronze medalist—High Jump

       At 97, he’s the oldest living male Olympic medalist in Track & Field

All-American at UCLA—7th at the 1948 NCAA Championships, 4th in 1949

Played basketball for coach John Wooden, and also played baseball at UCLA. Went on to play minor league baseball.

PB: 6-8  ¼ (2.04/1948)

Oldest Living Olympians: https://oldestolympians.sdsu.edu/

       Read Gary Cohen’s interview for more on this unlikely Olympian!:

http://www.garycohenrunning.com/Interviews/Stanich.aspx

2022 Article

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79088

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stanich

https://uclabruins.com/honors/hall-of-fame/george-stanich/275

 

Deceased

 

Max Truex 55 (1935-March 24, 1991)  2-time U.S. Olympian-10,000m (1956-DNF, 1960-6th)

3-time U.S. Champion-3 Miles (1957, 1961, 1962—finished 2nd to international runners each year)

3-time U.S. Champion—10,000m (1956, 1959, 1960/3rd behind 2 int’l runners)

(I’m not 100% certain that he was actually declared the U.S. Champion in the years he didn’t finish first!)

1957 NCAA-Country Champion (USC)

NCAA: 1956—5000 (4th), 1958-2 Miles (3rd)

Former American Record holder:

3-miles-13:35.7/1957, 13:21.0/1961

5000m-14:22.8/1956, 14:14.5/1957, 14:04.2/1957, 14:03.6/1960, 13:49.6/1962

6-miles/10,000m-28:50.2/1960

Reported elsewhere that he set a National H.S. Record of 4:20.4 at the 1954 Indiana State meet (Warsaw,IN), but

that was most likely the record for a “H.S.-only” race, since the “absolute” HSR at the time was no slower than

4:18.2.

PBs: 4:06.6 (1957), 8:44.6 (2-mile)/1960), 13:49.6 (1962), 28:50.2 (1960)

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/26/obituaries/max-truex-55-dies-star-runner-of-50-s.html

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79140

Max Truex

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Truex

Mildred “Tex” McDaniel 70 (1933-Sep. 30, 2004) 1956 Olympic gold medalist—High Jump

Set a World Record of 5-9  ¼ (1.76) in the Olympic final—it was also her 4th American Record

3-time U.S. Champion (1953, 1955, 1956; 2-time U.S. Indoor Champion(1955, 1956)

1955 Pan-American Games Champion

Was also a basketball player at Tuskegee Institute.

Inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 1983…coach at Tuskegee was fellow Hall-of-Famer Cleve Abbott

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mildred_McDaniel

HOF Bio: (Currently unavailable)

https://blackthen.com/mildred-mcdaniel-excelled-basketball-gained-famed-track-field-athlete/

Kamila Skolimowska-Poland 26 (1982-Feb.18, 2009)  First Olympic gold medalist in the Women’s Hammer Throw (2000)

Was a month shy of her 18th birthday when she won in Sydney (youngest ever Olympic champion in the event—man

or woman)

Also competed at the Olympics in 2004 (5th) and 2008 (qual.round).

Died from a pulmonary embolism in 2009 at the age of 26.

The Kamila Skolimowska Memorial is an annual track and field meet held in Chorzów, Poland

PB: 252-0 (76.83/2007)

https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/88379

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamila_Skolimowska