Moroccan Runs Away With NYC Marathon

N E W  Y O R K, Nov. 5 -- In one of the biggest winning margins in racehistory, Abdelkhader El Mouaziz broke away just past the 12-milemark and easily won the New York City Marathon today, becomingthe first Moroccan champion.

El Mouaziz, the seventh-place finisher at the Sydney Olympics,was timed in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 9 seconds. He was 2:21 in frontof the runner-up and ended Kenya’s three-year victory reign.

First Russian Champion

The women’s race also produced a new winner. Ludmila Petrovabecame the first Russian champion, winning in 2:25:45, a careerbest by more than three minutes.

El Mouaziz kissed the ground after crossing the finish line. Hisvictory margin was the biggest since Steve Jones of Britain won bymore than minutes in 1988.

The 31-year-old Moroccan first moved among the world’s elitemarathoners by finishing second in the 1998 London Marathon in2:08:07. He came back the following year and won London at 2:07:57,only two seconds off the course record, a mark he would have beatenif he had not slowed near the finish and waved to the crowd.

He ran London a third time in April and was the runner-up againin 2:07:33, his personal best.

Third Attempt

This was his third attempt at winning the New York CityMarathon. He placed fourth in 1997 at 2:10:04 and seventh last yearat 2:10:28.

This time, El Mouaziz stayed with the pacesetters through thefirst 10 miles. Then, when they slowed, El Mouaziz and 1996 Olympicchampion Josia Thugwane took command. The two-man race quicklyturned into a one-man show.

At the halfway point — 13.1 miles — El Mouaziz was leading in1:03:07, ahead of the course record of 2:08:01 set by Tanzania’sJuma Ikangaa in 1989, and far in front of Thugwane. It was one ofthe earliest breaks in the race’s history.

After that, El Mouaziz extended his lead to nearly 1:30 through19 miles, before his pace slowed. He ran each of the next two milesin 5:10, the slowest in the race.