NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 7, 1999

German Silva

GERMAN SILVA: I feel good during the race and I tried to do my job, my job was running halfway, set a pace together with the other pacemakers, and I tried to do my job. And by the way, I was feeling very good. I don't know, I mean, but as I told you before I hope not to finish because thinking very well and being clever I didn't have my training, my complete training who will support me. I was feeling very good in the physical and psychological way because I was very feeling very good, but I listened to the side that I didn't have to finish. But I wanted to watch the race anyway, so -- (laughter).

GERMAN SILVA: I saw a couple of people very strong. I saw Kagwe strong. I saw just getting into the Central Park; Castro very, very strong, he was pushing and I thought if Castro gets together with Chebet in the last mile he have chance to win, but the good news for Chebet is that he push the pace and broke away a little bit and he is very consistent and he run a lot on his tempo. He don't give up on tempo. He takes a good pace. He don't -- he keep on the pace. He can run 50 kilometers that pace, no problem, he is very strong. It was very exciting to watch the race. It was a very good place to watch the race. I stayed right in front the whole race, but it was nice.

GERMAN SILVA: Today I enjoyed the race in all aspects. I enjoyed running. I enjoy feeling myself like I help because all of them, they are my friends, sometimes I took water for one and for others, but I think the job from a pacemaker, especially in these conditions, I thought might not be set a fast a pace because the conditions were going on in sometimes different way. I think the first 10k we lost a little bit of time, we lost some time, so I thought the other pacemakers just to forget about the time we lost and try to keep a good group and that is what we did and sometimes trying to help the group.

GERMAN SILVA: I think it was close to the 19 -- between 18 and 19. One hour 30 exactly.

GERMAN SILVA: Well, I wanted to watch the race and the only way I thought by going I have to run to the hotel and I am lazy to run slow, like after running, I thought well, in the meantime, I practice my steeplechase.

GERMAN SILVA: Well, we had sometimes a couple of communication with different athletes like I think with Chebet a couple of times, like you know, like take it easy, take it easy about the course, even sometimes people get excited and a couple of times some people get into the race and it is very dangerous for the others, and my position in running a marathon, I would like somebody to just jump on the pack because if somebody fall down, then everybody will fall. So I try to take away that person from the group to keep it safe and sometimes we had some conversation, I think I enjoy, we had communication because athletes you are running there and you have the feeling yourself so sometimes like I say tell some athletes give some extra motivation, you look good, you are doing well, so keep on going but not just to one, but to the other and everybody, you know, like sometimes I remember I had conversation with the Moroccan -- he told me where -- 'til where are you going, don't worry, 'til 25 and then when I -- when I sprint to catch the truck, then I told him you stay, I am out. (laughter).

GERMAN SILVA: Yeah, at that point I think Castro started -- already before Castro start to push a little bit, but I think the reason the group get to three because I think it was a consequence of the miles going on, you know, some people start not really -- there was not really a big move from somebody specifically, but I think people start to drop back a little bit. It is very us very nice to watch a race like this, a big group, a nice group. After when they get into the Central Park, the group start to get some definition and I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you.

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