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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 5, 2006

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

THE MODERATOR: Third place today, Catherine Ndereba, you were in the pack of seven women who were behind and we could see you in the blue and charging. Your official finishing time was two hours, 26 minutes, 58 seconds. You looked very happy at the finish.
CATHERINE NDEREBA: Yeah, I was very happy. And to close the finish race and feel good the whole race through is the important thing, and that's why I give all my credit to God, because without Him, I would not be able to do it.
THE MODERATOR: We are going to be joined right now by Stefano Baldini, but please, questions for Catherine.

Q. Why didn't more people make the break with Jelena?
CATHERINE NDEREBA: Well, I wouldn't be able to answer about the other women, but I could be able to answer about myself.
As I started the race, I was feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom, and unfortunately at the starting line, and we get to move out of the tent sometime before. I normally need to get to the bathroom for the very last time. I kept on holding for some time and up to 15k, I had a lot of difficulties. So to get to move with them was so hard for me, so I was like, you know, I didn't want to push so hard. I was feeling like I'm going to have a mess. (Laughter) You know, sometimes it happens.

Q. You are a very experienced marathoner, have you experienced a marathon so kind of discombobulated as this one?
CATHERINE NDEREBA: Not really. In fact, when I was coming here, I was kind of thinking like, well, I have a fast time, and Deena has just run her fastest marathon in London in the spring. We also have Lornah who has just broken the 20 kilometer record and also the winner of the Boston marathon this year and also Jelena who is the best runner and winner of today; she is a great runner and won here last year. I was expecting to have such a fast time, but unfortunately I guess everything turned the tables down.

Q. Can you speculate as to why the times were slow?
CATHERINE NDEREBA: First of all, I think, we kept on like, you know, watching who is going to make the first move or if not. So myself, I was pacing the kind of head wind and whenever I try to make a move, it was kind of hitting me direct to my face and I was feeling like, oh, I'm not feeling great. Whenever I tried to move, I just got it in my face.
So I said, well, maybe I'll keep on waiting a little bit, a little bit. And my waiting a little bit turned out to be the big mistake I made in the race.
THE MODERATOR: When you were in the pack coming over the Queensboro Bridge onto First Avenue and you were in the large pack, and we could see you on television and it looked like you were there, but it then it began to look like you struggled a little bit; is that your normal way, or how were you feeling entering First Avenue in Manhattan?
STEFANO BALDINI: I didn't feel okay because I cannot follow the change of pace. Probably was a little tired, but everybody was looking a little tired on Queensboro Bridge. I don't know why, because the first start was slower than we predicted.
And I didn't feel good during the race, probably I don't feel very well after the European Championships, in the middle of August, my second marathon this year, so it was a mistake to come here and be confident to win.

Q. The men's race was very discombobulated, so when it should have been fast and then it went very quick. Is this very different than you expected?
STEFANO BALDINI: Yes, it was different because we were expecting a 64 pace, but crossing the Queensboro Bridge, everybody looked tired. I don't know why. Because today, the weather, I think that it was okay, not too much wind, good temperature. But this course is still tough, tough.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much for joining us and we appreciate your runs today.

End of FastScripts

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