By David Monti, @d9monti | (c) 2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
NEW YORK (01-Nov) — In four starts at the TCS New York City Marathon Geoffrey Kamworor has never failed to make the podium. The 31 year-old won in both 2017 and 2019, took second in 2015, and third in 2018. The soft-spoken Kenyan, twice the World Athletics cross country champion, is back here for the first time in five years to compete in his favorite marathon.
“New York is a special race for me,” Kamworor told Race Results Weekly in an interview here yesterday. “I have raced here four times, and I’ve won twice, second one time, and third one time. So, it’s my fifth time and I’m really happy to be back to New York, my favorite course and my favorite marathon. So, I’m looking forward to Sunday.”
Kamworor, who also won the World Athletics half-marathon title three times, first ran New York in 2015 when he was the reigning world cross country champion. His manager, Valentijn Trouw, thought Kamworor would be better-suited to New York’s hilly terrain after running a series of flat marathons beginning with Berlin in 2012 where he made his debut. Kamworor dropped a 4:24 mile for the 21st mile, and only eventual winner Stanley Biwott could handle that pace (Biwott ran 28:33 for the race’s final 10 kilometers).
“I think the first major marathon I was number two was here in New York,” Kamworor continued. “That one was really special for me, and the course is really nice, somehow the same as where we train in Kenya. That makes it special; it’s a very nice and challenging course.”
Kamworor skipped the 2016 edition of the race to focus on the Olympic Games 10,000m, but returned in 2017 and won his first-ever marathon. This time he waited for mile 25 to make his decisive move, running 4:31 and dropping compatriot Wilson Kipsang. But Kipsang battled back, and nearly caught Kamworor on the race’s famous uphill to the finish line in Central Park. In the end, Kamworor won by three seconds, 2:10:53 to 2:10:56.
“I knew that I had made a decisive move and I was focusing on the finish line,” said the then 24-year-old Kamworor. “So what was on my mind was that I had to believe in myself that I’m a track runner and I should have enough speed to sprint.”
In 2018 Kamworor ran his fastest New York City Marathon (2:06:26), but realized his lowest finish. In the race’s final kilometers, he was embroiled in a pitched battle with a pair of feisty Ethiopians, Lelisa Desisa and Shura Kitata. Heading towards 40-K in Central Park, Kamworor led Desisa by a stride, and appeared to be biding his time for a breakaway. But just after two hours into the race, Desisa made a decisive move which Kamworor was unable to match. He was beaten by both Desisa (2:05:59) and Kitata (2:06:01).
But one year later –at the last edition of the race before the pandemic shutdown of road running– Kamworor would get back on top. On a chilly day, he ran the 25th mile in 4:31 and won in 2:08:13. Kitata finished fifth and Desisa, the defending champion, dropped out.
“I prepared very well to run this marathon,” said Kamworor that day, who was greeted at the finish line by former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, his primary training partner. “Throughout the last few meters the pace was somewhat high, and it wasn’t a problem for me. That’s when I decided to pull away.”
For Sunday Kamworor hopes that his training with Kipchoge, under veteran coach Patrick Sang, will put him in position to win. He said that he didn’t do any special training for New York’s hills, but has the strength to win.
“New York is somehow similar to cross country,” Kamworor said. “There is some downhill and some uphill coming to Central Park which really makes it a unique race. He added: “I was getting enough time, training well. So, it has been good toward this marathon and what’s going to happen on Sunday.”
The last man to win the TCS New York City Marathon three times was American Alberto Salazar, who won in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Kamworor hopes to become the second by sticking to his regular training program and not doing anything New York-specific.
“I normally do a normal program,” said Kamworor, who with his wife Joy has five children. “So, I did that until last week, and then when I traveled here. No special training, no extra hills.”
