News22 May 2005


Healthy New York debut for Mottram en-route to Helsinki

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Craig Mottram (AUS) wins the Healthy Kidney 10K in New York (© NYRR)

Three days before the inaugural Healthy Kidney 10k in Central Park, reigning New York City Marathon champion Hendrick Ramaala predicted, “I fear the track runners. I think myself and Meb are a little bit in trouble,” at which point he and Olympic Marathon silver medallist Mebrahtom Keflezighi turned and looked straight at Craig Mottram, who ran 12:55.51 for 5000m on the track behind Haile Gebrselassie last summer. The Australian Mottram did indeed prove to be the man of the hour on Sunday (22 May), taking the race in 28:28 with a 23 second victory margin.

On an overcast morning, South Africa’s Ramaala took the lead near the end of the second mile, and was soon overtaken by Mottram and the United States’s Keflezighi. Ramaala surged again in the third mile, but Mottram, his six-foot-two-inch (1.88m) angular frame rising above those of his competitors’, regained the lead and never relinquished it.

Ramaala, who has been recovering from his third place run at the London Marathon in April, and his New York City marathon runner-up Keflezighi battled for the remainder of the race, finishing in the same order as in November’s city marathon, Ramaala in 28:51, Keflezighi one second back.

“I was trying to intimidate him”

“I tried to break the field,” said Ramaala later. “Actually, I was trying to intimidate him,” he added with a smile, indicating Mottram. “But he ran away.” Ramaala is gunning for the World Championships Marathon in Helsinki. Keflezighi, who skipped the London marathon following an injury and started his season in New York is looking for a 10,000m berth for Helsinki.

“My expectations were not so high, just to see what level I am in my fitness,” said Keflezighi, who had injured his Achilles’ tendon and as a result incurred hip problems, and is getting back into shape. “I wish I was in second place,” he added. “I could say I was where I finished last year.”

The Eritrean-born Keflezighi’s 2004 season included a second place finish in the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in addition to national 8K and 15K titles, and he was honored for all his accomplishments in Washington D.C. on Thursday by the Eritrean Development Foundation, which raises funds for and promotes development in the African nation. “It was a huge honor to be there,” said Keflezighi, who pointed to a pin on his shirt. “I always run with this pin, with the U.S. flag, and the Eritrean flag.”

“Things leading up to Helsinki that have gone well” for Mottram
Although he too carries two passports by virtue of his parents’ British nationality, Mottram was born and raised in Australia, which he has represented in two Olympic Games, finishing eighth over 5000m in Athens, and he expects to do very well at the Worlds this year. “This is one step in a long line of things leading up to Helsinki that have gone well,” he said after his win in his debut race in New York. “It shows I’m in good shape and everything is going really well.”

Despite a disappointing finish at the World Cross Country Championships in March, Mottram came to New York after a win at the Great Ireland Run in 28:35, and a series of personal bests on the track in 2004. “I knew they wouldn’t be able to outsprint me,” he said. “The plan was to get through the first 5K without any damage, and progressively pick up in the last 5K and drop them.”

It worked like a charm, so the only thing in his way after the halfway point was an elderly man pushing a stroller who accidentally stepped into Mottram’s path with about a mile and a half to go, but the 24-year-old was prepared even for that. “I could see him from about 100 metres away, so I was a bit ready for it,” said Mottram, who neatly stepped around stroller, man and all, and carried on his way to victory.

The support of a close group

“We came here to win the race,” said Mottram, who works closely with his coach, Nic Bideau, and was accompanied in New York by Bideau’s assistant Gary Henry. Bideau, who is Irish Olympic medallist Sonia O’Sullivan’s partner and also worked with Cathy Freeman, first approached Mottram in 1998 when, after running in his boarding school in Geelong, Australia, Mottram ran a 1500m interscholastic competition in 3:49. Bideau looked Mottram up and told him he could be a very good distance runner.

Mottram placed in the top 20 at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships and two years later, revelled in being on the 5000m Sydney Olympic team even though he did not advance from the heats. A 3000m victory at the 2002 World Cup in Madrid was Mottram’s first major championship success, and 2004 proved to be another landmark year when he improved his 5000m time in Hengelo and Bergen before breaking the 13-minute barrier at London’s Crystal Palace.

He trains with O’Sullivan and Australia’s former World Cross Country Champion Benita Johnson, including at altitude in Falls Creek, Victoria; and, during the European track season, near London. “We train together every day, and the whole group is very close,” said Mottram. “It’s been working well the last couple of years.”

At the Healthy Kidney 10K, which was primarily sponsored by the United Arab Emirates embassy to benefit kidney research, Mottram proved he was in healthy shape in 2005 as well. “This is just the beginning of hopefully a solid progression til Helsinki,” he said.

Sabrina Yohannes for the IAAF

Results

Inaugural Healthy Kidney 10K, Central Park, New York

Sunday, 22 May, 2005
1. Craig Mottram AUS 28:28
2. Hendrick Ramaala RSA 28:51
3. Meb Keflezighi USA 28:52
4. John Itati KEN 29:12
5. Patrick Ivuti KEN 29:14
6. Mark Carroll IRL 29:18
7. Keith Kelly IRL 29:29
8. John Henwood NZL 29:29

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