Poli keeps New York Marathon in Italian hands

Press, 4 November 1986, Page 30

Poli keeps New York Marathon in Italian hands

By

TOM BRIDGMAN

NZPA staff correspondent New York Gianni Poli kept the New York Marathon in Italian hands while Grete Waitz retained her women’s title for the eigth time yesterday. Poli, the Italian record holder, tumbled the expected winner, the Australian, Rob de Castella, setting up his lead and victory with about five miles to go. The Italian won in an unofficial time of 2h 11 min. 6s, the high humidity bringing slow times, beating Antoni Niemczak, of Poland, who had overtaken the fading Australian in the last two miles. Niemczak recored 2:11.21 while de Castella, the Commonwealth champion, finished third in 2:11.43. The first New Zealander to finish was John Campbell, the former national marathon champion, now living in Springfield, New Jersey, who was 14th with an unofficial time of 2:15.55.

Mary O’Connor, of Christchurch, was the first New Zealand woman to finish. She was 19th with an unofficial time of 2:41.00. De Castella came in ahead of the men’s winner for the last two years, Orlando Pizzolato, of Italy, who reversed his normal race tactics this year. In the last two New York Marathon’s he has won, Pizzolato has worked his way from the back but this year hd went out in the front bunch from the start.

“I was feeling very comfortable but I was very stupid to be in front from the beginning,” said Pizzolato afterwards. Poli, using his countryman as an interpreter, said "noone has enjoyed a victory like I have.” Waitz, whose unofficial time was 2:28.06, said she felt “pretty comfortable” through the race except for the last three or four miles. The Australian, Lisa Martin, was second after dropping back to third at the midway stage. “I’ve no idea of why I felt so bad at the beginning,” she said, adding that the pace was about the same as when she won the Commonwealth Games marathon at Edinburgh in August. “I’m pleased I just hung in there. She’s an awfully good runner,” said Martin of Waitz. Martin’s time was 2:29.12, while Laura Fogli, of Italy, was third in 2:29.44. The three women finished in the same order in the New York Marathon last year.

O’Connor’s best marathon time had been 2:28.20, set in London in 1983. However the time yesterday in her tenth marathon, while slower than that, was still faster than the 2:45.00 she did in the New York Marathon in 1984. Of the , other runners, Peters Pfitzinger, husband of the New Zealand middle distance runner, Christine Pfitzinger, was the first United States runner to finish, placed tenth in an unofficial 2:14.09.

De Castella, who reportedly received SUSSO.OOO in appearance money to race, said Poli had been in control of the race all the way. “I started to have problems with about 18 to 20 miles to go. That was just the opportunity he needed,” said de Castella.

“But it did not make any difference — just precipitated it (the result) more quickly,” he said. The slow times meant that Alberto Salazar’s New York Marathon record time of 2:08.13, set in 1981, was never challenged while Alison Roe still holds the women’s record of 2:25.29 she set the same year.

Rod Dixon holds the thirdfastest time for the race, which attracted more than 21,000 competitors yesterday, including the New Zealand Ambassador to the United States and former Prime Minister, Sir Wallace Rowling.

Dixon won in 1983 with a time of 2:09.08.

The winners yesterday each received a Mercedes Benz car and $U525,000 in /cash.