Pizzolato Makes It ‘New York, New York’

When a little-known Italian runner named Orlando Pizzolato won the New York City Marathon last year, he got no respect.

His victory, the slowest time here in nearly a decade, was dismissed by nearly everyone as a fluke because the field was so weak. The title was his by default, they said.

But on Sunday, when Pizzolato won his second straight New York title, it was no accident.

New York had its strongest field in history, a lineup that included Saleh Ahmed, the World Cup marathon champion from Djibouti and owner of the fifth fastest marathon time ever, 2:08:09, and Geoff Smith, from Britain, two-time winner of the Boston Marathon.

Pizzolato, running a controlled, intelligent race in unseasonably warm conditions, came from way behind--passing 19 runners in the second half of the 26-mile, 385-yard race--to catch Ahmed in the rolling hills of Central Park only two miles from the finish.

He broke the tape in 2 hours 11 minutes 34 seconds.

“Now maybe I should be considered a top runner,” he said, not in arrogance, but struggling for the appropriate English words. “It was not a fast time. But I wanted to run a good race.”

Ahmed, disabled by cramps in his right calf at the 19th mile, tried several times in the final miles to surge and shake Pizzolato, but was unable to regain his lead, finishing second in 2:12:29.

“When he caught me, my only worry was who the next one would be,” Ahmed said. “From the point I developed the muscle cramps, I knew I would be losing the race.”

American Patrick Petersen, from Brooklyn, was third in 2:12:59.

Olympic marathon silver medalist Grete Waitz overcame stomach problems during the first 10 miles to win her seventh New York City Marathon, running 2:28:34. Australian Lisa Martin, who clung just behind Waitz’s shoulder for the first 11 miles before the Norwegian pulled away, was second in 2:29:48. Laura Fogli of Italy was third, running 2:31:36.

The first-place winners each received $25,000 and a 190SE Mercedes-Benz, the same prizes as last year.

The 19,000 runners here competed under a brilliant sun and temperatures that ranged from 64 degrees at the start to the low 70s by mid-race, not ideal for marathon running. The humidity, however, was a comfortable 55%, a huge improvement over 1984’s sticky 97%

Smith, a frequent front-runner, led the race from mile 5 until just before the half, followed by Ahmed and Bill Reifsnyder, from State College, Pa., who were running together.

Smith passed 10 miles in 47 minutes 37 seconds. Pizzolato, in about 20th place, was nowhere to be seen.

Just before the 13-mile mark, Ahmed turned to Reifsnyder and gave him a small wave, as if to say goodby--or thanks for the company--and took off after Smith. Passing Smith quickly, he stretched his lead to about 300 yards.

From then on, the race appeared to be his.

But Pizzolato, biding his time with a steady, methodical pace, passed the half in 1 hour 5 minutes and had moved into the 10th position.

Pizzolato was rewarded for his patience.

“At about 35 kilometers, people say to me I have one minute behind Saleh,” he said. “So I say: ‘It is time to catch him.’ So I move up slowly into second place. I knew he was in big troubles when I catch him. I saw him in big trouble in his face.”

By 24 miles, they were sharing the lead, each surging in an attempt to shake the other. But Ahmed was confused--he had not learned that he could “cut the tangents,” that is, run the tight corners in the hills of Central Park. He was losing both time and distance.

“I tried several times to go away from him and he follow me every time,” Pizzolato said. “I knew the last hill was my last chance. So I went away, trying to run fast with my last energy.”

Last year Pizzolato ran 2:14:53 and stopped eight times during the final miles with stomach cramps. This year, instead of clutching his stomach during the last several hundred yards, he clasped his hands upward in triumph and waved to the crowds lining the road.

Waitz, whose best time is 2:25:29, said she was hoping for a personal best, but realized the heat would prevent her from attaining it. She said her stomach problems, which had also struck her in last year’s race, disappeared after the first 10 miles. “I have a tendency to have that problem in warm weather,” she said. “It wasn’t as bad as it was last year.”

Martin, a former 400-meter hurdler, said: “I did what I set out to do--be competitive with Grete. When she pulled away and I saw she was having stomach problems, I thought if I kept a steady pace she’d come back to me. She didn’t, but I’m pleased with what I achieved.”

Smith dropped out somewhere before the 22nd mile.

“I saw him in Harlem, walking at about 22 miles,” said Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic marathon gold medalist, who ran Sunday’s race in 2:25:25. “I didn’t say anything to him. When you pass somebody like that walking--and you’re running 2:25, you don’t say anything. There’s a certain respect. He feels bad enough.”

Shorter said he was satisfied with his own time. “That’s about the shape I’m in,” he said.

Four-time New York winner Bill Rodgers finished seventh, running 2:15:33. Rodgers, who was seeded sixth, ran with the number 9917 pinned to his back. It was the number of an entrant named Francis O’Neill, who was killed 10 days ago in an accident, Rodgers said.

“I didn’t know him, but one of his friends called and asked if I would wear his number,” Rodgers said. “It gives me more motivation to finish.”

Olympian Julie Brown, recovering from a year-long bout with mononucleosis, placed eighth among women, running 2:37:53.