New York Marathon : Forget Mets, Here Come World’s Top Runners

It may be hard to believe, but there are some people here who have been truly unmoved by all the hoopla that went on last week in this Mets-crazed city. Their only concern is that the computer paper be swept from the streets by today, so they can see the long blue line that stretches 26.2 miles from Staten Island to Central Park.

“What is the World Series?” asked Norwegian marathon runner Grete Waitz Friday. “How many countries take part in this World Series?”

She was kidding, of course. Still, a couple of days ago, New Yorkers, still reeling from the victory of their hometown team, needed to be reminded that it was also marathon week--traditionally seven days of Big Apple hype.

“Earlier this week, you wouldn’t have known the marathon existed,” complained Allan Steinfeld, vice president of the New York Road Runners Club, which puts on the race. “When I came to work yesterday, my assistant was wearing a Mets cap and yelling ‘Go Mets!’ I told her: ‘Mamie, give me a break.’

“It just has not been your typical marathon week buildup,” he sighed.

A pity, perhaps, because this year’s race, to be run today through the city’s five boroughs, will boast the swiftest field in its 17-year history. It will also have a total of $274,000 in prize money, a Mercedes-Benz each for the first man and woman, financial incentives that will take into account heat and humidity--which has plagued the New York race for the last two years--and it will be the first non-championship race in this country to test for drugs.

“It’s our moral obligation, with the kind of money available, to take all precautions to protect the integrity of the sport,” said Fred Lebow, president of the New York Road Runners.

The men’s favorite is Australian Rob de Castella, the 1983 world champion who came back after three disappointing years to win last April’s Boston Marathon in 2 hours 7 minutes 51 seconds, one of the fastest times in history. He followed his Boston win with a 2:10:15 first-place finish in the Commonwealth Games Marathon in Edinburgh last August, and, as he said, is hoping for a hat trick in New York.

His strongest challenger will probably be Robleh Djama of Djibouti, whose best is a 2:08:08, good for second place in the America’s Marathon/Chicago last year--where De Castella was third.

Others in the field this year include Italian Orlando Pizzolato, a steady runner who was virtually unknown before his surprise New York wins in 1984 and 1985 in unseasonably warm conditions; Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya, who finished ninth in New York last year in 2:15:55 in his marathon debut and who won his second marathon in 2:12:08; Barry Smith of England, a member of the 1980 British Olympic 5,000-meter team who has run the half-marathon in 1:02:49 and will be running his first marathon here, and Pat Peterson of Long Island, who finished third in New York last year and fourth in 1984.

Waitz heads the women’s field again this year, looking for her eighth win in New York--which would be a record in any one marathon. Although Waitz says, “I’m just not as hungry as I was several years ago,” she ran the fastest marathon of her career in London last spring, 2:24:54.

The world record for women is 2:21:06, set by Ingrid Kristiansen, also of Norway, in the 1985 London race. American Joan Benoit Samuelson, who won the gold in the 1984 Olympic marathon, has the second-fastest time, 2:21:21. Neither woman will be running here.

However, Waitz, Olympic marathon silver medalist, will face a strong challenge from Australian Lisa Martin, who became the sixth-fastest woman ever in August, when she won the Commonwealth Games Marathon in 2:26:07. Martin, a former 400-meter hurdler, finished second to Waitz last year after running just off the Norwegian’s shoulder for the first 11 miles.

“I found out last year that when you run with Grete, it hurts,” Martin said.

The women’s lineup also includes Italian Laura Fogli, who holds her country’s record, 2:29:28; Hungarian Karolina Szabo, whose best time is 2:30:31, and American Marianne Dickerson, who startled the marathon Establishment with a second-place finish in the 1983 World Championships at Helsinki.

The lesser-known athletes entered this year include Revlon model Kim Alexis and actor Peter Weller.

Two other Australians will be running: Rolet de Castella, father of Rob, and Martin O’Dea, father of Lisa Martin.

The elder De Castella, 62, who recovered from a heart attack when he was 55, runs four to six marathons a year and has a best time of 2:58. He has probably run twice as many marathons as his son, although none quite so fast.

“He’s always been an inspiration to me,” the son said of his father.