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Celebration continues for marathon winners
Posted: Monday November 08, 1999 05:31 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- New York City Marathon champions Joseph Chebet of Kenya and Adriana Fernandez of Mexico were both treated royally by the city Monday. The receptions they receive upon their return home will be sharply contrasting. Fernandez, the women's winner, is expected to be greeted extraordinarily well, while Chebet, the men's champion, probably will get just an ordinary reception. The difference is that Chebet already had won a major marathon -- at Boston in April -- and many other Kenyans have been marathon champions. Fernandez' triumph was the first by a Mexican woman in an international marathon. One day after their victories, Chebet and Fernandez were awakened at dawn to make the rounds of New York. There were three early morning television appearances, including CBS' "Early Show," a tour of the New York Stock Exchange where they rang the opening bell, two promotional appearances for race sponsors, a trip to City Hall where they were given the keys to the city by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, an appearance on the "David Letterman Show," and a press conference with the media. Because of all her extracurricular work, Fernandez is delaying her trip home for two days until Wednesday. On Monday, she was featured on the front page of the Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario, which had a picture of Fernandez crossing the finish line with her arms upraised in the time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 6 seconds -- the second-fastest women's clocking in the race's 30-year history. She also had two long interviews with Spanish-language TV networks, which aired the programs not only in Mexico but throughout Latin America. "People are calling every minute to find out when I'm going home," Fernandez said Monday. On Tuesday, the Mexican consulate will hold a dinner in her honor. Fernandez appreciates all the attention, which she expects to last for a long time in Mexico, but she does have one concern about it. "I enjoy going to all these events, but it does take away from your concentration [from training]," she said. Chebet, who covered the windy, 26.2-mile course in 2:09:14, would like to receive all the accolades from Kenya that are expected to be heaped upon Fernandez by her country, but doesn't expect that to happen. "The biggest celebrations will be in New York," he said. "I hope that about 20 people will be at the airport [in Nairobi] to welcome me home." That's about the number that greeted him after his victory at Boston. Most were members of his family, which includes 15 siblings, who came about 250 miles away from the little town of Kapcherop. Also present then were some Kenyan dancers. He doesn't anticipate the dancers this time. Chebet was the third consecutive Kenyan winner in New York, succeeding John Kagwe, the champion in 1997 and 1998, and the fifth overall. The others were Ibrahim Hussein in 1987 and Douglas Wakiihuri in 1990. Mexican men have won four times -- Salvador Garcia in 1991, Andres Espinosa in 1993 and German Silva in 1994 and 1995. Several others have finished second, including Rodolfo Gomez, Fernandez' coach, who was the runner-up in 1980 and 1982. The only Mexican women to crack the Top 10 before Sunday were Olga Appell, the runner-up in 1993, and Fernandez, second last year.
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