ReachNYC Digital

ING Marathon Run-down

The New York City ING Marathon is officially over! The weather for the most part, played nice, allowing the 38,368 runners a fair chance at being the first to cross the finish line, in the 37th annual marathon.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos of Brazil was the first to complete the marathon, making him the first South American to win the event. Dos Santos finished the race in 2 hours, 9 minutes and 58 seconds.

Latvia's, Jelena Prokopcuka did her thing, dominating the marathon for her 2nd consecutive win, making her the first female since 1995 to capture repeat titles. Prokopcuka finished in 2 hours, 25 minutes and 5 seconds, shattering American's hopes worldwide, by beating out Deena Kastor, the world's top- ranked marathon runner, who was favored to become the first American woman to win the race since 1997.

Mr. Inspiration himself, Lance Armstrong achieved his set goal of completing the marathon in less than three hours. The 7-time Tour De France winner crossed the finish line at 2 hours, 59 minutes and 39 seconds. Armstrong said that in the last 8 miles he felt "helpless" and it was "That was the hardest physical thing I've ever done". True Indeed.