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NEW YORK - (February 3, 2004) - First-timer Andrea Mayr
led an Austrian clean sweep of the Fleet Empire State Building
Run-Up on Tuesday by setting a women's course record of 12
minutes and 8 seconds in racing up 86 floors of the NYC skyscraper
in the 27th running of the annual New York Road Runners signature
event. The previous mark of 12:19 was set by American Belinda
Soszyn in 1996.
"It is just fantastic for me," said Mayr, 24. "I
am really surprised by the time."
Men's champion Rudolf Reitberger, who runs for the same club
in Vienna as Mayr, finally claimed victory after twice being
runner-up in 2000 and 2002, winning in 10:37. The men's title
was up for grabs this year with the decision by five-time
defending champion and course record holder Paul Crake of
Australia not to compete.
Women's defending champion Cindy Moll-Harris of Indianapolis,
however, was back and looking to win for the fifth time in
seven years and she made it into the stairway first. She held
onto the lead past the halfway mark but was unable to shake
the dogged Mayr, who stayed right on her footsteps. Around
the 65th floor Mayr managed to pass the champion and was quickly
able
to pull away to a convincing victory.
"I kept on trying to get away from her but I couldn't,"
said Moll-Harris, 35, who finished in a distant second in
13:16. "I think I did too many surges and she just caught
up with me. It was a bad day."
Amy Fredericks of Greenwich, Ct. finished third for the second
consecutive year in 13:38.
The top three men's spots went overseas competitors as in
a event first, identical twins from Israel, Ran and Dan Alterman
finished second, 10:53, and third, 11:08, respectively. Paul
Low of Amherst, Mass., a top mountain runner making his Run-Up
debut, was the top American finishing fourth in 11:11.
Race favorite, the ageless 92-year-old Chico Scimone of Italy,
competing for the 14th time, was last in the field of 117
in 43:25.
"Once I started I knew I was going to make it,"
said Scimone, who was battling the flu.
source Running USA wire
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