Weini Kelati said she feels “no pressure” for her debut marathon in New York, because she doesn’t yet know “what it will be like” over this distance. The 29-year-old runner described herself as “a little nervous” but “very excited”, speaking in the media area for the TCS New York City Marathon.
For her first marathon, Kelati is following an American tradition of starting out in New York. She specifically pointed out that she’s following in the footsteps of Deena Kastor (2001), Kara Goucher (2008), Shalane Flanagan (2010) and Molly Huddle (2016). She added that she “watched” these athletes and was “inspired” by them.
On the strategy side, Stephen Haas, her manager and coach, said they don’t plan to “go it alone” in the race. He’s banking on the idea that Kelati should be comfortable in the leading pack during the first part, while he expects split times behind which the winners had passed at around the halfway point in the last three editions.
Kelati also justifies her approach with her schedule, saying she’s targeting the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games marathon. She mentioned the World Athletics rules: if she finishes in the top five, she earns an Olympic qualification mark, regardless of the time, and the qualification window opens on Sunday.
Before the race, a further point was also mentioned about her preparation: a health issue during the summer slowed her training. Kelati explained that she had to treat a “minor illness” that stopped her from “pushing all the way to the limit”, before seeing an improvement after racing in Copenhagen.
