Unheralded Italian runner Giacomo Leone won the New York City marathon;
Romanian Anuta Catuna placed first among women. The New York Times
reduced the story to ethnicity, proclaiming that the Europeans had
beaten the Africans. There were hints that cold weather may have been
involved, as hypothermia and dehydration hampered the Kenyan favorites.
There was little opportunity for American breast-beating, however, since
no American finished in the top 20. "Foreign domination of marathoning
was never more apparent," lamented the Times. The other hot topic was
the perfection of Leone's nicely gelled hair. Overlooked: Catuna was the
first palindromic winner in the marathon's history.