New York City Marathon Joao Silva

New York City Marathon Joao Silva- New York Times photographer Joao Silva, who lost both his legs on the job, finishes the 42nd ING New York City Marathon in Central Park on November 6, 2011 in New York City. Silva, who raced in the handcycling division, did the marathon in less than three hours.
While on the other side, the past record which lasts from a decade, was smashed by Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai. He set a course record in the ING New York Marathon on Sunday, cutting nearly three minutes from a previous best time set by Ethiopia's Tesfaye Jifar in 2001.
Some 47,107 participated runners started the race, out of which 200 in wheelchair and hand cycle divisions, through the five boroughs on a cold but sunny day in the city with little wind. Around two million supporters lined the streets as runners started at around nine this morning - from Fort Wadsworth through the heart of the city to end up in Central Park.
Joao Silva lost both his legs when he stepped on a mine in Afghanistan last October. He chronicled the experience, which also destroyed his urethra, and his recovery at Walter Reed in a recent piece for the Times.
The performance of 30-year-old Mutai, from Kenya, was no surprise after he ran the fastest Marathon in history earlier this year in Boston. Mutai finished in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds. He smashed the old mark of 2:07:43 set by Ethiopia's Tesfaye Jifar in 2001 to defeat runner-up Emmanuel Mutai, the reigning London Marathon champion, in ideal conditions.
The second and third-place runners also broke the old course record. Fellow Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai (no relation), the London Marathon champion and course-record holder, finished in 2:06:28. Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia was third in 2:07:14. Defending champion Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia was fourth.Mutai took home prize money of $200,000 for winning and setting the course record. He's the first runner to win Boston and New York in the same year since Rodgers Rop in 2002 making him a favourite for the Olympics in London 2012.
The New York City Marathon is an annual road race covering 26.2 miles and held on the first Sunday of November each year in New York City. One of the largest marathons in the world, the event is organized by the New York Road Runners club and attracts many world-class marathoners among the thousands who compete each year. First held in 1971 when the course consisted of several loops around Central Park, the New York City Marathon now covers parts of all five boroughs of the city.