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The marathon was also
Murphy's first in more than 12 years. As an
elite athlete, Murphy ran in the 1988 Olympics
for Ireland; she chose to come out of retirement
to help promote women's issues and, in
particular, to help raise awareness for the
Susan Love MD Breast Cancer Research
Foundation.
"Exercise has been linked
to the prevention and the reduced recurrence of
certain diseases, such as breast cancer," Murphy
said. "Yet statistics show the trend toward a
sedentary lifestyle is taking hold of so many
people. This race is the beginning of something
big. It opens the doors for women and shows that
there are alternatives to a sedentary lifestyle
for everyone."
Murphy staged a come from
behind victory, two days before her 45th
birthday, finishing more than 6 minutes ahead of
the favored winner and second place finisher
Roxie Erickson, 41. Running a consistent pace,
Murphy passed Erickson at mile 22 of the
marathon. The course, like the original New York
City Marathon, wound participants five times
around a loop on the hilly, winding roads within
Central Park.
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