Athletics: NZ's Henwood to run in New York despite mother's death

Auckland Olympian John Henwood is taking the grief over the death of his mother to the start line of the New York City marathon, a race he initially withdrew from just a fortnight ago.

Fifteen months after failing to finish the 10,000m event at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Henwood had planned returning to New Zealand on Tuesday, the day after the New York race.

But on October 20 he emailed David Monti, the elite athlete co-ordinator for the marathon, and said he was pulling out because his mother, Leonie, had taken a sudden turn for the worse in her battle with lung cancer.

Two days later, changing flights at Los Angeles, his father John told him Leonie Henwood had died while her son was flying across the United States.

"He cried in the terminal, alone with thousands of strangers," the New York Daily News reported today.

On arriving in Auckland, Henwood went to see his mother in the funeral home.

He talked to her for 15 minutes, and delivered her eulogy at the funeral a few days later, reading a letter she had written to her three children.

"She knew I was coming home to see her, so at least that was a huge relief," Henwood said.

His father convinced him to go back to New York, to run the race.

"He said that's what mum would've wanted".

Monti agreed to get Henwood back into the line up of 37,000 entrants.

"The marathon is all about enduring -- and John is the ultimate example of that," Monti told the Daily News.

Henwood, who began his running career at the Frankton Athletic Club at the age of 15, now runs for the New York Athletic Club, and recorded a time of two hours 17 minutes in his marathon debut this year.

He believes he can cross in 2hr 13min or 2hr 14min in New York on Monday (NZ time).

Whatever the result, Henwood told the Daily News he would not be alone.

"I'll be thinking of mum while I'm running, as she's looking down from upstairs."

- NZPA