NEW YORK – A trio of Kenyan women topped the podium in the TCS New York City Marathon pro race, with Helen Obiri crossing the finish line first in Central Park and breaking the course record in the final spurt.
Obiri, the 2023 winner, completed the race in 2:19:51, breaking the old record of 2:22:31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003. Sharon Rokedi, who won in 2022, finished second, 16 seconds behind Obiri, and won a $50,000 bonus and $100,000 for winning the race for breaking the course record.
Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui slowed down with five miles to go and finished third, nearly 34 seconds behind.
This is the seventh consecutive time Kenya has won the women’s professional race, excluding the 2020 event, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was also the second year in a row that Kenyans took the top three spots in the women’s category.
Kenya’s advantage extended to the men as well, with a group of eight runners stuck at 20 miles quickly reduced to two, with Alexander Mutiso and Benson Kipruto quickly separating.
The final 50 meters were as thrilling as ever, with Kipruto beating Mutiso in the final sprint in 2:08:09, winning by 0.16 seconds and the closest finish in men’s history. The 2021 winner, fellow Kenyan Albert Korir, finished third, just like last year.
Joel Reichou was the top American in seventh place with a time of 2:09:56.
In the women’s race, the Kenyan and American Fiona O’Keeffe, a Stanford graduate from Davis, California, led for the first 15 miles of the race, but O’Keeffe fell back and finished fourth. At 23 miles, the Kenyan women were still within milliseconds of each other until Obiri took the victory.
Annie Frisbie, a 28-year-old American from Wisconsin, came in fifth with a time of 2:24:12, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, a Paris Olympic marathon gold medalist competing in her first New York Olympics, came in sixth with a time of 2:24:43.
Marcel Hug wins his seventh New York City Marathon wheelchair title. Susanna Scaloni defends her title
Previous winners also competed in the wheelchair category, six of whom started, but it was Marcel Hug and Susanna Scaroni who stole the show.
Hug, nicknamed “Silver Bullet” to match the color of his racing helmet, bounced back from a disappointing 2024 race in which he finished fourth to extend his record by winning his seventh wheelchair title. He also won in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Hug, who won his eighth Boston Marathon in April, took control around the 9-mile mark, increasing his lead to more than a minute and sprinting from there. The 39-year-old Swiss native averaged an incredible pace of 3 minutes 27 seconds on the backstretch, resulting in a hazy result but falling short of the course record he set in 2022, finishing in 1 hour 30 minutes 16 seconds.
“To be honest, it may not have been as easy as it looked,” Hug said. “I had a problem with my backstroke, so I was a few seconds behind, but I didn’t care. I won the race and I’m really happy,” Hug said after the race.
England’s David Weir took second place, nearly four minutes behind, while Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki rounded out the podium with a time of 1 hour 36 minutes 28 seconds. Reigning men’s wheelchair champion Daniel Romanchuk did not compete at the Sydney Marathon after sustaining a shoulder injury in a collision with a spectator on the course.
In addition to winning in 2022 and 2024, Scaloni was quick to compete from the start, breaking the record in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 10 seconds, more than 5 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of five-time New York City Marathon winner Tatiana McFadden and 2023 champion Katherine DeBrunner.
Hug and Scaloni each took home $50,000 in first place prize money, up from the $35,000 that last year’s wheelchair winner received. In addition to his wins in 2022 and 2024, Scaloni raced quickly from the start, finishing in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 10 seconds.
Five-time New York City Marathon winner Tatiana McFadden was second, and 2023 champion Catherine DeBruner was third, both finishing more than 5 minutes and 40 seconds behind Scaloni.
In terms of numbers:
- 4:31:31 – Average completion time in 2024
- 20 – Therapy dogs from New York Pet Therapy stand at the start line to assist runners
- 137 – Countries represented in 2024
- 300 – Gallons of Gatorade Endurance Formula
- 6,000 – Hot tea/hot chocolate
- 43,000 – with bagel
- 50,000 – 1 cup of coffee
- 55,642 – 2024 Finishers (New York City Marathon Record)
- 1,445,304 – Participants who crossed the finish line
famous runner
- alex cola –Boston Red Sox Manager
- Alex Pappas – Former Olympic runner
- Anthony Ramos – Actor, “Hamilton,” “The House of Dynamite”
- Isaac Rochelle – Former NFL player
- Patina Miller – Tony Award-winning Broadway star and actor
- Tayshia Adams – TV host and former Bachelor contestant
- phil cogan – Host, “The Amazing Race”
- errol burnett – CBS News Anchor and National Correspondent
- Nev Shulman – Host of “Catfish: The TV Show”
- Nore – hip hop musician
This story has been updated to add more information and a gallery.
