The New York City Marathon made history on Sunday, with a new course record set in the women’s competition and the closest men’s race ever, decided by a fraction of a second. Hellen Obiri of Kenya broke the women’s record, finishing in 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 51 seconds, while compatriot Benson Kipruto won the men’s race by edging Alexander Mutiso by three-hundredths of a second.
Obiri, who also won the race in 2023, pulled away from 2022 winner Sharon Lokedi in the final mile, surging ahead and winning easily by 16 seconds to best the previous course record of 2:22.31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003. Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui finished third, with all three beating the previous course best on a favorable day for running, with temperatures in the 50s Fahrenheit at the start.
In the men’s race, Kipruto and Mutiso separated themselves from the pack heading into Mile 24, with Kipruto seeming to have put the race away before Mutiso surged in the last 50 meters, falling just short. Kipruto, running the New York race for the first time, finished in 2:08.40, topping the 2005 race that was decided by a second. Albert Korir, who won in 2021, was third, giving Kenya a sweep of the top three spots in both the men’s and women’s races.
Eliud Kipchoge, one of the most accomplished marathoners in the sport, wrapped up a historic run, finishing 17th in his first time running NYC. The women’s side saw a trio of former champions separate themselves heading into the Bronx at Mile 20, with American Fiona O’Keeffe and Dutch runner Sifan Hassan initially part of a pack of five before falling back.
O’Keeffe finished fourth, breaking the American course record with a time of 2:22.49. The top nine finishers included four Americans, with Annie Frisbie finishing fifth and Hassan sixth. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, completed the course in just under 3:45, greeted by her parents at the finish line.
The 26.2-mile course took runners through all five boroughs of New York, starting in Staten Island and ending in Manhattan’s Central Park. This year’s event marked the 49th year the race has been run through all five boroughs, with a record 55,642 people finishing last year, the largest in the history of the sport until the London Marathon broke it earlier this year. The New York City Marathon continues to be a premier event in the athletic calendar, attracting top talent and thousands of participants from around the world.