Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia set a course record to win the New York City Marathon men’s race on Sunday while Hellen Obiri of Kenya pulled away in the final 400 meters to take the women’s titles, as thousands flocked the streets of the Big Apple on Sunday.
Tola, 32, finished in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds, topping the 2:05.06 set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Tola pulled away from countrymate Jemal Yimer when the pair were heading toward the Bronx at mile 20.
By the time he headed back into Manhattan a mile later he was up by 19 seconds and chasing Mutai’s mark.
‘I think to win and the course record just happened,’ Tola said.
While the men’s race was well decided before the last few miles, the women’s race came down to the stretch.
Tamirat Tola, of Ethiopia, is this year’s winner of the New York City Marathon. His time was 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds
Tola, 32, topped the 2:05:06 set by Geoffrey Mutai in ’11. Pictured: Tola celebrating after setting a course record with his win
Runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (Staten Island) at the start of the New York City Marathon, Sunday, November 5
Kenya’s Hellen Obiri celebrates winning the 52nd Edition of the NYC Marathon. Her time was 2 hours, 27 minutes and 23 secs.
Runners make their way through Brooklyn early in the Marathon, as weather conditions (50s) were perfect for this year’s race
Obiri, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia and defending champion Sharon Lokedi were all running together exchanging the lead. Obiri, who ran the Marathon for the first time last year and finished sixth, made a move as the trio headed back into Central Park for the final half-mile and finished in 2:27.23. Gidey finished second, 6 seconds behind.
Lokedi was 10 seconds behind Obiri, who won the Boston Marathon in April.
‘My first debut here was terrible for me,’ Obiri said. ‘I don’t want to come back here next year. Sometimes you learn from your mistakes.’
This was a stellar women’s field that was expected to potentially take down the course record of 2:22:31 set by Margaret Okayo in 2003.
Unlike last year when the weather was unseasonably warm with temperatures in the 70s, Sunday’s race was much cooler with it being in the 50s – ideal conditions for record breaking times.
Instead the women had a tactical race with 11 runners, including Americans Kellyn Taylor and Molly Huddle in the lead pack for the first 20 miles. Taylor and Huddle both led the group at points before falling back and finishing in eighth and ninth.
‘The first 20 miles, I was like what the heck was going on,’ Taylor said. ‘It was super weird, one of the weirdest races I ever ran with the caliber of talent in the field. There were talks of breaking the course record and doing all the things, after a bit it was like that’s not going to happen.
‘We’re running six-minute pace for no good reasons. Sometimes that’s how races play out. You can jump on board and do that or do your own thing. Today I just decide to jump onboard and try and hang on.’
Once the lead group came back into Manhattan for the final few miles, Obiri, Gidey and Lokedi pushed the pace.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland crosses the finish line first in the men’s wheelchair division of the Marathon for a record sixth time
Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland, who won the women’s wheelchair division of the NYC Marathon, gets a hug from Hug
New York City Mayor Eric Adams smiles while addressing athletes before they make their way on Verrazano Narrows Bridge
An amateur runner dressed up as Naruto to power through Sunday’s big race, as he crossed the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: A runner dressed as the Marvel super hero as he interacted with spectators in NYC
A runner wears a Mexican indigenous head decoration as he crosses the Verrazano Bridge on a cool and sunny Sunday in NYC
A runner wore an apple on his head to protect his ears from the chilly NY fall weather as he smiles after crossing the finish line
As the trio entered Central Park they further distanced themselves from Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, who finished fourth.
The men’s and women’s winners finished within a few minutes of each other.
About an hour earlier, Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race, finishing a few seconds short of his own course record by finishing in 1:25.29. It was the Swiss star’s record-extending sixth NYC Marathon victory.
‘It’s incredible. I think it takes some time to realize what happened,’ Hug said. ‘I’m so happy as well.’
A spectator holding a hilarious sign was all smiles while cheering on amateur athletes running the NYC Marathon in Brooklyn
Another spectator held a poster teasing runners, letting them know the sizes of the boroughs that they have to run through
A spectator dressed in an inflatable dinosaur costume looks on while runners make their way through the Brooklyn borough
Flags of Israel were noticeable in several boroughs during Sunday morning’s race, as the Israel-Palestine conflict continues
A runner was all smiles as he held a Palestinian flag while crossing the Verrazano Bridge on a beautiful day in the Big Apple
He’s the most decorated champion in the wheelchair race at the event, breaking a tie with Tatyana McFadden and Kurt Fearnley for most wins in the division in event history.
Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won her New York debut, shattering the course record in the women’s wheelchair race. She finished in 1:39.32, besting the previous mark by over 3 minutes, which was held by American Susannah Scaroni.
‘It’s difficult to describe in words. I said to my coach if I win this race, it’s the best performance I ever showed,’ she said. ‘Knew it’s the toughest marathon of all. It was the first time. I knew it was going to be so tough.’
Debrunner and Tola both earned a $50,000 bonus for topping the previous course records.