The New York City Marathon ended in a dramatic photo finish as Benson Kipruto edged out fellow Kenyan Alexander Mutiso Munyao, while their compatriot Hellen Obiri set a course record in the women’s race.
Obiri, who also triumphed in 2023, finished in 2 hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds. Both Kipruto and Mutiso Munyao, meanwhile, clocked a time of 2:08.09.
The two Kenyans separated themselves from the chasing pack heading into Mile 24. Kipruto seemed to have sealed victory when he pulled away in the last 200 meters.
But his fellow Kenyan wasn’t done. Mutiso Munyao surged in the last 50 meters before falling just short. He was beaten by less than 0.2 seconds.
Kenyan Albert Korir, who won in 2021, finished third, giving Kenya a sweep of the top three spots in both the men’s and women’s races. Joel Reichow was the top American, coming in sixth.
Eliud Kipchoge, who turns 41 next week, wrapped up a historic run as one of the most accomplished marathoners in the sport. He ran the New York City Marathon for the first time and finished 17th.
The New York City Marathon ended in a photo finish as Benson Kipruto won a thrilling race
Both Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso Munyao finished in 2 hours, 8 minutes and 9 seconds
In the women’s race, Hellen Obiri set a course record of 2 hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds
In the women’s race, Obiri ran alongside 2022 winner Sharon Lokedi until she pulled away from her countrymate in the final mile, surging ahead and winning easily. The previous course record was 2:22.31, set by Margaret Okayo in 2003.
Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui finished third. All three beat the previous course best.
The trio of former champions separated themselves heading into the Bronx at Mile 20. American Fiona O’Keeffe and Dutch runner Sifan Hassan had made it a pack of five once the group entered Manhattan a few miles earlier but couldn´t hang on for the final six miles.
This was the first time that the previous three women’s winners had been in the same race since 2018. The trio didn´t disappoint, putting forth stellar efforts. It was the second straight year that Kenyans took the top three spots.
O’Keeffe finished fourth, with fellow American Annie Frisbie finishing fifth. Hassan, who won the Sydney Marathon two months ago, was next. Four of the top nine finishers were Americans.
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 is the 49th year the race has been in all five boroughs.
Before that, the route was completely in Central Park. The first race had only 55 finishers while a record 55,642 people finished last year, the largest in the history of the sport until the London Marathon broke it earlier this year.
