Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Susannah Scaroni of the United States won the men’s and women’s wheelchair races in convincing fashion on Sunday, repeating a feat they pulled off in 2022, when they both set course records.
The victories were Hug’s record seventh New York City Marathon championship and Scaroni’s third title in New York. Hug’s last championship in New York came in 2023, while Scaroni repeated as champion. Hug also won six of the seven global major marathons this year.
Hug, who is known as the Silver Bullet because of the color of his helmet, led from the outset, quickly putting David Weir, last year’s runner-up, far behind. Hug finished in 1 hour 30 minutes 16 seconds, while Weir finished nearly four minutes behind, at 1:34:09.
“It’s so overwhelming to win here in New York,” Hug said in a television interview. “It’s so meaningful. It’s really nice to be back on the podium. It’s great. To be honest, it was maybe not as easy as it looked. I had some issues with my back stroke, so I lost some seconds. But who cares? I won the race, and I’m really happy.”
Hug’s victory provided a measure of payback. Last year, he cut his left hand during the race, which made it hard to grip the wheel. Daniel Romanchuk of the United States took advantage of his injury and won the race.
For the first half of the race on Sunday, Hug was on pace to break his own course record of 1:25:26, which he set three years ago. With no competitors in sight, Hug eased off during the hillier parts of the second half of the race.
Scaroni, who trains in Illinois, also turned in a dominant performance. By the 10-kilometer mark, she had built a one-minute lead over Tatyana McFadden, a fellow American who is a five-time race winner. By the halfway point, that lead grew to 2:21.
Scaroni won the race in 1:42:10, almost six minutes ahead of McFadden but about three minutes short of the course record, set by Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland in 2023.
Scaroni also completed a sweep of the three American major marathons. She also won in Boston and Chicago this year.
Scaroni said on ESPN that the conditions were absolutely ideal. “Barely any wind,” she said, “and honestly, what felt like a tailwind on Fifth Avenue, which is one of the toughest places.”
She added: “I’ve had an incredible career, and I feel like today I felt was a reflection of all of the people that have invested in me, my coach, my family, my teammates.”
Hug and Scaroni will each receive $50,000 for winning their divisions, up from $35,000 last year.
Scott Cacciola contributed reporting.
Ken Belson is a Times reporter covering sports, power and money at the N.F.L. and other professional sports leagues.
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