After 26.2 miles and more than two hours of fierce competition, Benson Kipruto of Kenya was so confident that he was about to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday that he raised his arms in triumph just ahead of the finish line, and it nearly cost him.
Kipruto appeared unaware that Alexander Mutiso Munyao, his countryman, had closed the small gap that had opened up between them and was charging hard in the race’s final meters. Kipruto still narrowly prevailed — by three hundredths of a second.
It was a thrilling finish on a record-setting day, as more than 50,000 athletes — runners and wheelchair racers, elites and hobby joggers — packed the streets of the five boroughs under sunny skies and amid perfect conditions for fast times.
Some things felt familiar, however, as Kenyans reasserted their distance-running dominance by sweeping the medal podiums in both the men’s and women’s professional races. Kipruto made his New York debut one to remember, and Hellen Obiri became a two-time champion by pulling away from Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 winner, to punctuate a thrilling duel in Central Park.
With a half-mile remaining, Obiri and Lokedi were matching each other stride for stride when Obiri made one final surge, pumping her arms as she separated herself from Lokedi. Obiri finished in 2 hours 19 minutes 51 seconds to obliterate Margaret Okayo’s course record from 2003 by over two minutes.
Lokedi was 16 seconds behind Obiri, and Sheila Chepkirui, who had been hoping to defend her title from last year, placed third.
Obiri, who also won in 2023, recalled her feelings in Central Park: “I say, ‘This is my time, Sharon, let me make a move.’”
For Kipruto — who has now won world marathon majors in Tokyo, Chicago, Boston and New York — his win was believed to be the narrowest margin of victory in the New York race’s history. In 2005, Paul Tergat edged Hendrick Ramaala by one second.
“I think there’s no secret in winning and finishing on the podium,” said Kipruto, who finished in 2:08:09. “Just believe in yourself and have patience and believe in training, what you are doing. I think that’s kept me running.”
While the leading men approached the race in a fairly steady fashion, the women seemed determined to infuse the proceedings with early drama. There were surges and counter-surges, and only a few of the top contenders could manage so much movement. By the midpoint of the race, a half-dozen women were still in the mix, including the New York race’s three most recent champions: Chepkirui, Obiri and Lokedi.
One runner who constantly seemed to be tracking them was Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who must have been an unsettling sight for the leaders. A six-time Olympic medalist — including in Paris, where she was the women’s marathon champion — Hassan was making her New York debut just nine weeks after winning the Sydney Marathon, another major.
“I was so afraid, like, ‘Sifan is coming’,” Obiri said. “She’s so strong. She broke us in the Olympics. So that was on my mind.”
On Sunday, Hassan seemed in danger of being dropped more than once before clawing her way back to the leaders. But by Mile 20, she had fallen behind them for good and eventually faded to a sixth-place result.
Fiona O’Keeffe, a former Stanford University runner, placed fourth in 2:22:49 to break Molly Seidel’s American course record from 2021. It was a determined comeback for O’Keeffe, who had to drop out of the marathon at the Paris Olympics because of an injury. Three other American women — Annie Frisbie (fifth), Emily Sisson (eighth) and Amanda Vestri (ninth) — were among the top 10.
“I’m grateful to be back in the marathon,” O’Keeffe said. “I think it’s where I belong, and it feels like coming home.”
It was an exceptional day for American men, as well, three of whom finished among the top 10. Joel Reichow placed sixth, Charles Hicks was seventh and Joe Klecker, the Olympian, was 10th in his much-anticipated marathon debut.
Reichow’s time of 2:09:56 was a personal best. A fairly unheralded runner who competed at the college level for South Dakota State, Reichow attributed his breakthrough to hard work and consistency. At 32, he thinks he has more good results ahead of him.
“I just wanted to prove that I can compete with the top Americans,” he said, “and I definitely did that today.”
The race was also notable for the participation of Eliud Kipchoge, widely considered the greatest marathoner of all time.
A former world-record holder at the distance, he is a two-time Olympic champion and an 11-time world marathon major champion. At 40, Kipchoge is no longer the fearsome athlete he once was, and he had been dropping hints in recent weeks that New York could be his final major race as an elite marathoner.
New York was his third marathon of the year, after he placed sixth in London and ninth in Sydney, and he showed up at the start line in a long-sleeved, fishnet top by Nike that was, in theory, designed for maximum biomechanical efficiency.
But while Kipchoge hung with the leaders through about 15 miles, he eventually lost touch with them and ran alone along the streets of Manhattan, as spectators crowded the course to catch a glimpse of him. He finished 17th in 2:14:36, over six minutes behind Kipruto and Mutiso Munyao.
At a post-race news conference, he announced his next endeavor: a so-called world tour to compete in marathons across all seven continents to “remind everyone that no human is limited,” he said.
Scott Cacciola writes features and profiles of people in the worlds of sports and entertainment for the Styles section of The Times.
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