Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui win New York City Marathon

NEW YORK – Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui was well aware of the esteemed company that she was keeping in the late stages of the New York City Marathon on the morning of Nov 3.

To her right was Hellen Obiri, the defending women’s champion and a two-time Boston Marathon winner. And then there was Vivian Cheruiyot, one of Kenya’s most decorated distance runners and a four-time world champion on the track.

Chepkirui’s resume was comparatively modest. But that began to change once a three-woman race turned into a duel as Chepkirui and Obiri reached Central Park together, the finish line nearly within sight.

Obiri, who tends to energetically swing her arms with every stride, equal parts metronome and prizefighter, is known for her closing kick. But on this day, Chepkirui seemed to diminish her rival’s powers by systematically ratcheting up the pace, gaining enough separation to leave Obiri in her wake.

“I said to myself, ‘Let me give it my best’,” Chepkirui said.

“I knew Hellen was strong. When we were around 600 metres to go, I say to myself ‘I have to push harder’.”

Chepkirui, 33, led a Kenyan sweep in the women’s race, winning her first Major marathon title in 2hr 24min 35sec. Obiri, 34, finished 14 seconds behind, while Cheruiyot, 41, was third. It was the first time that one country took all three podium spots since 1976, when the American women did it.

“It means a lot to me, it means my training was good and I’m so happy. I had to dig deep. Towards the last, one mile, it was really hard, but I pushed myself to the limit,” Chepkirui said.

The men’s race on Nov 3 was just as riveting. Much like the competition between Chepkirui and Obiri, Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands and Kenya’s Evans Chebet were shoulder-to-shoulder, elbow-to-elbow entering Central Park. But Nageeye did not want to leave anything to chance.

With one final burst of speed, Nageeye, 35, outsprinted Chebet, one of the sport’s fiercest competitors, to win in 2:07:39. Chebet, 35, who had won the race in 2022, finished six seconds behind. Albert Korir of Kenya was third, while Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, the defending champion, placed fourth after a long, successful season that included his victory at the Paris Olympics.

“I knew this was my day. I was so focused. Everyone tried to move and I was behind them. You’re not going anywhere. This is my race today,” said Nageeye, who had dropped out of the men’s marathon at the Paris Games with hip pain.

“Every day I was thinking about the Olympics, but I have to do my training. I have to come back. I have to go to New York, at least podium, but my goal was to win. It looked simple, but hard work was behind it.”

In ideal marathon conditions – clear skies and cool temperatures – more than 50,000 participants gathered in waves on the start line at the foot of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to embark on their 42.195km journey across the city from Staten Island to the finish line in Central Park.

American Daniel Romanchuk (1:36:31) won his third title in the men’s wheelchair race, slipping around Britain’s David Weir in the last 400 metres before streaking to the finish. Weir crossed the line five seconds later, while Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki (1:36:44) was third.

American Susannah Scaroni was miles ahead of her competitors when she broke the tape in 1:48:05, obliterating the women’s wheelchair field.

Her compatriot Tatyana McFadden, a five-time winner in New York, finished more than 10 minutes slower and Swiss Manuela Schar was third in 1:59:20.
NYTIMES, REUTERS, AFP