Abdi Nageeye, 35, from the Netherlands, claimed victory in the men’s race of the New York City Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2:07:39. It was his fourth appearance in the Big Apple run, and his first win in the event.
In prior years, he placed fifth with 2:11:39 in 2021; third with 2:10:31 in 2022; and fourth with 2:10:21 in 2023.
"At the finish, I was like, am I dreaming? I won New York," Nageeye told The Associated Press. Evans Chebet, who won in 2022, from Kenya, finished second six seconds later.
Meanwhile, in her New York City Marathon debut, Sheila Chepkirui, 33, from Kenya, finished first in the women's race. She made it to the finish line in 2:24.35. Her nearest opponent and defending champion, Hellen Obiri, was nearly 15 seconds behind.
"When we were around 600 meters to go, I said to myself: I have to push harder. When I saw Hellen wasn't coming, I knew I was going to win and was so happy," Chepkirui told the AP.
Daniel Romanchuk and Susannah Scaroni — both from the U.S. — won in the men's and women's wheelchair division respectively. Romanchuk, 26, from Maryland, finished in 1:36:31 while Scaroni, 33, from Washington state, secured the top women's spot in 1:48:05.
Other top Americans in the marathon were Conner Mantz and Sara Vaughn — both of whom finished sixth in the men's and women's race respectively.
Some notable celebrities also participated in the race including actor Randall Park from Fresh off the Boat; actress Jennifer Connelly from Top Gun: Maverick and YouTube star Casey Neistat.
The 26.2 mile race spanned all five boroughs — starting in Staten Island and finishing in Central Park. It attracted 50,000 competitors from over 150 countries this year, according to predictions.
Copyright 2024 NPR
