Hellen Obiri made her move with 400 meters left in Central Park on Sunday. Sheila Chepkirui had an answer, pulled away, and won the New York City Marathon for the second time in three years.
Chepkirui, of Kenya, finished in 2 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds. She took the 2024 title and came to the start line against Obiri, the defending champion and her countrywoman, in a matchup of past winners. Obiri ended up third in 2:24:43, seven seconds behind.
The finish was tighter than the gap at the line suggests. American Jess McClain, 36, took second in 2:24:42 and edged Obiri by 41 hundredths of a second in the final strides. It is the first American woman’s podium finish in New York since Shalane Flanagan placed third in 2018.
Behind them, Edna Kiplagat of Kenya finished fourth at age 46. In the men’s race, Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third in 2:06:26, behind Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, who won in 2:06:01 on his marathon debut, and Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, second at 2:06:14.
The field was thinner than planned. Olympic champion Sifan Hassan withdrew three weeks before the race with an illness. Chepkirui still had to beat the defending champion on the final stretch, and she did it with a response, not a gift.
The American drought-breaker will get the local headlines. The winner is the Kenyan who answered Obiri’s kick, and she now has two New York titles in three years.
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