Kenyans rule at New York Marathon
Sharon Lokedi and Evans Chebet were the top guns in the race
The New York City Marathon began Sunday with around 50,000 runners from 91 countries racing through the Big Apple's five boroughs to the finish line. The men's and women's winners were from Kenta.
Evans Chebet, a 33-year-old from Kenya, won the men's title after crossing the finish line with a time of 2:8:41.
Chebet, who also took first place in the Boston Marathon earlier this year, was led by Brazilian runner Daniel do Nascimento for much of the race until he collapsed six miles from the finish line and required medical attention.
Sharon Lokedi, also from Kenya, took first place among women with a time of 2:23:23, just ahead of Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel. It was the 28-year-old's first time competing in the New York City race.
In the wheelchair races, Marcel Hug of Switzerland took first place among men for the fifth time, while breaking a course record for the event with a time of 1:25:26. Susannah Scaroni also broke the women's wheelchair race record with a time of 1:42.43.
"It was a perfect day today. We had great conditions and a lot of fun out there," Hug told the New York Post.
"We had some weeks to prepare because we had some other marathons this Fall: Berlin, Chicago. I had to prepare for many up hills, the bridges and yeah I'm happy with my preparation."
The 26.2-mile race began with crossing the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which links the borough of Staten Island to Brooklyn's Fort Hamilton neighborhood.
"Is there a more beautiful sight in the entire sport of running? No? We don't think so either," Marathon officials said on Twitter as they crossed the tallest bridge New York.
Runners then passed through the scenic Sunset Park and Park Slope neighborhoods before crossing the Pulaski bridge from Williamsburg into Queens.
Runners continued through the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens until crossing the Queensboro Bridge over Roosevelt Island to Manhattan.
The race followed First Avenue north on the Upper East Side, through East Harlem and over yet another bridge into the Bronx before passing back into Manhattan via the Madison Avenue Bridge.
Runners then darted down Fifth Avenue along the eastern boundary of Central Park before turning into the park and reaching the finish line.
This year's marathon was at full capacity for the first time since 2019 after it was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and downsized last year.
