NYC Marathon
Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, Kenya’s Mary Keitany win men’s, women’s races.
NEW YORK – By the time Mary Keitany was pacing her way up Manhattan’s First Avenue, she had no reason to look back for challengers. The Kenyan’s lead was growing over the strong women’s field with every stride, and all she thought about was the finish line.
Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia didn’t break out into a big grin until he pulled away from two opponents late in the race.
In perfect crisp autumn weather for distance runners, Keitany and Desisa won the New York City Marathon on Sunday in near record times.
Keitany, 36, became the second woman to win the marathon four times. She ran the race in 2 hours, 22 minutes, 48 seconds, the second fastest time for the course in history. Margaret Okayo of Kenya set the record of 2:22:31 in 2003.
“I can say the course record was not in my mind,” Keitany said. “For me, winning was the most important.”
Desisa, 28, held off countryman Shura Kitata by 1.99 seconds for his first win in New York, joining victories at the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2015. He finished second in New York in 2014 and third in 2015 and 2017.
“This is my dream,” Desisa said. “To be a champion.”
Desisa finished in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 59 seconds, the second fastest time for the course. Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya set the record of 2:05:05 in 2011. Last year’s winner, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya, finished third.
“I’m pretty happy to finish on the podium,” Kamworor said. “I came out the best that I could in the race. I tried my best, and I’m happy to be third.”
Several Arizona runners were among the top elite finishers in New York.
Scott Fauble of Northern Arizona Elite in Flagstaff took seventh in a personal best 2:12.28 and was the second fastest American. Scott Smith, also of NAZ Elite, was 17th in 2:17.12, one place ahead of Tucson’s Bernard Lagat in 2:17.20.
The 43-year-old Lagat, a five-time track Olympian, was reasonably successful in his marathon debut but did not meet his goal of setting a U.S. masters record.
Boston Marathon women’s champion Desiree Linden, recently inducted into the Arizona State Athletic Hall of Fame, was sixth (third American) in 2:27.51. Stephanie Bruce of NAZ Elite was 11th in 2:30.59 and Sarah Sellers of Tucson was 18th in 2:36.37. Sellers was a surprise runner-up to Linden at Boston in 2:44.04 during cold, rainy April conditions.
Keitany won in 2014, 2015 and 2016 before coming in second last year to Shalane Flanagan, the first American woman in 40 years to win the New York City Marathon. She joined Grete Waitz, the Norwegian who won the marathon nine times between 1978-1988, as the only women to win the marathon four times.
She and Ethiopians Rahma Tusa and Gudeta turned their race to a threewoman field at the 15-mile mark. Keitany pulled away from Tusa and Gudeta at the 19-mile mark, leading Tusa by 26.58 seconds and Gudeta by 43.98 seconds. She extended her lead over Tusa to 1:27.83 at the 21-mile mark.