In a late-race battle of 30-something Kenyans, Hellen Obiri, 35, found course record strength in the last mile. (KEVIN MORRIS)
NEW YORK CITY, November 02 — After 22 years, the venerable New York City Marathon course record was finally toppled. Hellen Obiri came out on top of a fierce three-woman battle with fellow Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui over the second half of the race to win her second title in New York.
Though Kenyans would ultimately fill the podium, it was a contingent of Americans who were the raceâ€s initial protagonists. Susanna Sullivan, who finished 4th at the World Championships 7 weeks earlier, forced the early pace, towing the field in the early miles. The tempo was honest — particularly for a race that doesnâ€t employ pacers. Through 5K (17:05) and 10K (33:53), Sullivan, â€24 Olympic Trials champion Fiona Oâ€Keeffe, American Record-holder Emily Sisson and Annie Frisbie worked consistently at the front.
Chepkirui, Obiri and Lokedi — the past three champions — were in the mix, while Olympic gold medalist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, coming back from a win at the Sydney Marathon 63 days earlier, lurked at the back of the pack.
At 10 miles, 9 women remained in contention: Oâ€Keeffe, Obiri, Lokedi, Chepkirui, Frisbie, Sisson, Hassan, Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and American Amanda Vestri. They passed halfway in 1:11:01, a sign that the course record (Margaret Okayoâ€s 2:22:31 from â€03) was in play. Soon it would not be a question of whether the record was going down, but by how much.
The 16th mile passed in 5:10, fracturing the field. Oâ€Keeffe, running her first marathon since a DNF in the early stages of the Paris Olympics, was briefly dropped by Chepkirui, Obiri and Lokedi, but she fought back to catch them running up First Avenue in Manhattan in the 17th mile. Hassan also regained contact during this stretch known for boisterous spectator support.
In the 20th mile the Kenyans had had enough and they started to pull away. Their gap grew steadily as Oâ€Keeffe and Hassan began to struggle. The leading trio ran together until the 24th mile, when Chepkirui drifted back.
The rivalry between Obiri and Lokedi has intensified over the last few years — with Lokedi winning the most recent battle in Boston in April — and this was setting up for another showdown. “The plan was to just keep fighting as we go and just let us fight as much as we can†said Lokedi, winner of this race in â€22. “Itâ€s fate, I guess, at this point.â€
Shortly after 25 miles, along Central Park South, Obiri made her decisive move. With her characteristic high arm-pumping action, she sprinted up the final climb to the finish in the park, extending her lead with each stride.
She hit the tape in 2:19:51, taking more than 2½ minutes off Okayoâ€s NYC best and earning a $150,000 payday — $100K for the win plus $50K for breaking the course record.
“I told myself, can I try to push? Can I try to be patient?†said Obiri, who won here in â€23 before finishing 2nd to Chepkirui last year. “When we went about 1K to go, I felt like I was so strong. I say, can I make a move because I feel like I had something left in my tank?â€
Lokedi (2:20:07) and Chepkirui (2:20:24) were also well under the old mark.
Oâ€Keeffe rallied to pick up her pace over the final miles and took 4th in 2:22:49, the fastest ever by an American woman in New York. The previous best of 2:24:42 was run by Molly Seidel in â€21.
“I just wanted to keep putting myself in it as long as I could. My goal was to be with them as we got into the park. That didnâ€t happen,†said Oâ€Keeffe. “It was really exciting, too, to just be running up there with those women because I feel like I have so much to learn from them and I really respect the amazing careers theyâ€ve had so far.â€
Frisbie (2:24:12) passed Hassan (2:24:43) in the 24th mile for 5th place, followed by Great Britainâ€s Jessica Warner-Judd (2:24:45). Sisson (2:25:05) and Vestri (2:25:40) — the latter in her debut at the distance — placed 8th and 9th and Sullivan (2:28:34) took 11th.
NYC MARATHON WOMENâ€S RESULTS
(point-to-point)
1. Hellen Obiri’ (Ken) 2:19:51 (course record—old cr 2:22:31 Margaret Okayo [Ken] â€03); 2. Sharon Lokedi’ (Ken) 2:20:07; 3. Sheila Chepkirui’ (Ken) 2:20:24; 4. Fiona Oâ€Keeffe (Puma) 2:22:49; 5. Annie Frisbie (Puma) 2:24:12; 6. Sifan Hassan’ (Neth) 2:24:43; 7. Jessica Warner-Judd’ (GB) 2:24:45; 8. Emily Sisson (NBal) 2:25:05; 9. Amanda Vestri (Brooks) 2:25:40; 10. Fionnuala McCormack’ (Ire) 2:27:00; 11. Susanna Sullivan (Brooks) 2:28:34; 12. Elena Hayday (MnDistE) 2:31:22.
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