The iconic New York City Marathon got underway in person on Sunday for the first time since it was cancelled last year and turned into a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
via: People
Kenyan runners Albert Korir and Peres Jepchirchir took home gold in the men’s and women’s races, respectively, after completing the five-borough race on Sunday. Korir, 27, finished with a time of two hours, eight minutes, and 22 seconds, while Jepchirchir, 28, came in at two hours, 22 minutes, and 39 seconds.
Korir’s victory was a long time coming after he came in second place during 2019’s N.Y.C. Marathon, the last time the event was held before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jepchirchir is coming off her gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics, where she came in first in the women’s marathon. She’s the first woman to win a marathon major in the fall after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland prevailed in the men’s wheelchair race for the fourth time, crossing the finish line 6½ minutes before the next racer, with a time of one hour, 31 minutes, and 24 seconds. After winning two gold medals and a bronze at the Tokyo Paralympics, Australia’s Madison de Rozario won the women’s wheelchair race, coming in at one hour, 51 minutes, and one second.
This year, 33,000 runners, including a variety of celebrities from television, movies, music, and sports, participated in the 50th running of the 26.2-mile race.
The race kicked off, as always, on Staten Island. Leaving the borough via the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the race took runners through Brooklyn and then into Queens before reaching Manhattan. After a trip up into the Bronx, runners headed back down into Manhattan and finished in Central Park.
According to ABC 7 New York, to mark the 50th running of the marathon, several of the first finishers from the inaugural 1970 race were honored at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, and at the marathon finish line on Sunday.
“The TCS New York City Marathon has influenced and inspired so many people around the world for more than five decades, and to think it all started with 127 runners in Central Park is incredible,” New York Road Runners Vice President of Events and race director Ted Metellus said. “We are honored to bring back some of the First Finishers from the 1970 race.”
Notable entrants in this year’s race included Olympic gold medalist and FIFA women’s World Cup champion Abby Wambach; Ben Lovett and Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons; former NFL player Tiki Barber; Nev Schulman, host of MTV’s Catfish: The TV Show; Tayshia Adams of The Bachelorette fame; Adams’ fiancé, Zac Clark; former Bachelor star Matt James, and his friend and former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron, to name a few.
Congrats to the winners and everyone who participated.
