The 51st running of the New York City Marathon kicked off on an unseasonably warm Sunday in November. With the sun shining and the crowds out in full force, Kenyan runners Sharon Lokedi and Evan Chebet completed a sweep for their country, winning the women’s and men’s races, respectively.
Chebet also won the Boston Marathon earlier this year, and finished this year’s New York City marathon in 2:08:41, while Lokedi finished in 2:23:23, both of which were faster than last year’s winners.
In fact, Kenyans swept all six of the world marathon majors this year.
Lokedi, 28, ran for the University of Kansas in college, winning the NCAA championship in the 10,000 meters in 2018. Today she edged out Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel by just seven seconds and Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopa, who rounded out the top three.
Three American women finished in the top 10. Aliphine Tuliamuk was seventh, Emma Bates was eighth and Nell Rojas was 10th.
The men’s pro marathon was close as well, and filled with a bit more drama than the women’s.
Brazil’s Daniel do Nascimento took a huge lead to start the race and looked to be running away with it, but he, unfortunately, collapsed six miles short of the finish line. Evans Chebet, who had been keeping a steady pace behind do Nascimento was able to continue past him and wound up besting Shura Kitata of Ethiopia by 13 seconds. Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands came in third, almost two minutes behind the winner.
“Boston was actually harder,” the champion said through a translator after the race. It was also a race that helped him prepare for the early challenges of the NYC Marathon.
In the men’s wheelchair race, Marcel Hug of Switzerland topped American Daniel Romanchuk by over two minutes, while American woman Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair race by two and a half minutes ahead of Switzerland’s Manuela Schar.
The total guaranteed prize money at the New York City Marathon this year is $870,000. That means Sharon Lokedi and Evans Chebet will each receive $100,000 as the top finishers in the women’s and men’s races, while Marcel Hug and Susannah Scaroni will receive $25,000 as the wheelchair champions.
