The
New York City Marathon (branded
INGThe ING Group is a global financial institution offering retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, asset management, and insurance services. ING is the Dutch member of the Inter-Alpha Group of Banks, a cooperative consortium of 11 prominent European banks...
New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a major annual marathon (42.195 km (26.2 mi)) that courses through the five boroughs of
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010. Along with the
Boston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
and
Chicago MarathonThe Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and is one of the
World Marathon MajorsThe World Marathon Majors is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. It comprises five annual races for the cities of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, and New York City. Two other races are also included in the series: the IAAF World Championships Marathon and...
.
The race is organized by
New York Road RunnersNew York Road Runners , founded in 1958 with 47 members, has grown into the foremost running organization, with a membership of 40,000. NYRR conducts more than 100 events each year, including races, classes, clinics, and lectures...
(NYRR) and has been run every year since 1970. In recent years, it has been sponsored by the financial group ING. It is held on the first Sunday of November and attracts professional competitors and amateurs from all over the world. Because of the popularity of the race, participation is chosen largely by a
lotteryA lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
system. Runners who are members of NYRR can gain entry by meeting the qualifications for guaranteed entry or via nomination from an official running club. Officially recognized running clubs are allowed two guaranteed spots for members who did not make it in via lottery.
Course
Ted CorbittTed Corbitt was an American long-distance runner and an official of running organizations. Corbitt is often called "the father of long distance running." He was an ultramarathon pioneer, helping to revive interest in the sport in the United States in the 1960s and 70s...
helped plan the deceptively hilly course of the New York City Marathon. The initial course of 1970 consisted in repeated racing around
Central ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Nowadays the course covers all five boroughs of New York City. It begins on
Staten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
near the approach to the
Verrazano-Narrows BridgeThe Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
. The bridge, which normally carries only vehicular traffic, is closed for the event. Runners use both sides of the upper level of the bridge and the westbound side of the lower level. In the opening minutes of the race, the bridge is filled with runners, creating a dramatic spectacle that is closely associated with the event.
After descending the bridge, the course winds through
BrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
for approximately the next eleven miles (18 km). Runners pass through a variety of neighborhoods, including: Bay Ridge,
Sunset ParkSunset Park is a neighborhood in the western section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. It is bounded by Greenwood Heights to the north, Borough Park to the east, Bay Ridge to the south, and Upper New York Bay to the west...
, Park Slope, Bedford-Stuyvesant,
WilliamsburgWilliamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, and
GreenpointGreenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
. At 21.0975 kilometres (13.1 mi), runners cross the
Pulaski BridgeThe Pulaski Bridge in New York City connects Long Island City in Queens to Greenpoint in Brooklyn over Newtown Creek. It was named after Polish military commander and American Revolutionary War fighter Kazimierz Pułaski because of the large Polish-American population in Greenpoint...
, marking the halfway point of the race and the entrance into
Long Island City, QueensLong Island City is the westernmost neighborhood of the borough of Queens in New York City. L.I.C. is notable for its rapid and ongoing gentrification, its waterfront parks, and its thriving arts community. L.I.C. has among the highest concentration of art galleries, art institutions, and studio...
. After about two and a half miles in Queens, runners cross the
East RiverThe East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
on the
Queensboro BridgeThe Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge – because its Manhattan end is located between 59th and 60th Streets – or simply the Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City that was completed in 1909...
into
ManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. It is at this point in the race when many runners begin to tire, as the climb up the bridge is considered one of the most difficult points in the marathon.
Reaching Manhattan after about 16 miles (25.7 km), the race proceeds north on
First AvenueFirst Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare on the East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan, running from Houston Street northbound for over 125 blocks before terminating at the Willis Avenue Bridge into The Bronx at the Harlem River near East 127th Street. South of Houston Street, the...
, then crosses briefly into
The BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
via the
Willis Avenue BridgeThe Willis Avenue Bridge is a swing bridge that carries road traffic northbound over the Harlem River between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx, United States. It connects First Avenue in Manhattan with Willis Avenue in the Bronx...
for a mile before returning to Manhattan via the
Madison Avenue BridgeThe Madison Avenue Bridge crosses the Harlem River connecting Madison Avenue in Manhattan with East 138th Street in the Bronx in New York City. The bridge is operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Transportation. It was designed by Alfred P...
. It then proceeds south through
HarlemHarlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
down Fifth Avenue and into Central Park. At the southern end of the park, the race proceeds across
Central Park SouthCentral Park South is the portion of 59th Street that forms the southern border of Central Park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It runs from Columbus Circle at Eighth Avenue on the west to Grand Army Plaza at Fifth Avenue on the east...
, where thousands of spectators cheer runners on during the last mile. At
Columbus CircleColumbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at the intersection of Eighth Avenue, Broadway, Central Park South , and Central Park West, at the southwest corner of Central Park. It is the point from...
, the race re-enters the park and finishes outside
Tavern on the GreenTavern on the Green was a privately owned American cuisine restaurant located in Central Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, in New York City. It remained in operation from 1934 to 2009 under various owners...
. The time limit for this course is 8½ hours from the 10:10 a.m. start.
In 2008, the race initiated a corral system. Women were given a head start and the balance of the runners began in three staggered starts. The official times are those recorded by a
computer chipAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
worn on the shoe, which calculates when a runner crosses the start and when she crosses the finish, known as "net", as opposed to "gun", time. Runners also pass timing mats at 5 km intervals along the course and email notifications can be received by people following runners during the race to see how the runners are doing. In addition, while the distance is the same, there are different courses taken through Bay Ridge and up Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn until the course reaches Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn at Mile 8.
Although the marathon publicity material uses miles, the timing mats are at 5 km intervals to accommodate the publishing of splits and also enabling potential
world recordA world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
s for 20 km, 30 km and other sub-marathon distances to be recorded.
History
The first New York City Marathon was held in 1970, organized by New York Road Runners Club presidents
Fred LebowFred Lebow , who was born Fischel Lebowitz, was an avid runner and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with over 43,660 finishers in 2009...
and Vincent Chiappetta, with 127 competitors running several loops around the Park Drive of
Central ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
. Only about one-hundred spectators watched Gary Muhrcke win the race in 2:31:38. In fact, a total of only 55 runners crossed the finish line. Over the years, the marathon grew larger and larger. In order to accommodate the growing number of participants, co-founder
Fred LebowFred Lebow , who was born Fischel Lebowitz, was an avid runner and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with over 43,660 finishers in 2009...
redrew the course in 1976 to incorporate all five boroughs of New York City. The marathon grew in popularity two years later when Norwegian
Grete WaitzGrete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. Waitz won nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988, more than any other runner in history...
broke the women's world record, finishing in 2:32:30. She went on to win the race an unprecedented nine times. An official
wheelchairA wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
and handcycle division was introduced in 2000, and starting in 2002, the elite women are given a 35 minute headstart before the elite men and rest of the field. Thirty-nine years after it was started in 1970, the New York City Marathon has now become the largest marathon anywhere in the world. Each year nearly two million cheering spectators line the course from all different neighborhoods of New York. The marathon is broadcast live in the New York area on
WNBCWNBC, virtual channel 4 , is the flagship station of the NBC television network, located in New York City. WNBC's studios are co-located with NBC corporate headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in midtown Manhattan...
, on
Universal SportsUniversal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
for the entire country, and online.
1979
In a normally trivial mistake,
Cuban AmericanA Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
Rosie RuizRosie Ruiz Vivas is a Cuban American who in 1980 was initially declared the first place winner in the female category for the 84th Boston Marathon only to have her title later stripped after it was discovered that she had not run the entire course.-Background:Ruiz was born in Cuba and moved to...
was accidentally given a finish time of 2:56:29. This qualified her for the 1980
Boston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
, where she crossed the finish line with a record time of 2:31:56. It was quickly determined that she had not run the entire course in either race, igniting the best-known scandal in the history of modern distance running. New York Marathon chief
Fred LebowFred Lebow , who was born Fischel Lebowitz, was an avid runner and founder of the New York City Marathon. Born in Arad, Romania, he presided over the transformation of the race from one with 55 finishers in 1970 to one of the largest marathons in the world with over 43,660 finishers in 2009...
rescinded Ruiz's time after determining she had not finished the 1979 race, and officials in
BostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
quickly followed suit.
1981
Alberto SalazarAlberto Salazar is an American marathon runner of the 1980s. Born in Cuba, Salazar emigrated to the United States with his family. They ultimately moved to Wayland, Massachusetts, where Salazar competed in track and field in high school...
's 2:08:13 was initially considered to be a world's best in the marathon, but the mark was later rescinded by The Athletics Congress, now known as USA Track & Field, when the course was measured to be short by approximately 150 meters. Salazar remarked in 1985 that he would continue to believe that he ran a full marathon, since the lack of crowd control forced him to run wide during his turns. He has also suggested that a change in how courses were measured after the 1981 race attributed to the discrepancy in the course length.
1994
During the 1994 event,
Germán SilvaGermán Silva Martínez is a retired Mexican long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon. His foremost achievements were back-to-back victories at the New York City Marathon in 1994 and 1995. He represented Mexico twice at the Summer Olympics, competing in 1992 and 1996...
recovered from a wrong turn seven-tenths of a mile before the finish that put him temporarily in second place 40 yards behind
Benjamín ParedesBenjamín Vencar Paredes Martínez is a retired Mexican long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*10,000 metres - 29:40.4 minutes...
. He ran a 5:15 final mile, including the detour, to beat Paredes and win the event by two seconds with a time of 2:11:21. The incident earned him the nickname "Wrong Way Silva"
2003
A record 34,729 people participated in the race. The top male finisher was
Martin LelMartin Kiptolo Lel is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, , is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a...
of Kenya in a time of 2:10:30. The top female finisher was
Margaret OkayoMargaret Okayo is a professional marathon runner from Kenya. She has won a number of major marathons, including the New York City Marathon , the Boston Marathon, and the London Marathon. She has also won the San Diego Marathon on two occasions.Okayo started running while at primary school...
of Kenya in time of 2:22:31, breaking her previous course record of 2:24:21 set in 2001. In recent years, runners from Kenya have dominated the event. The top Americans were Matt Downin (2:18:48) and
Sylvia MosquedaSylvia Mosqueda is an American long distance runner notable for hard front running over an extended career at an elite level.-Early Success:...
(2:33:10), both from
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Rapper P.Diddy also ran for charity and raised $2,000,000 for the New York City Education system.
2004
The top female finisher was
Britain'sThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Paula RadcliffePaula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
in a time of 2:23:10, beating Kenya's
Susan ChepkemeiSusan Chepkemei is a female Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in the 10,000 metres and marathon. In 2001 she won the Rotterdam Marathon and came first in the Great North Run, as well as winning the silver medal in the World Half Marathon Championships...
by 4 seconds, the closest finish in the history of this race. The top male was
Hendrik RamaalaHendrik Ramaala is a South African long-distance runner, the winner of the 2004 New York City Marathon and 2004 Mumbai Marathon. He also has two silver medals from the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1998 and 1999. In 2006 he also won the men's Great North Run...
of
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
with a time of 2:09:28.
2005
In the closest finish in New York City Marathon history,
Paul TergatPaul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
of
KenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
barely outsprinted Hendrick Ramaala of
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the final meters of the race for a time of 2:09:30, beating Ramaala by one second. In the women's race,
Jeļena ProkopčukaJeļena Prokopčuka is a Latvian long-distance runner, perhaps best known for winning the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006...
of
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
won in a time of 2:24:41. Tops amongst the
AmericansThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were
Meb KeflezighiMebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is an American athlete, specializing in long distance running. He and his family were refugees from Eritrea via Italy to the United States, when he was age 12...
of
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(2:09:56) and Jen Rhines of
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(2:37:07).
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n
Ernst Van DykErnst Van Dyk is a South African wheelchair racer. He has won a record 9 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. He is also the current world record holder for men's wheelchair marathon from his record-setting race in the 2004 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds...
took the wheelchair race in 1:31:11.
The 2005 event was administered by new NYRR CEO
Mary WittenbergMary Wittenberg is the President and Chief Executive Officer of New York Road Runners . As leader of the organization, Wittenberg oversees the ING New York City Marathon and several other races, events, and programs that draw over 300,000 yearly participants.Under Wittenberg's leadership, the NYRR...
. It is notable that she was the first woman director of an international Major marathon.
2006
The top male finisher was
Marílson Gomes dos SantosMarílson Gomes dos Santos is a Brazilian long-distance runner and winner of the 2006 and 2008 New York City Marathon, with times of 2:09:58 and 2:08:43, respectively...
of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in a time of 2:09:58, while
Jeļena ProkopčukaJeļena Prokopčuka is a Latvian long-distance runner, perhaps best known for winning the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006...
of
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
won the female marathon for the second consecutive time in a time of 2:25:05. Gomes dos Santos becomes the first South American ever to win the race.
Stephen KiogoraStephen "Baba" Kiogora is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed in marathon races. His personal best for the distance is 2:08:24 hours . He has had top three finishes at the Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon and Frankfurt Marathon. The sole marathon win of his career came at the...
of
KenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
placed second, and
Paul TergatPaul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...
, the 2005 defending champion and former marathon world record holder, placed third.
Seven-time
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
winner and former
triathleteA triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
Lance ArmstrongLance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
ran in the 2006 race, finishing 868th with a time of 2:59:36. He also ran the same year in the British 10K. Arkansas Governor
Mike HuckabeeMichael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
also completed the race in 2006, finishing in 5:33:43, and wearing bib #110, signifying the 110 pounds lost during his
weight lossWeight loss, in the context of medicine, health or physical fitness, is a reduction of the total body mass, due to a mean loss of fluid, body fat or adipose tissue and/or lean mass, namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon and other connective tissue...
campaign.
Amanda McGrory won the female wheelchair race in the time of 1:54:17, the male wheelchair division was won by
Kurt FearnleyKurt Fearnley OAM is an Australian wheelchair racer, who competes at the Olympic level. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 5th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500m wheelchair...
in a time of 1:29:22.
2007
The 2007 New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, November 4. It was the final race of the 2006–2007
World Marathon MajorsThe World Marathon Majors is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. It comprises five annual races for the cities of Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, and New York City. Two other races are also included in the series: the IAAF World Championships Marathon and...
, a two-year series of elite marathon racing that also includes the
BostonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
,
ChicagoThe Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a major marathon held yearly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Alongside the Boston, New York, London and Berlin Marathons, it is one of the five World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also an IAAF Gold Label race...
,
LondonThe London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...
and
BerlinThe Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
marathons.
However, there were very few elite
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
marathoners participating in 2007 because they competed the day before at the 2008 USA Men's Olympic Marathon Trials, which was held in conjunction with the New York City Marathon on the same course.
Martin LelMartin Kiptolo Lel is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, , is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a...
from
KenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
won the men's race in a time of 2:09:04, completing an impressive double of the 2007 London and New York Marathons.
The women's winner was the world Marathon record holder
Paula RadcliffePaula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
from
Great BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in a time of 2:23:09, one second faster than her 2004 win.
2008
The 2008 New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, November 2. A field of 37,899 runners participated. The men's winner was
Marílson Gomes dos SantosMarílson Gomes dos Santos is a Brazilian long-distance runner and winner of the 2006 and 2008 New York City Marathon, with times of 2:09:58 and 2:08:43, respectively...
in 2:08:43.
Paula RadcliffePaula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
won her third NYC marathon in 2:23:56.
The 2008 marathon events were marred by the deaths of three marathon participants:
- Carlos Jose Gomes, 58, of Brazil fell unconscious shortly after completing the race in 4:12:15. An autopsy revealed that he had a pre-existing heart condition and died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
- Joseph Marotta, 66, of Staten Island, N.Y. succumbed to a heart attack hours after he completed his fourth New York City Marathon. He walked the course in 9:16:46.
- Fred Costa, 41, from Cincinnati, OH collapsed at the marathon died on November 15 of a heart attack.
2009
The 2009 New York City Marathon was held Sunday November 1, 2009. Meb Keflezighi of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
won the men's race (the first American to win the race since Alberto Salazar did it in 1982) with a time of 2:09:15 while Ethiopian
Derartu TuluDerartu Tulu is an Ethiopian long distance track, road and marathon athlete.Derartu , a member of the Oromo ethnic group, grew up tending cattle in the village of Bekoji in the highlands of Arsi Province...
took the women's crown in 2:28:52, the first Ethiopian woman to do so.
2010
The
2010 New York City MarathonThe 41st New York City Marathon took place on Sunday , 2010. Sponsored by ING, the competition was the fifth World Marathon Major of 2010 and an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. A record 45,344 people were entered into the race. Ethiopian runner Gebregziabher Gebremariam won the men's race in a time of...
was held on November 7. Gebregziabher Gebremariam of Ethiopia, in his first ever marathon, won the race after breaking ahead of his last rival, Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya, in the 25th mile to finish alone with a time of 2:08:14. The race featured 37-year-old world record holder
Haile GebrselassieHaile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
, who ran with a bad knee and dropped out of the race at the 16th mile. Afterwards, he announced his retirement, but later reversed this decision.
Edna KiplagatEdna Ngeringwony Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She is the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the marathon. she established herself as an elite marathon runner with wins at the Los Angeles and New York City Marathons in 2010...
won the women's title with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 20 seconds, ahead of American
Shalane FlanaganShalane Flanagan is an American distance runner. She currently holds the American record times in the 3000 m , 5000 m , and 10,000 m...
.
2011
The 2011 Marathon was held on November 6. The men's event was won by Kenyan athlete
Geoffrey MutaiGeoffrey Kiprono Mutai is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in road running competitions...
in a time of 2:05:05, breaking the ten-year-old course record. Second place Emmanuel Mutai, also of Kenya, and third place Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia also beat the previous record for the event, with times of 2:06:28 and 2:07:13 respectively. Geoffrey Mutai won the
Boston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
earlier in the year.
Firehiwot Dado Firehiwot Tufa Dado is a female long-distance runner from Ethiopia, who won the 2011 New York Marathon in a personal best time of 2:23:15. She also has taken three consecutive victories in the Rome City Marathon. She set a previous personal best of 2:25:28 in the classic distance on March 21,...
of Ethiopia won the women's race in a time of 2:23:15, marking her first major marathon victory. Coming second, 4 seconds behind the leader originally from
EthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
but now living in the The Bronx, New York was
Bizunesh DebaBizunesh Deba , also known as Buzunesh Deba, is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She is based in The Bronx, New York and her personal best for the marathon is 2:23:19 hours...
with a time of 2:23:19.
Edison Peña, famous for keeping up his running routine during the 69 days he was trapped in the
2010 Copiapó mining accidentThe 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known as the "Chilean mining accident", began in the afternoon of Thursday, 5 August 2010 as a significant cave-in at the troubled 121-year-old San José copper–gold mine. The mine is located deep in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest and harshest...
, ran. Former NHL player
Mark MessierMark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, age 50, finished with a time just over 4 hours. Former
CARTChamp Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
champion
Alex ZanardiAlessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver...
won the handcycle class.
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