NYC Marathon results 2023: Who won?

Publish date: 2024-05-07

Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola won the men’s New York City marathon on a sunny fall Sunday with the quickest time in the race’s history. 

Tola, 32, pulled ahead of the rest of the men about five miles before the finish line, finishing the 26.2-mile race in just 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds — eight seconds faster than the previous record holder Geoffrey Mutai did in 2011. 

“I think to win and the course record just happened,” Tola said after setting his record.

Kenyan Albert Korir, the winner of the 2021 NYC Marathon, finished in second nearly two minutes behind Tola.

Hellen Obiri, of Kenya, sprinted through the finish line just after 11 a.m. on a sunny fall Sunday, winning the women’s New York City Marathon with an unofficial time of 2:27:23.

Obiri, 33, outran Letsenbet Gidney, of Ethiopia, in a final push. The two had been neck-and-neck for the first stretch before Obiri managed to come out ahead.

Obri took part in the race for the first time last year, placing in sixth. 

“My first debut here was terrible for me,” she said. “I don’t want to come back here next year. Sometimes you learn from your mistakes.”

Tamirat Tola, of Ethiopia, was the first to cross the finish line for the men’s New York City Marathon, bringing in an unofficial time of 2:04:59.

Tola, 32, pulled ahead of the rest of the men about five miles before the finish line.

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola (R) and Kenya’s Hellen Obiri celebrate winning the 52nd Edition of the New York City Marathon on November 5, 2023. AFP via Getty Images

Clear skies and mild temperatures held steady as the 52nd New York City Marathon got underway.

Near the 67th Street-Central Park finish line, battalions of volunteers gathered in pink “Barbiecore” jackets as the music of Pharrell Williams and Taylor Swift blared.

“We’re all Barbied out,” Nikita, a two-time marathon volunteer told The Post, adding that while she doesn’t run herself, she opted to come back to absorb the “free good vibes” and athletes’ euphoria at close range.

“This is why I volunteer at the finish line: to see so many people hit that bucket list item,” she said.

Runners continued crossing the finish line in droves throughout the afternoon.

But not everyone was able to make it all the way.

Hellen Obiri, of Kenya, sprinted through the finish line just after 11 a.m. Sunday, winning the women’s New York City Marathon with an unofficial time of 2:27:23. AFP via Getty Images
Tamirat Tola, of Ethiopia, was the first to cross the finish line for the men’s New York City Marathon, bringing in an unofficial time of 2:04:59. AFP via Getty Images

Balraj Suneja, who said he trains for marathons to stay healthy for his family, was forced to drop out at mile 17 after his legs locked and he began to feel dizzy. 

“I’ll run again in a month if I’m feeling better. It’s just today was not the day,” said Suneja, who felt unwell earlier but decided to push himself anyway.

“My dad had a heart attack at 55 and I’m 52,” he told The Post. “I want to be with my kids for much longer, so that’s my motivation.” 

Many others flocked to the city to help prepare for the race, including William Feldman, a chef who had been awake since 1 a.m. to provide nourishment for the runners. 

Marcel Hug of Switzerland crosses the finish line taking first place in the men’s wheelchair races. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock

“I bought 120 flats with 32 eggs per flat: You do the math,” he said before rushing off to flip burgers. 

The post-race walk through Central Park was a sea of pink volunteer jackets and orange runners’ capes bearing the marathon logo. 

For Jackie Moruzzi, the cheering onlookers were the best part. 

“The crowds are incredible — the energy they give back to runners. Especially when you have no idea who 99% of the people are!” she told The Post.

Women’s professional runners at the start of the New York City Marathon. Stefan Jeremiah for New York Post
Spectator holds up a sign during the Marathon. REUTERS

Gareth Brancato, a 65-year-old chiropractor who ran the New York marathon for the first time said he started running after fracturing an ankle playing rugby. 

“My family staged an intervention,” he joked. Looking for another sport, the New Yorker landed on long-distance running. “It’s a hard course, but the reward is worth it,” he said. 

Two three-time wheelchair race winners crossed the finish line earlier in the morning, while the elite men’s and women’s races were still underway.

Marcel Hug, of Switzerland, won his third straight men’s wheelchair race with an unofficial time of 1:25:28, breaking the record previously held by Kurt Fearnley.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hugs his wife Samantha at the finish line in Central Park in Manhattan. REUTERS
Spectators in the borough of Brooklyn during the Marathon. REUTERS

It was his sixth New York City Marathon win. With the victory, he also became the first person ever to win all six World Marathon Majors in a single year.

Catherine Debunner, also of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair race, her third straight marathon win and first time in New York City.

Debrunner and Tola each earned a $50,000 bonus for beating previous course records.

This year’s triumphs followed an exciting 2022 win by Evans Chebet, who pulled off the 26.2-mile feat in two hours, eight minutes, and 41 seconds. He was followed up by Shura Kitata, who came in 13 seconds behind him.

Runners with Israel flags at the finish line in Central Park in Manhattan amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. REUTERS

Sharon Lokedi won the female race, soaring across the finish line – located at Central Park West and 67th Street – at total time of two hours, 23 minutes, and 23 seconds last year. The female runner-up, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, crossed seven seconds after her.

The NYC marathon, which is the biggest in the world, starts in Staten Island before making its way through all five boroughs and ending in Midtown Manhattan.

This year, the race coincides with daylight savings time. It officially ends at 2 a.m. on Nov. 5 – just hours before the big race is set to start off with a bang.

Runners cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during the New York City Marathon Sunday. REUTERS

“That one-hour change may not seem like much, but it can wreak havoc on people’s mental and physical well-being,” Dr. Charles Czeisler, professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine, said in an interview with the school.

“Disrupted sleep can cause people to feel fatigued, groggy and less focused.”

Czeisler recommends runners gradually adjust their bedtimes a few days before the race.

The NYC marathon began in 1970 and only 55 runners completed the race. Gary Muhrcke won the race, becoming the first to ever cross the finish line at two hours, 31 minutes, and 38 seconds.

The following year, the first woman, Beth Bonner, won the race, finishing the race in two hours, 31 minutes, and 38 seconds.

Prior to 1976, the race’s course ran in multiple loops around Park Drive and Central Park. After 1976, the race changed course to include all five boroughs, starting in Staten Island, before traveling through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and concluding in Manhattan, according to Olympics.com.

The fastest time ever recorded in the Big Apple marathon was completed by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011, who pulled in the record-breaking feat in two hours, five minutes, and six seconds.

Runners compete in the Women’s division during the 52nd Edition of the New York City Marathon on November 5, 2023. AFP via Getty Images

The fastest marathon time was completed by Kelvin Kiptum, of Kenya, who completed the 2023 Chicago marathon in two hours and 35 seconds – keeping an average pace of four-minute and 36-second mile times.

The fastest American time was two hours, five minutes, and 38 seconds – completed by Khalid Khannouchi in the 2002 London marathon, according to Runners World.

The 2023 New York City race aired on ABC and ESPN Sunday, broadcasting into the homes of 534 million across 206 countries.

With Post wires

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