Chepkirui & Nageeye Win The 2024 New York City Marathon! 

Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui and the Netherlands’s Abdi Nageeye are the champions of the 2024 New York City Marathon. It’s the first Marathon Major win for both runners.

On a perfect day for running around the five boroughs of New York City, both the men’s and women’s races were still tight through halfway, the packs surging and spreading out, then bunching back together again, waiting for the decisive move to be made.

And when it was clear that no one was daring to take on the course records, it made both races even more exciting.

CHEPKIRUI KICKS IN CENTRAL PARK

Pre-race favourite Hellen Obiri hinted at running a 2:18, four minutes inside the course record of 2:22:31 held by Kenya’s Margaret Okayo since 2003.

But Obiri never set out for that time, and there were still 20 women together through halfway at 74:00, way outside the record.

By mile 18, the pack had halved, and was being stretched out further, as the pace slowly wound up.

As they entered Central Park at mile 24, there were just three women in contention: Kenya’s Obiri, last year’s champion and winner of the Boston Marathon in 2023 and 2024; Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui, the fastest woman in the race with a personal best of 2:17:29 from the 2022 Valencia Marathon; and Vivian Cheruiyot, runner up of the New York City Marathon in 2018.

Cheruiyot was the first to drop back, and it was down to a final mile with the fastest woman in the race versus the woman who’s won here before.

It was Chepkirui who made the move in Central Park, with a brilliant kick for the line, running a 4:59 final mile to finish in 2:24:35 to win her first Marathon Major. Obiri was 14 seconds back, with Cheruiyot in third.

Sara Vaughn was first American (and sixth overall), crossing the finishing waving to the crowds, smiling. Jessica McClain was second American (eight overall) and Kellyn Taylor third American (10^th overall).

NAGEEYE WINS HIS FIRST MAJOR

There was an anticipation of chaos descending as a big pack of men crossed Queensboro Bridge in Manhattan and ran up towards the Bronx.

The race was stretching out across the street at times, then stringing back and forth, with new leaders every few blocks, until Kenya’s Evans Chebet decided it was time to race, and kicked a fast mile 16 to shatter the pack.

Chebet, the 2022 NYC winner, was followed by Albert Korir, the 2021 champion, and Tamirat Tola, last year’s winner and this year’s Olympic gold medallist. Alongside them was Nageeye, who had never won a Major Marathon.

But Nageeye wasn’t overawed by the occasion.

As the group broke apart to just Chebet and Nageeye, it was the Dutchman who had the strongest finish through Central Park, to cross the line in 2:07:39, six seconds ahead of Chebet. Korir was third and Tola fourth.  

Nageeye, who won silver in the 2020 Olympic Marathon, ran in the Paris 2024 Olympic Marathon but didn’t finish, so this was his redemption race.

Connor Mantz was first American and sixth overall, finishing in 2:09:00. Clayton Young was second American (seventh overall), and CJ Albertson third American (10^th overall).

Mantz and training partner Young have run four marathons in 13 months and have finished alongside each other in all the races. Less than one minute of cumulative marathon running over four races has separated them.

Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images