Abdi Nageeye, Sheila Chepkirui earn first NYC Marathon wins
NEW YORK -- Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui used strong kicks in the final mile to pull away from their nearest competitors and both win the New York City Marathon for the first time Sunday.
Nageeye, who became the first runner from the Netherlands to win the men's race, was step-for-step with 2022 champion Evans Chebet before using a burst of speed heading into Central Park for the final time to come away with the win in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 39 seconds. Chebet finished 6 seconds behind.
"At the finish, I was like, am I dreaming? I won New York," Nageeye said.
He had run the New York race three times before, with his best previous finish coming in 2022, when he was third.
"I know the course," Nageeye said. "Today was two things: survive that race, and my race is after 36 [kilometers; 22 miles]. I was thinking like a cyclist, survive 36K and you're going to win."
Chepkirui was running New York for the first time and pulled away from defending champion Hellen Obiri in the women's race in the last stretch.