On Sunday, Tamirat Tola broke the course record to win the men’s division of the New York City Marathon, while Kenya’s Hellen Obiri won the women’s division by pulling ahead in the last 400 metres.
The Ethiopian beat the 2011 record of 2:05.06 set by Geoffrey Mutai by finishing in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 58 seconds.
At mile 20, Tola started to distance himself from fellow countryman Jemel Yimer as they headed into the Bronx. After walking back into Manhattan, he had gained 19 seconds and was closing up on Mutai’s record.
The women’s race came down to the last stretch, but the men’s race was already determined before those final few miles. Running together, Obiri, Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey, and the reigning champion Sharon Lokedi were trading leads. As the group returned to Central Park for the last half-mile, Obiri moved up and finished in 2:27.23. Six seconds behind, Gidey came in second place.
AP
