NEW YORK CITY, November 01 — A year ago, Hellen Obiri won her second TCS New York City Marathon title with a dominant closing sprint over the final mile, overwhelming fellow Kenyans Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui. Chepkirui, who had won this race in ’24, learned from that experience and used a formidable kick of her own to pull away from Obiri for the win this time around. Jessica McClain ran a spirited race of her own to pass Obiri in the final strides for 2nd place and become the first American woman on the NYC podium in 8 years.
The women set off 30 minutes before the men and the early going was conservative, with the opening 5K covered in a very modest 18:23 (2:35 pace). The tempo gradually picked up over each successive 5K, with 11 women — all Kenyans and Americans — remaining in the lead pack at halfway (1:13:52). Among those in contention were Kenyans Violah Lagat, Mercy Chelangat and 46-year-old Edna Kiplagat (a 2-time world champion in the event who won in NYC all the way back in 2010). Also in the pack were Americans McClain, Carrie Elwood, Anne Frisbie, Amanda Vestri, Lauren Hagans and Weini Kelati. Considerable interest amassed around half-marathon American Record-holder Kelati, who was making her debut at the full distance.
Between 18 and 22 miles the field continued to thin, from 8 to 5. Kelati and Ellwood were among those who had dropped back, leaving Chepkirui, Obiri, McClain, Chelangat and Kiplagat at the front.
In the 23rd mile, Chepkirui started to surge, with Obiri promptly matching her pace. McClain and Chelangat were trying to maintain contact a few meters back, but Kiplagat was gradually losing ground. As Chepkirui and Obiri extended their margin, Chelangat briefly pulled away from McClain. But by 24 miles McClain had moved back into 3rd and was steadily closing the gap on the two leaders.
Obiri shadowed Chepkirui down Central Park South in the 26th mile, seemingly poised to duplicate the finishing kick that had brought her victory in New York last year (when she set the course record, 2:19:51) and in ’23. Yet Chepkirui accelerated smoothly to maintain her lead. “The last mile was so tough because I tried everything I can to push the pace, but it seemed Sheila was so strong, to be honest,” said Obiri.
“The last mile was really tricky,” admitted Chepkirui, whose time of 2:24:36 was 1 second slower than her winning mark in ’24. “I had to be patient because I knew Hellen was really strong, so I had to really push up to the finish line.”
McClain (2:24:42) accelerated well up the final climb to the finish and passed Obiri (2:24:43) steps before the line. Chepkirui earned $100,000 for the win, while McClain netted $85,000 ($60K for the runner-up spot, plus $25K as top American). The last American to finish on the New York podium was Shalane Flanagan, who followed up her 2017 win with a 3rd-place showing in ’18. Kiplagat (2:25:42) rallied for 4th, followed by Chelangat (2:25:46), Ellwood (2:26:28) and Kelati (2:26:51).
“It was a journey to get to those last 400 meters. I honestly didn’t feel amazing today,” said McClain, who had finished 8th in her NYC debut in 2024. “I think with New York you just have to take it mile by mile and take what New York throws at you.… Obviously I was in very, very good company, but I was just focused on the last 2 miles, like working up the hills. I feel like I’ve done a lot of good hill running this year, really focused on the tangents. I think that helped out in the last few miles.”
A former NCAA standout at Stanford (as Jessica Tonn), McClain had only gotten serious about running again when she aimed to run a marathon for her 30th birthday. “I realized that competitive nature was still buried deep, deep, deep down,” she said of that experience. Since returning to world-class competition in ‘24, McClain has racked up strong credentials, including 7th in Boston and 8th at the World Championships last year, then 5th in Boston this past April in an all-conditions best of 2:20:49. “I found my way back into this world in the marathon, and I couldn’t be happier to be here and more proud of myself that I put myself back in it.”
NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Sheila Chepkirui (Ken) 2:24:36; 2. Jessica McClain (US) 2:24:42; 3. Hellen Obiri (Ken) 2:24:43; 4. Edna Kiplagat (Ken) 2:25:42; 5. Mercy Chelangat (Ken) 2:25:46; 6. Carrie Ellwood (US) 2:26:28; 7. Weini Kelati (US) 2:26:51; 8. Paige Wood (US) 2:27:29; 9. Violah Lagat (Ken) 2:28:34; 10. Fabienne Königstein (Ger) 2:28:49;
11. Giovanna Epis (Ita) 2:28:55; 12. Julia Paternain (Uru) 2:29:09; 13. Lauren Hagans (US) 2:29:42; 14. Micaela Rivera Wood (Per) 2:29:52; 15. Anne Frisbie (US) 2:30:04; 16. Amanda Vestri (US) 2:30:16; 17. Philippa Bowden (GB) 2:30:45; 18. Lily Murphy (US) 2:31:18; 19. Rie Kawauchi (Jpn) 2:31:29; 20. Monica Hebner (US) 2:33:21.
