NEW YORK CITY, November 03 — Sheila Chepkirui came into the 53rd running of the New York City Marathon with the fastest PR in the field (2:17:29) but had never won a World Marathon Majors race. She checked off that accomplishment with a decisive kick over fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the race’s final stretch.
On a sunny morning with cool temperatures (46F/8C), the early pace was unspectacular for the pro women, who ran ahead of the men and, as is tradition in New York, had no pacers. The pack hit 5K in 18:16 and 10K in 35:24. All the key contenders — including Chepkirui, defending champion Obiri, ’22 winner Sharon Lokedi and Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and Ethiopians Senbere Teferi and Dera Dida — were content to bide their time.
Several Americans were in the mix, including the just-married Dakota Popehn (formerly Lindwurm), who finished 12th at the Paris Olympics. Also in the group was Sara Vaughn, who had been forced to drop out of the Chicago Marathon 3 weeks earlier due to a case of Covid, and Jess McClain, who finished 4th at this year’s Olympic Trials in both the marathon and the 10,000.
Very little changed as the field went through halfway in 1:13:59. The racing finally began in the 18th mile, when a 5:15 split cut the field to 10. Cheruiyot began pushing the pace and by kilometer 34 the field was soon down to five, including Eunice Chumba of Kenya, Obiri, Chepkirui and Teferi.
That group continued to split miles in the 5:13/5:14 range and in the 23rd mile Chepkirui, Obiri and Cheruiyot broke away for what would be the eventual podium. At 40K, Cheruiyot (who had run 2:21:46 in April) began to lose contact, while Obiri and Chepkirui ran stride for stride.
A year ago, Obiri found herself in a similar two-woman battle in the closing stages before kicking away from Letesenbet Gidey on the course’s final quarter-mile climb. Since then, she won her second straight Boston Marathon title and then took the bronze at the Paris Olympics in August.
Obiri seemed to hold the upper hand in a duel with Chepkirui, but instead the 33-year-old, who won bronze in the 10,000 at the ’22 Commonwealth Games, accelerated smoothly and gradually pulled away.
“I knew Hellen was strong, so what I said to myself is, let me push,” said Chepkirui, runner-up in Berlin last year and 6th in London this past April. (We and other statisticians have heretofore listed her as Sheila Kiprotich.)
Chepkirui added, “When we were around 600 to go I said to myself I had to push harder. And when I saw that Hellen was not coming, I knew I was going to win and I was happy.”
Chepkirui hit the tape in 2:24:35 — after a significant negative split (1:10:36)— and pocketed $100,000 for the win. Obiri clocked 2:24:49, considerably faster than her winning time a year ago (2:27:23), though time rarely matters on this course, which features several challenging hills and bridges.
Margaret Okayo’s course record of 2:22:31, set back in ’03, survived another year. “Here it’s not about time,” Chepkirui noted. “It’s about winning.”
The 41-year-old Cheruiyot, the Olympic 5000 gold medalist in 2016 and a four-time world champion on the track, took 3rd in 2:25:21, followed by Chumba (2:25:58) and Switzerland’s Fabienne Schlumpf (2:26:31).
Vaughn (2:26:56) was the top American, 6th overall. “I’ve had to punch my way to the top,” said the mother of four, who works as a realtor in Boulder, Colorado. “I have a very full life, and I designed it that way. When the timing all comes together and you get an opportunity, which today was, you really want to take advantage of that. This is pretty special and I hope it solidifies the work that I’ve done.”
McClain (8th, 2:27:19) and Kellyn Taylor (10th, 2:27:59) also cracked the top 10, followed by Des Linden (11th, 2:29:32). Popehn (2:31:45) finished 17th.
Jenny Simpson, the 2011 world champion and ’16 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1500, finished 18th in 2:31:54 in what she said was her final professional race. “I’m not going to run tomorrow, that will be nice,” she said afterwards. “That’s part of the anxiety of being done. You have no idea what tomorrow will feel like. But I’m going to keep running. I’m going to keep enjoying it.”
NYC MARATHON WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Sheila Chepkirui (Ken) 2:24:35 (1:13:59/1:10:36) ($100,000); 2. Hellen Obiri (Ken) 2:24:49; 3. Vivian Cheruiyot (Ken) 2:25:21; 4. Eunice Chumba (Bhr) 2:25:58;
5. Fabienne Schlumpf (Swi) 2:26:31; 6. Sara Vaughn (US) 2:26:56; 7. Senbere Teferi (Eth) 2:27:14; 8. Jessica McClain (US) 2:27:19;
9. Sharon Lokedi (Ken) 2:27:45; 10. Kellyn Taylor (US) 2:27:59; 11. Desiree Linden (US) 2:29:32; 12. Edna Kiplagat (Ken) 2:29:56; 13. Tristin Van Ord (US) 2:30:02;
14. Maggie Montoya (US) 2:30:53; 15. Lily Partridge (GB) 2:30:55; 16. Savannah Berry (US) 2:31:39; 17. Dakotah Lindwurm (US) 2:31:45;
18. Jenny Simpson (US) 2:31:54 PR (last pro race); 19. Aliphine Tuliamuk (US) 2:32:10; 20. Jessa Hanson (US) 2:32:43; 21. Khishigsaikhan Galdabrakh (Mgl) 2:36:30;
23. Katja Goldring (US) 2:37:52; 24. Carrie Verdon (US) 2:37:54; 27. Holly Clarke (US) 2:39:18; 28. Sarah Reiter (US) 2:41:01. ◻︎