66 Fun Facts About New York City Marathon

Who won the men's race at the 2024 New York City Marathon?

Abdi Nageeye had dropped out of the Paris Olympic marathon less than three months earlier; in New York he broke clear of Evans Chebet near the finish to become the race's first Dutch winner.

Who won the New York City Marathon men's race in both 2017 and 2019?

Geoffrey Kamworor held off Wilson Kipsang by three seconds in 2017, then dropped Albert Korir in the 24th mile to win again in 2019.

Who was the only woman to enter the first New York City Marathon in 1970?

Nina Kuscsik fell ill and dropped out at about 15 miles that day, but she came back to win the women's race in both 1972 and 1973.

How did six women protest a ten-minute head start at the 1972 New York City Marathon?

They sat down at the start with protest signs until the men's gun fired ten minutes later, then ran with them; the AAU soon dropped the rule.

Who won the women's race when the New York City Marathon first crossed all five boroughs in 1976?

Miki Gorman did not start running competitively until her mid-thirties, yet at 41 she won in 2:39:11 and kept the title the following year.

Which runner, famous for being grabbed by a race official in 1967, won the 1974 New York City Marathon women's race?

Kathrine Switzer won in 3:07:29, seven years after official Jock Semple tried to tear off her bib number in mid-race; the two later became friends.

Which Ethiopian, twice Olympic 10,000 m champion, won the 2009 New York City Marathon women's race at 37?

Derartu Tulu shook off Ludmila Petrova at the 26-mile mark to win by eight seconds, the first Ethiopian woman to take the New York title.

Who won the first five-borough New York City Marathon in 1976, the first of his four straight titles?

Bill Rodgers had finished only 40th in the Montreal Olympic marathon that summer; in New York he beat the Olympic silver medallist, Frank Shorter, by three minutes.

Dick Traum made history at the 1976 New York City Marathon as the first person to finish a marathon with what?

A prosthetic leg carried Dick Traum round in 1976; seven years later he founded the Achilles Track Club for disabled athletes, and six of its members finished New York that year.

Which Norwegian track star won the 1978 New York City Marathon at her first attempt at the distance?

Grete Waitz, an Oslo schoolteacher, had never run a marathon before; her 2:32:30 was hailed as a world best, and she went on to win New York nine times.

Which Latvian runner won the New York City Marathon women's race in both 2005 and 2006?

Jelena Prokopcuka outran Susan Chepkemei by 14 seconds in 2005, then left the whole field a full minute behind when she defended the title in 2006.

Which runner crossed the line 17th at the 2025 New York City Marathon to complete his set of six majors?

Eliud Kipchoge came home in 2:14:36, more than six minutes behind the winner, and hours later announced his next goal: a marathon on each of the seven continents.

Rosie Ruiz's mistaken 1979 New York finish time qualified her for which race, where her fraud was exposed?

Rosie Ruiz's 2:56:29 from New York got her into the 1980 Boston Marathon, where she was declared women's winner before officials found she had not run the full course of either race.

Which American won the 1980 New York City Marathon in 2:09:41 in the first marathon of his life?

Alberto Salazar ran the fastest marathon debut by an American and was on the cover of Sports Illustrated that week; he won New York again in 1981 and 1982.

Why was the winner's 2:08:13 'world best' at the 1981 New York City Marathon later annulled?

The course was too short by about 150 metres when it was measured again three years later, so the mark was wiped out and Rob de Castella's 2:08:18 stood as the world best instead.

Which New Zealander caught leader Geoff Smith at the 26-mile mark to win the 1983 New York City Marathon?

Rod Dixon swept past in the final 385 yards and won by nine seconds; Smith, running his first marathon, later blamed dehydration for his fade.

Who won the 2025 men's race by three-hundredths of a second, the closest finish in New York City Marathon history?

Benson Kipruto and Alexander Mutiso were given the same time, 2:08:09; Albert Korir, third across the line, later lost that place to a five-year doping ban.

From 1984 to 1986 the men's winner of the New York City Marathon came from which country three years running?

Italy: Orlando Pizzolato won in 1984 despite stopping several times with cramps in the heat, won again in 1985, and Gianni Poli made it three in 1986.

Who in 1987 became the first African man to win the New York City Marathon?

Ibrahim Hussein had worked his way up from ninth in 1985 and fourth in 1986 before breaking through in 2:11:01 to become the race's first African men's champion.

In 1992 the nine-time women's champion ran the whole race beside founder Fred Lebow to mark what?

His 60th birthday: Fred Lebow, diagnosed with brain cancer two years earlier, had vowed to run his own race while he still could; the champion stayed beside him all the way, and he died in 1994.

Fred Lebow, founder of the race, was born under what name in Arad, Romania?

Fischel Lebowitz survived the Holocaust as a boy, emigrated to the United States and shortened his name to Fred Lebow.

Which 1994 winner earned the nickname 'Wrong Way' after a detour seven-tenths of a mile from the finish?

Germán Silva turned off the course with less than a mile left, doubled back 40 yards behind, and still ran down countryman Benjamín Paredes to win by two seconds.

Who in 1994 became the first African woman to win the New York City Marathon?

Tegla Loroupe, who as a girl ran ten kilometres to and from school, won in 2:27:37 in her first major marathon and took the title again a year later.

Which wheelchair racer completed a 2013 sweep of four major marathons by winning in New York?

Tatyana McFadden became the first person to win four major marathons in one calendar year; as a child in a Russian orphanage with no wheelchair, she got around by walking on her hands.

Tesfaye Jifar's 2001 course record of 2:07:43, set weeks after 9/11, stood until who broke it in 2011?

Geoffrey Mutai ran 2:05:06, over two and a half minutes inside the old mark; that April he had run 2:03:02 in Boston, then the fastest marathon ever, on a course that cannot count for world records.

Whose 2003 women's course record of 2:22:31 at the New York City Marathon stood until 2025?

Margaret Okayo cut nearly two minutes off her own record from 2001; the mark lasted 22 years, until the first three women home in 2025 all ran faster.

Which rapper ran the 2003 New York City Marathon and raised $2 million for the city's children?

P. Diddy had trained for only eight weeks and fought leg cramps on the way round, but he finished, and his 'Diddy Runs the City' drive brought in about $2 million.

Which reigning marathon world record holder won New York in 2005 in a sprint finish against Hendrick Ramaala?

Paul Tergat outsprinted the defending champion through Central Park to win by less than a second, a margin that stayed the closest in the race's history until 2025.

Marílson Gomes dos Santos, winner in 2006 and 2008, was the New York City Marathon's first champion from which country?

Brazil's Marílson Gomes dos Santos held off Stephen Kiogora by eight seconds in 2006 to become the first South American runner to win in New York.

Which cyclist ran the 2006 New York City Marathon in 2:59:36, just inside three hours?

Lance Armstrong, paced by a team of famous runners, squeezed under three hours and said afterwards that the race was extremely hard compared with the Tour de France.

Who won the New York City Marathon in 2004, 2007 and 2008?

Paula Radcliffe's first win came less than three months after she dropped out of the Athens Olympic marathon; she held off Susan Chepkemei by a few seconds.

Which runner's 2009 win was the first by an American man at the New York City Marathon since 1982?

Meb Keflezighi reached the United States as a 12-year-old refugee from Eritrea and became a citizen in 1998; his 2:09:15 ended a 27-year wait for a home men's winner.

Which world record holder dropped out of the 2010 New York City Marathon at mile 16 with a bad knee?

Haile Gebrselassie, then 37, announced his retirement straight after the race, changed his mind within days and went on competing for years.

Edison Peña ran the 2010 New York City Marathon weeks after being rescued from what?

A collapsed mine in Chile held Peña and 32 other men for 69 days; he kept fit by running through its tunnels, up to six miles a day, then finished New York in 5 hours 40 minutes.

Why was the 2012 New York City Marathon cancelled?

Hurricane Sandy struck the city less than a week before race day; Mayor Michael Bloomberg cancelled the marathon on the Friday, two days out, after public outcry over diverting resources.

Which company became the race's title sponsor in 2014 under an eight-year deal?

Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian IT firm, took over from ING in a deal reported at more than $100 million, and has since extended its title rights to 2029.

Who in 2017 became the first American woman in 40 years to win New York?

Shalane Flanagan pulled clear of the three-time defending champion with about three miles left and won by a minute.

Which Ethiopian, Olympic marathon champion a year later, set New York's men's course record of 2:04:58 in 2023?

Tamirat Tola took eight seconds off a record that had stood since 2011; he reached the Paris Olympics only as a late replacement for an injured teammate, and won gold.

Who won the 2022 New York City Marathon women's race in the first marathon of her career?

Sharon Lokedi, a former University of Kansas runner, passed Lonah Chemtai Salpeter in the final mile to win by seven seconds on the warmest race day in the event's history.

The race starts on Staten Island at which former military post near the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge?

Fort Wadsworth guarded the Narrows for centuries and was claimed to be the nation's longest continuously garrisoned post when the Navy left in the 1990s; it is now national parkland where runners wait for the start.

The Verrazzano-Narrows crossing, where the race begins, held what record when it opened in 1964?

World's longest suspension span until England's Humber Bridge opened in 1981, it has no walkway, so marathon morning is one of the few times anyone can cross it on foot.

An article about New York City Marathon finisher Dick Traum inspired which Canadian's run across his country?

Terry Fox was given the article the night before his cancer surgery; it inspired the Marathon of Hope, his 1980 attempt to run across Canada to raise money for research.

Which crossing marks the halfway point of the course and the entrance into Queens?

The Pulaski Bridge carries the 13.1-mile mark over Newtown Creek; it honours Casimir Pulaski, a Polish hero of the American Revolution, in tribute to Greenpoint's large Polish community.

Marathoners climb the lower deck of which bridge just before reaching First Avenue?

The Queensboro Bridge has no spectators, so runners climb it in near silence, then come down onto First Avenue into a wall of noise from the crowds.

The 2024 New York City Marathon set a world record for what?

Most finishers in a marathon: 55,646 runners completed the course, passing a mark of 54,280 set only weeks earlier elsewhere, and the 2025 race went past 59,000.

Which neighbourhood do runners cross on their way down Fifth Avenue to Central Park?

Harlem leads onto a gentle rise past Museum Mile before the course turns into the park at East 90th Street; after 23 miles, runners feel every foot of that slope.

What earns guaranteed marathon entry under the '9+1' program?

Run nine club races and volunteer at one in a year and a place is guaranteed; the open drawing is a long shot, with only 2 to 3 percent of over 200,000 applicants picked for 2025.

On which day of the year is the New York City Marathon held?

The race falls on the first Sunday of November; since 2007 that has also been the morning US clocks fall back, giving runners an extra hour of sleep.

Besides London, which European city's marathon joined New York in the first World Marathon Majors series in 2006?

Berlin was one of five founding races in 2006, New York among them; the series has since grown, adding Tokyo in 2013 and Sydney in 2025, with Cape Town confirmed as an eighth major.

Who won the 2025 New York City Marathon women's race in 2:19:51, the first sub-2:20 run in its history?

Hellen Obiri took more than two and a half minutes off a course record that had survived since 2003; the two women who followed her home beat the old mark as well.

Who won the women's race at the 50th New York City Marathon in 2021?

Peres Jepchirchir had won Olympic marathon gold three months earlier; in New York she was still level with two rivals entering Central Park before pulling away.

Who was the first president of New York Road Runners, founded in 1958?

Ted Corbitt, the first Black American to run an Olympic marathon, led the new club and went on to found the system for measuring and certifying road-race courses that lets runners trust the distance.

Which country's men took all three podium places for the first time at the 2002 New York City Marathon?

Kenya: Rodgers Rop pulled away in the final leg to lead home Christopher Cheboiboch and Laban Kipkemboi, and Joyce Chepchumba's win made it the country's first double in New York.

Which racer, nicknamed the 'Silver Bullet', won New York's 2016 men's wheelchair race in a photo finish?

Switzerland's Marcel Hug edged Kurt Fearnley by a fraction of a second, a month after beating him in another photo finish in Chicago; the nickname comes from his shiny silver helmet.

Who took charge of the New York City Marathon in 2005 as the first woman to lead New York Road Runners?

Mary Wittenberg, a lawyer who had won the 1987 Marine Corps Marathon herself, ran the race for a decade before leaving in 2015 to head Richard Branson's Virgin Sport.

Which tennis star ran the 2014 New York City Marathon in 3:26:33?

Caroline Wozniacki ran it shortly after reaching the semi-finals of the WTA Finals, and her friend Serena Williams was waiting at the finish to greet her.

What colour is the line painted along the course to mark the shortest route?

A blue line is painted along the entire 26.2-mile course before race day to show runners the shortest legal route from Staten Island to Central Park.

The official race times are 'net times', calculated by what?

Net time comes from a chip on the back of the runner's bib, read by mats at the start, every 5 km and the finish, so the clock counts only from when the runner crosses the start line.

The New York City Marathon finishes in Central Park beside which landmark restaurant?

Tavern on the Green began life in 1870 as a fold for the sheep that grazed Central Park; the flock was evicted in 1934 so the building could become a restaurant.

Adriana Fernández's 1999 victory made her the first woman from which country to win the New York City Marathon?

Mexico's Adriana Fernández had finished second in New York the year before; in 1999 she took charge on a windy day and kept stretching her lead to become her country's first women's champion.

Which Scottish 10,000 m world champion won the 1991 New York City Marathon in her first race at the distance?

Liz McColgan won less than a year after the birth of her daughter Eilish, who grew up to break her mother's Scottish 10,000 m record in 2022.

Which is the only borough the New York City Marathon course enters twice?

Manhattan gets two visits: runners first cross it heading north up First Avenue, leave briefly for the Bronx, then return down Fifth Avenue to finish in Central Park.

Which former marathon world-record holder became the first British man to win the New York City Marathon in 1988?

Steve Jones won by more than three minutes. In Chicago in 1984 he ran without a watch and broke a world record he said he had not known the time of.

The New York City Marathon first left Central Park to cross all five boroughs as a celebration of what?

The US Bicentennial prompted calls for one big citywide race in place of the usual laps of Central Park, and once the marathon had crossed all five boroughs it never went back.

A statue of New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow, moved near the finish line each race week, shows him doing what?

Checking his watch, Lebow is shown timing runners home as he did through two decades in charge; the statue spends the rest of the year elsewhere in Central Park.

Which Kenyan, later a four-time champion, led the 2011 New York City Marathon by over two minutes before being caught?

Mary Keitany built a lead of almost two and a half minutes, but Firehiwot Dado and Buzunesh Deba passed her in the 25th mile; she came back to win in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.