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…
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