Sheila Chepkirui led a Kenyan sweep of the women’s podium in two hours twenty-four minutes and thirty-five seconds (2:24:35) to win the New York City Marathon.
Chepkirui ran a technical, flawless race, hanging in with the lead pack from the start and denying defending champion Hellen Obiri in a gritty final mile to collect her first major title.
Obiri, who finished third at the Paris Olympics 12 weeks ago, crossed the line 14 seconds later, while 41-year-old Vivian Cheruiyot added more hardware for Kenya in 2:25:21.
Cheruiyot fell off the lead with a little more than a mile left and it was a two-woman battle for the finish line from there, as Chepkirui chipped away at Obiri bit by bit.
With 200 metres to go, it was clear the race was hers and she smiled after giving everything she had for the win.
“It means a lot to me — it means my training was good,” Chepkirui said. “It was really hard but I pushed myself to the limit.”
