(Reuters) – Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa surged to the men’s title and Kenya’s Mary Keitany won a dominant fourth women’s crown at the New York City Marathon on Sunday.
Athletics – New York City Marathon – New York City, New York, U.S. – November 4, 2018 Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa crosses the finish line to win the Professional Men’s race REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Desisa, coming on strong in the final mile, claimed the victory in an unofficial two hours, five minutes and 59 seconds as he and fellow Ethiopian Shura Kitata (2:06:01) passed defending champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who finished third in 2:06:26.
“Today is my day. I am very, very happy,” said Desisa, a two-time Boston Marathon winner who had finished second in New York in 2014 and third in 2015 and 2017.
Keitany, second to American Shalane Flanagan in 2017 after three New York victories, returned to the top with a runaway performance. The 36-year-old won by more than three minutes in 2:22:48.
“Last year I was second but I did not give up,” said Keitany, who returned home to train hard for this year’s race.
She had won in 2014, 2015 and 2016 before Flanagan ended the streak.
London champion and fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot was a distant second in 2:26:02 as Flanagan, with a strong finish, took third in 2:26:22 in what may have been her last competitive marathon.
Molly Huddle was fourth in 2:26:44 and Boston Marathon winner Des Linden sixth (2:27:51) in a solid showing by American women.
American Daniel Romanchuk surprised three-time champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland for an historic men’s wheelchair win.
The 20-year-old Romanchuk became the youngest New York winner and the first American champion in clocking an unofficial 1:36:21 to nip Hug by one second.
The title was the second major win for Romanchuk, who also won Chicago in October.
Swiss Manuela Schar defended her women’s title, overtaking American Tatyana McFadden for the victory in 1:50.27. McFadden clocked 1:50:48.
Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; editing by Clare Fallon