The streets of New York City belong to runners today as the TCS New York City Marathon marks the 50th anniversary of its five-borough course, sending more than 50,000 entrants from Staten Island's Fort Wadsworth through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan to a finish inside Central Park.
Defending men's champion Benson Kipruto returns to defend his title after winning last year's race by the smallest margin in the event's history, in what pre-race coverage describes as a wide-open men's field. Former champions Geoffrey Kamworor and Abdi Nageeye are also entered, alongside Andreas Almgren, the European half-marathon record holder making his marathon debut, and Americans Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi — the two fastest US men in history — renewing their rivalry on New York's hilly, bridge-heavy course.
A stacked women's race
Hellen Obiri headlines the women's field as defending champion, with Ethiopia's debut contingent and American Weini Kelati, also running her first marathon, among the names to watch. Several reports have Sifan Hassan withdrawing from the race due to illness, while others still list her as entered — a discrepancy that should resolve by the time the women's field reaches the start line.
Beyond the professional race, New York's course has long attracted costume record-chasers, part of a broader Guinness World Records category for fastest marathons run in everything from inflatable suits to traditional dress. Past New York runnings have produced records for the fastest marathon in a full-body inflatable costume and the fastest marathon wearing a "step-in" costume, among dozens of similar categories tracked worldwide.
Results from the professional race were not yet available at the time of writing, with the first finishers not expected until mid-morning.