Today was one of the kindest and coolest celebrations of the year—the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon! Or, as the organizers humbly proclaim, “the best day of the year in the best city in the world.”
55,000 Runners Across the Five Boroughs
On this day, more than 55,000 people will run 42 kilometers 195 meters (26.2 miles) across all five boroughs of New York City—Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan.
This is despite a record number of participants: over 200,000 applications, a 22% increase over last year.
In 2024, the marathon has already made history as the largest marathon of all time, with 55,643 finishers. By comparison, in 1970, at the very first marathon, only 55 people reached the finish line.
New Women’s Course Record
A new course record was set today. Hellen Obiri, a three-time Olympic medalist, overtook 2022 champion Sharon Lokedi in the final mile and finished in 2:19:51. All three medalists were from Kenya, and all three ran faster than the previous record set in 2003 (2:22:31):
🥇 Hellen Obiri – 2:19:51
🥈 Sharon Lokedi – 2:20:07
🥉 Sheila Chepkirui – 2:20:24
Four American women finished in the top 10, and Fiona O’Keefe, a 2024 US Olympic Trials champion, finished fourth with a time of 2:22:49 – the fastest time by an American woman in New York City Marathon history.
Drama in the Men’s Race
The men’s race had a truly Hollywood ending. Benson Kipruto, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, beat Alexander Mutiso by just three hundredths of a second – 2:08:09 to 2:08:09.03! This is the smallest margin in marathon history.
🥇 Benson Kipruto – 2:08:09
🥈 Alexander Mutiso – 2:08:09.03
🥉 Albert Korir – 2:08:57
All three are also from Kenya.
The legendary Eliud Kipchoge, considered the greatest marathon runner of all time, made his New York City debut and finished 17th (2:14:36), earning a Six Star Abbott World Marathon Majors medal for participating in all six major marathons in the world.
Stories that inspire
But the New York City Marathon isn’t just about speed. It’s, above all, about people.
Ali Truewitt lost her leg in a shark attack, but a year later won two Paralympic medals and ran a marathon in 4:14:34.
Shek Mulba lost 136 kg and ran his first marathon to inspire runners with “large bodies.”
Natalie Hall is living with incurable stage IV breast cancer and ran as part of Team Inspire, finishing in 5:26:29.
Every finish here is a unique story of strength, will, and humanity.
The marathon takes place on the first Sunday in November and is considered one of the most massive and inclusive sporting events in the world:
— more than 55,000 participants on the course alone,
— 2 million spectators along the streets,
— thousands of volunteers, orchestras, and banners with encouraging (and sometimes very funny) messages.
But, frankly, the most amazing thing about the marathon isn’t the results, but the support of the people and their banners. I took some of them from the whatisnewyork page.
