50,000 runners brave chilly streets for New York City marathon
More than 50,000 runners and thousands more spectators line the streets for the New York City marathon – as elite Kenyan racer wins men’s group in controversial $250 Nike sneakers
- The 49th annual New York City Marathon kicked off on Sunday morning on Staten Island
- Racers from around the world followed the 26.2-mile course from Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx before doubling back to Manhattan, where they crossed the Central Park finish line
- The first to break the finish-line tape was Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya with an impressive time of two hours, eight minutes and 13 seconds – the 26-year-old’s second win in three years
- In the women’s race, Joyciline Jepkosgei came first after outpacing four-time winner Mary Keitany
- Many of the racers – including Kamworor and four of his close competitors – were seen wearing bright pink Nike Vaporfly sneakers that sparked a debate in the weeks leading up to the NYC marathon
- Critics have speculated that the $250 shoes could give athletes an unfair advantage
More than 50,000 runners and thousands more enthusiastic fans braved the biting cold for the 49th annual New York City Marathon on Sunday morning.
The marathon kicked off at 9am on the Staten Island side of the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge, with thousands of racers from around the world following a 26.2-mile course through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx before doubling back into Manhattan, where they crossed the finish line in Central Park.
The first to break the finish-line tape was Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya with an impressive time of two hours, eight minutes and 13 seconds – the 26-year-old’s second win in three years.
In the women’s race, Joyciline Jepkosgei came first after outpacing four-time winner Mary Keitany in her first race ever at 26.2 miles. Jepkosgei’s unofficial finish time of two hours, 22 minutes, and 38 seconds was seven seconds off the course record.
Runners will continue trickling across the finish line into the afternoon.
More than 50,000 runners and thousands more enthusiastic fans braved the biting cold for the New York City Marathon on Sunday morning. The marathon kicked off at 9am on the Staten Island side of the Verazzano-Narrows Bridge (pictured)
The first to break the finish-line tape in Central Park was Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya (pictured) with an impressive time of two hours, eight minutes and 13 seconds – the 26-year-old’s second win in three years
In the women’s race, Joyciline Jepkosgei came first after outpacing four-time winner Mary Keitany in her first race ever at 26.2 miles. Keitany and Jepkosgei are seen with third-place winner Ruti Aga of Ethiopia after they crossed the finish line
Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and the rest of the leading pack in action during the elite men’s race
Many of the racers – including Kamworor (pictured) and four of his close competitors – were seen wearing bright pink Nike Vaporfly sneakers that sparked a debate in the weeks leading up to the NYC marathon as critics speculated that the $250 shoes could give athletes an unfair advantage
Other runners risked slowing down their race time with elaborate costumes, such as the headdress seen above
Men’s winner Kamworor pulled away from fellow Kenyan Albert Korir in the 24th mile. Korir finished second, and Ethiopian non-elite runner Girma Bekele Gebre came in third.
Defending men’s champion Lelisa Desisa dropped out after seven miles, perhaps hurting following a grueling victory at the sweltering world championships last month.
Desisa, who is from Ethiopia, was in 17th place at the seven-mile mark before leaving the course.
Many of the racers – including Kamworor and four of his close competitors – were seen wearing bright pink Nike Vaporfly sneakers that sparked a debate in the weeks leading up to the NYC marathon as critics speculated that the $250 shoes could give athletes an unfair advantage.
Other runners risked slowing down their race time with elaborate costumes as the race came three days after Halloween. One racer was seen in an elaborate Native American headdress while another wore a Christmas tree suit.
Men’s race winner Kamworor shows off a Kenyan flag after his second NYC Marathon win in three years
Women’s race winner Jepkosgei proudly holds up her trophy after winning Saturday’s race
Former Bachelor contestant Andi Dorfman (pictured) was one of several celebrities running in Sunday’s race
Actor Andrew Shue (left) and ABC News anchor Amy Robach (right) are seen passing Mile 8
Former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron is seen running past Mile 8
MTV host Nev Schulman (center) is pictured prior to the start of the race in Staten Island
It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celcius) at the start of the men’s race, ideal for marathoning but less pleasant for spectators.
Regardless, thousands of fans lined the race course to cheer on the runners in the world’s largest marathon.
The most popular cheering spots were the starting line in Staten Island, the Pulaski Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Queens, the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan’s East Side and the final stretch down Fifth Avenue.
Leonard Korir of Kenya closes in on the finish line, where he came in second place after Kamworor
Elite men’s racers are seen passing through Queens on their way to Manhattan in the middle of the marathon
Among the thousands of runners were several celebrities racing for various charities.
Orange Is the New Black actress Uzo Aduba ran for the second time to raise money for Stand Up 2 Cancer.
Girls’ star Adam Driver convinced fellow actors Luke Kirby from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Paul Sparks from House of Cards to run alongside him to raise money for Arts in the Armed Forces, the nonprofit Driver founded with his wife Joanne Tucker 11 years ago.
Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber laced up for his sixth straight NYC Marathon benefiting NYRR Team for Kids.
Familiar faces from ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman and Tyler Cameron, also signed up.
Dorfman was running to raise money for Girls On The Run and NYRR Team for Kids, while Cameron was supporting ABC Food Tours.
ABC News anchor Amy Robach and her actor husband Andrew Shue of Melrose Place fame were also spotted among the crowd of runners.
Thousands of fans lined the race course to cheer on the runners in the world’s largest marathon
The first wave of runners are seen crossing the starting line behind race officials
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