The 2017 New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor and the United States’ Shalane Flanagan were the men’s and women’s top finishers, respectively.
Flanagan, 36, is the first American woman in 40 years to win the New York Marathon. The four-time Olympian called her accomplishment a dream come true.
“I’ve been dreaming of a moment like this since I was a little girl,” Flanagan said. “All athletes have these dreams and these visions and it’s what motivates us to get out the door to train hard. I visualized a moment like this and so I was trying to soak it up, but I was also running a little terrified that I was going to get caught.
“It really is a dream sensation.”
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Flanagan — who was running her second NYC Marathon, finished with a time of 2:26:53. Following her was Kenya’s Mary Keitany — the three-time defending champion — in second place with a time of 2:27:54, and Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska (2:28:08) in third.
Keitany was seeking to become just the second woman to win the New York Marathon four times in a row, joining Grete Waitz. Keitany won this year’s London Marathon.
Flanagan competed in the 2013 Boston Marathon, where bombs detonated near the finish line. She and her husband are the foster parents of two teenage daughters.
Kamworor also was the overall winner on Sunday, finishing with a time of 2:10:53. This marked his first NYC Marathon victory. Following him was countryman Wilson Kipsang in second place (2:10:56) and Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa (2:11:32) in third.
President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta congratulated his nation’s two top finishers:
Meanwhile, American Meb Keflezighi — the 2009 winner — was running his 26th marathon overall and his 11th New York Marathon. It was also his final professional marathon. He finished 11th on Sunday.
“A sense of relief,” he said. “Today was a struggle, but to get to that finish line was a magical moment.”
NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 05: Shalane Flanagan of the United States celebrates winning the Professional Women’s Division during the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon in Central Park on November 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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