Hellen Obiri wins New York Marathon

Accomplished Kenyan distance runner Hellen Obiri secured victory in the women’s category at the 2023 New York City Marathon on a Sunday.

Obiri completed the demanding race whose course takes participants through all five boroughs of New York City, in a remarkable time of 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 23 seconds

Hellen Obiri at 33

At 33 years old, Obiri, who had previously triumphed at the 2023 Boston Marathon, showcased her impressive sprinting prowess as she surged ahead of Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey (2:27:29) in a thrilling final stretch

In the race, Obiri became the first woman to win both the Boston and New York City marathons in the same year since 1989, when Norwegian athlete Ingrid Kristiansen accomplished the double.

The defending champion, Sharon Lokedi, claimed third place with a finishing time of 2:27:33. This year’s event featured an exceptionally competitive field, making it one of the most star-studded women’s marathons in history.

Among the elite runners was former world record holder Brigid Kosgei (2:27:45), and Letesenbet Gidey, who had set the fastest debut marathon time in the previous year.

Hellen Obiri compatriots

The women’s course record for the New York City Marathon stands at 2:22:31, established by Kenyan athlete Margaret Okayo in 2003. Notably, in 2021, Tokyo Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir came very close to breaking this record with a time of 2:22:39, while Lokedi emerged victorious last year with a time of 2:23:23.

The New York City Marathon serves as the sixth and final World Marathon Major of the year, concluding a busy fall season for the sport.

It was a season that witnessed the shattering of both the men’s and women’s marathon world records within a span of just two weeks in September and October.

Since 2017, both the men’s and women’s marathon records have been broken three times each, underscoring the extraordinary progress and fierce competition within the sport.