By Canadian Press

Jepchirchir follows Tokyo gold with NYC Marathon win

Nov 7, 2021 | 9:28 AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya pulled from the pack at the entrance to Central Park and won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first woman to win a marathon major in the fall after winning an Olympic gold medal.

Jepchirchir broke away from countrywoman Viola Cheptoo and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh in the final mile of the race after the trio ran side by side from the Bronx back down through Manhattan.

Jepchirchir, 28, took gold at the Tokyo Olympics marathon in August and came back on a short recovery to win a race once dominated by her hero Mary Keitany, a four-time winner in New York who recently retired from the sport.

Jepchirchir’s unofficial time Sunday was 2 hours, 22 minutes, 39 seconds.

Cheptoo finished second in her marathon debut and quickly found her brother, Bernard Lagat, who was broadcasting the race on ESPN. Yeshaneh was third.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Molly Seidel finished fourth in her first race since taking bronze in Tokyo, becoming the first American woman since Deena Kastor in 2004 to earn an Olympic medal.

The second oldest of the world’s marathon majors ran its 50th edition Sunday after canceling in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The field was cut by about 40% to around 30,000 runners, with efforts made to maintain distance between competitors near the start and finish lines.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the fourth time, finishing more than 6 1/2 minutes ahead of the next racer for his first title since 2017. The 35-year-old, born with spina bifida, added yet another prize to a remarkable year that included four gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics, including in the marathon. He also won the Boston Marathon last month.

Australia’s Madison de Rozario won the women’s wheelchair race, holding off past champions Tatyana McFadden and Manuela Schär for her first Big Apple victory. The 27-year-old, who developed transverse myelitis when she was 4, also took gold at this year’s Tokyo Paralympic Marathon.

___

Follow Jake Seiner: https://twitter.com/Jake_Seiner

___

More AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jake Seiner, The Associated Press