U.S. Olympic medalist Molly Seidel breaks women’s open division course record in 50th running of the event
New York, November 7, 2021 – Peres Jepchirchir and Albert Korir led a Kenyan sweep of the open division titles – the sixth in event history – while Australia’s Madison de Rozario and Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the wheelchair division titles at the 2021 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday.
In the event’s 50th running, Jepchirchir became the only Olympic gold medalist in the marathon to also win the TCS New York City Marathon in her career, finishing in 2:22:39, the third fastest time in event history and eight minutes off the course record.
“It was a great honor to be the winner of the New York City Marathon and the only champion from the Olympics to win the New York City Marathon,” Jepchirchir said. “It was a great opportunity for me, and it was my plan. Preparation was short, but I tried my best to see if I can fix on my own preparation. When I went in today, my goal was to win the race.”
The top three women in the open division finished within 13 seconds of each other. Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo, the younger sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat, was only five seconds back, taking second in her marathon debut in 2:22:44. Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh was third in her first run on the five-borough course in 2:22:52.
U.S. Olympic medalist Molly Seidel broke the American course record in her TCS New York City Marathon debut, taking fourth place in 2:24:42. Kara Goucher held the previous mark of 2:25:53, set in 2008.
“I didn’t know until I crossed the line that that was what had happened,” Seidel said. “I’m just so incredibly honored. There are so many good women who have run on this course. I think it’s really a testament to the women in this race that I was able to hang on to that group.”
Korir took the tape in the men’s open division in 2:08:22, going one better and 14 seconds faster than his runner-up performance in 2019 to win his first Abbott World Marathon Majors race. He was joined on the podium by Mohamed El Aaraby of Morocco, who was second in 2:09:06, and Eyob Faniel of Italy, who was third in 2:09:52.
“I didn’t imagine that I would win today,” Korir said. “This journey began three months ago, when I knew that I would be running the New York City Marathon. This was a all a result of my hard training going on.”
Elkanah Kibet was the top American finisher in the men’s open division, placing fourth in 2:11:15, and was followed on the U.S. leaderboard by Ben True, who was seventh overall in his debut in 2:12:53.
“I’m just so excited. I wasn’t expecting this, but I just went for it,” Kibet said. “I was hanging as much as I could with the lead group, and I ended up doing well.”
Earlier in the day, Australia’s Madison de Rozario won her first TCS New York City Marathon title, crossing the line first in 1:51:01. She became the first athlete to win Paralympic marathon gold and the TCS New York City Marathon in the same year since Edith Wolf Hunkeler did so in 2008.
“It definitely feels like the next chapter in my career. I think I’ve been trying to become stronger with that marathon distance for quite a long time now,” de Rozario said. “I’ve never won a marathon like that before, and I didn’t realize how stressful it is to be out in front like that because you don’t know how close the next athlete is.”
Five-time champion and 20-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden of the United States finished second in 1:53:59, followed by three-time champion Manuela Schär of Switzerland in third in 1:54:02.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won his fourth career TCS New York City Marathon title and first since 2017, taking the tape in 1:31:24. It marked his fifth Abbott World Marathon Majors race victory this year, having already won Berlin, London, Boston and the Paralympic marathon.
“I’m really, really happy and very satisfied with my performance today, Hug said. “It’s incredible to have had this big of a gap. I never expected it. It’s a very tough course with many uphills. So I was expecting to have a group together, maybe two, three at least together. I had a chance to break away very early, so I took the chance and tried to keep up my pace.”
Great Britain’s David Weir – the 2010 champion – was second in 1:38:01, while two-time champion Daniel Romanchuk of the United States in third in 1:38:22.
This year marked the 50th running of the TCS New York City Marathon, with the first race in 1970 having 55 finishers. The TCS New York City Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series made up of the world’s six largest and most renowned road races – the Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago, and TCS New York City Marathons.
About New York Road Runners (NYRR)
NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire people through running. Since 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, virtual races, community events, free youth running initiatives and school programs, the NYRR RUNCENTER featuring the New Balance Run Hub, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to Run for Life. NYRR’s premier event is the TCS New York City Marathon. Held annually on the first Sunday in November, the race features a wide population of runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.
