In her fourth marathon, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya ran a ferocious last half mile to win the 2024 A Part of Hearst Digital Media in 2:24:35, holding off the reigning champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, Hellen Obiri.
Obiri, who was the prerace favorite and had said in the days before the race that she was targeting the course record of 2:22:31, which dates back to 2003, finished second in 2:24:49, while 41-year-old Vivian Cheruiyot rounded out the podium in 2:25:21.
Chepkirui, 33, came into the race with the fastest personal best in the field, 2:17:29, which she ran at the 2022 Valencia Marathon. This is her first win at a World Marathon Major.
“Winning today means a lot to me. It means my training has been [going] well, and I’m really happy for the win,” Chepkirui said in the post-race press conference. “The last turn was really tough. I was still with Hellen. I told myself I had to push up at the finish line.”
For the first half of the race, the pace was fairly tame, as a group of 21 women came through the half marathon mark in 1:13:59. But during mile 18, Cheruiyot headed to front and ran the fastest mile of the day to that point, 5:15. At 20.5 miles, the pack dwindled to five, and by mile 22, only three women remained: Chepkirui, Obiri, and Cheruiyot.
Chepkirui pushed on the hills of Central Park and ultimately made her move to break Obiri with approximately half a mile to go.
Obiri, after the race, said that she was still happy with her performance. She’s had a long season—winning April’s Boston Marathon and taking bronze at the Paris Olympic marathon in August—so she knew the build-up for New York would fairly short.
Chepkirui takes home $100,000 in prize money for the win. Obiri receives $60,000 for second, and Cheruiyot gets $40,000 for third.
Sara Vaughn finished as the top American in sixth place overall (2:26:56).
Influencer Disqualified From NYC Marathon Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner who has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
