Hellen Obiri and Jacob Kiplimo took home victories on Sunday at the NYC Half Marathon. In their first appearances at the United Airlines NYC Half, Hellen Obiri of Kenya and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda scored convincing victories.
Uganda long-distance runner Jacob Kiplimo on Sunday won the New York City Half Marathon in the United States.
The reigning World Cross Country Gold Medalist, secured the 21 kilometers race victory in 1:1.31 seconds.
Joshua Cheptegei secured the second position in 1:02.09 seconds while Morocco’s Taibi Zouhair finished third clocking 1:02.18 seconds.
Kiplimo broke from the group at 15km and battled with Cheptegei and Zouhair up to 18km before he broke off, running to the finishing line.
Kiplimo, attributes the victory to the perfect prior preparations in Kapchorwa with his counterpart Cheptegei. It was the first debut for Kiplimo to race at the NYC marathon and winning it.
“I thank God for the position, in everything you have to give God glory, we have achieved our plan to return home when both of us are shining”. He said.
Cheptegei the 10,000 metre Olympic Champion says, although the weather was cold, he persisted to follow his country mate so as to secure the 2nd position.
Kiplimo holds the world half marathon record from Lisbon. The 22-year-old ran the race (20 at the time) in 57:31 two years ago. On February 18, he also won the 2023 Bathurst World Cross Country Championships to indicate his emergence as the king of off track running.
Earlier, Kenya’s Hellen Obiri joined Kiplimo in winning the open division titles while the United States’ Susannah Scaroni and the Netherlands’ Jetze Plat claimed the wheelchair division crowns.
Obiri, an Olympic and World Championships medalist, finished in 1:07:21, breaking the event record set by Senbere Teferi last year by 14 seconds. Teferi, a two-time Olympian from Ethiopia, was second in 1:07:55, followed by Karoline Bjerkell Grovdal of Norway in third in 1:09:53.
“I’m so grateful to have won this race,” Obiri said. “It’s my first half marathon in the U.S. It was very windy, so I tried to push myself, but after 15K I thought maybe I can make a move and I tried to go, and push the pace. I’m happy to have won this race today.”
Des Linden was the top American finisher in the women’s open division, finishing fifth in 1:12:21, followed by three-time event champion Molly Huddle, who was seventh in 1:12:27.
Ben True, the 2018 champion, was the top American finisher in the men’s open division, finishing fourth in 1:02:57.
In the women’s wheelchair division, Scaroni took her second event title in 55:47, the fifth-fastest time in race history. Scaroni, a two-time Paralympic medalist, has now won her last three consecutive NYRR races, including the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon and Mastercard New York Mini 10K. Switzerland’s Manuela Schär finished 11 seconds behind Scaroni in 55:56, followed by another Swiss racer, Catherine Debrunner, in 1:01:10.
“I like getting to give everything I have that day and I did that today, so it’s nice to be able to be here and that just makes me happy,” Scaroni said. “I don’t take racing for granted at all, especially now, as I’ve had to miss some races for miscellaneous things and so it’s always an honor and you’re always grateful you made it to the start.”
Plat won the men’s wheelchair division in 48:28, also the fifth fastest time in history, finishing 4:39 ahead of runner-up Daniel Romanchuk of the United States. It marked the largest margin of victory ever in the men’s wheelchair race. Romanchuk clocked in at 53:07 and American Evan Correll rounded out the podium in third in 58:19.
“I was really looking forward to start against Daniel Romanchuk; he’s such a legend in the sport, so I was preparing for a hard battle together,” Plat said. “I was able to drop him on an uphill and it was a hard push to the finish, so I’m super happy.”
In the general runner field, the NYPD defeated the FDNY to win the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup, a friendly competition between New York’s Finest and New York’s Bravest. Members of the two run clubs competed for the trophy with Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and Commissioner Keechant Sewell serving as honoring captains. The top five finishers from each run club were factored into the scoring.
Additionally, nearly 1,000 kids stopped traffic at the Times Square Kids Run, a 1,500-meter out-and-back course on Seventh Avenue for kids ages 8-18. Participants were part of Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s flagship free youth physical activity program that helps kids develop the ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life. The program serves over 112,000 students nationwide, including nearly 50,000 in New York City.
The United Airlines NYC Half is one of the world’s premier half marathons and this year featured nearly 25,000 runners. The race took runners on a 13.1-mile journey from Brooklyn to Manhattan, passing through Times Square to make it the only time other than New Year’s Eve the crossroads of the world is closed to traffic.
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.
1⃣ Jacob Kiplimo 1:01:31
2⃣ Chepetegei 1:02:09
3⃣ Zouhair Talbi 1:02:18
