The 2024 TCS New York City Marathon is set to feature a stellar lineup of world-class athletes, headlined by defending champions Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia and Hellen Obiri of Kenya.
The World Athletics Platinum Label road race, scheduled for November 3, promises to be a showcase of top-tier marathon talent from around the globe.
Tamirat Tola returns to New York with high expectations after a record-breaking year. The Ethiopian star, who set a course record of 2:04:58 in New York last year, went on to win the Olympic marathon in Paris with a Games record time of 2:06:26. Remarkably, Tola was a last-minute addition to the Ethiopian Olympic team, only being drafted in two weeks before the Games.
Reflecting on his journey, Tola expressed his excitement about defending his title: “The hilly course and crowds in Paris definitely prepared me well for the bridges and spectators in New York, where maybe I can go even faster this year.”
Tola will face stiff competition from a field that includes two-time Olympic medallist Bashir Abdi of Belgium, who earned silver at the recent Olympics and has a strong marathon pedigree, with bronze medals from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2022 World Championships.
Additionally, the race will see three former New York City Marathon champions from Kenya: Evans Chebet, who won in 2022, Albert Korir, the 2021 champion, and Geoffrey Kamworor, who claimed victory in 2017 and 2019.
Chebet is a two-time Boston Marathon winner and has an impressive record of finishing first or second in 13 marathons.
Kamworor, a consistent performer in New York, has made it onto the podium in all four of his previous appearances at the event.
Also making his New York City Marathon debut is Kenyan Abel Kipchumba, who won this year’s NYC Half Marathon. The American challenge will be led by Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who finished eighth and ninth respectively in the Paris Olympic marathon.
In the Women’s Open Division, Hellen Obiri returns to defend her title after a historic 2023. The Kenyan superstar became the first woman in 34 years to win both the Boston and New York Marathons in the same calendar year.
This year, she has already retained her Boston title and secured a bronze medal in the Olympic marathon. “There’s no place like New York, and I am so ready to defend my title,” Obiri said, confident in her chances after a strong season of road racing in the U.S.
Obiri will be joined by fellow Kenyan Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 NYC Marathon winner, who returns after finishing third last year and fourth in the Olympic marathon.
The Kenyan contingent also includes 2010 champion Edna Kiplagat, four-time Olympic medallist Vivian Cheruiyot, and Sheila Chepkirui, who boasts the fastest personal best in the field.
Adding to the excitement, Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, one of the most accomplished long-distance runners in history with three Olympic and 16 world titles, will make her New York City Marathon debut. She will be joined by compatriot Senbere Teferi.
The U.S. women’s team will be led by Dakotah Lindwurm, the top American finisher in the marathon at the Paris Olympics.
With such a formidable lineup of elite runners, the 2024 New York City Marathon is poised to be one of the most competitive and thrilling races of the year, as world champions and Olympic medallists battle it out on the streets of the Big Apple.
