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Ethiopian Tamirat Tola sets new course record at NYC Marathon
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 5, 2023
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Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Nov 5, 2023
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He’s the fastest man in New York.
Ethiopian runner Tamirat Tola broke the course record at the New York City Marathon on Sunday with a finishing time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 58 seconds.
Tola’s time was 8 seconds faster than the previous record time set by Kenyan runner Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.
The women’s race came down to the wire, with Hellen Obiri of Kenya, defending champion Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, and Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia neck and neck in the race’s final leg through Central Park.
Obiri gained a last second lead to win the race with a time of 2 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds.
Another course record was broken by the women’s wheelchair division winner Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland by a whole three minutes. Her final time was 1 hour, 39 minutes and 32 seconds.
And a different kind of record was also broken. Marcel Hug, also of Switzerland, won the men’s wheelchair division race at 1:25:29 and beat the record for the most New York City marathon wins, with five total.
An estimated 50,000 other runners participated in the marathon — and thousands of New Yorkers lined the route, ringing cowbells and cheering in support.
Runners dash up Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge in the early stage of the 2023 New York City Marathon.
Ramsey Khalifeh
In Bay Ridge — where the runners enter Brooklyn after crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge — Sanie Mui, 43, said the event has become an annual tradition for her family.
“We come here every year. It’s great. The kids love it, we love it,” said Mui, who was helping her cousin volunteer at the race. She’s a teacher at P.S. 10 in Brooklyn, and said her colleague was running the race.
Another Bay Ridge resident, Edward Civello, 63, said he’s been coming out to watch the races since they first started in 1970, though he admitted he missed a few here and there.
“[It’s] just amazing. It just shows what New York City is all about and what Brooklyn community is all about,” Civello said.
Streets across the city remained closed for the race into the afternoon on Sunday. The city Department of Transportation will reopen roads on a rolling basis, and has published a full list of the closure times on its website.
This story was updated with the correct difference between Tola and Mutai's time. Tola's finishing time was 8 second faster than Mutai's 2011 time, which set a course record that year.
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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