Blue Skies Bring Out Crowds to Cheer NYC Marathon Runners

by Gabriele Holtermann, amNY

Clear blue skies and temperatures with a high of 59 degrees provided the perfect conditions for the more than 55,000 runners participating in the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday.

The iconic race, now in its 55th year, began on Staten Island, where runners from more than 150 countries crossed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, before winding through Queens into the Bronx, and finally racing down Manhattan’s 5th Avenue to the finish line in Central Park.

The 26.2-mile race kicked off with the Men’s and Women’s Professional Wheelchair Division at 8 a.m. and 8:02 a.m., respectively, followed by the handcycle category and select athletes with disabilities at 8:22 a.m.

Swiss Paralympic athlete Marcel Hug dominated the men’s wheelchair race, finishing in 1 hour, 30 minutes, and 16 seconds -earning a record-setting seventh TCS New York Marathon championship. In the women’s wheelchair division, U.S. athlete Susannah Scaroni finished the course in 1 hour, 42 minutes, and 10 seconds, capturing her third TSC win and second in a row.

Before the five waves of amateur distance runners hit the pavement, the elite men and women competed for first place -and $100,000 in prize money.

Hellen Obiri of Kenya crossed the finish line in a record 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 51 seconds, just 16 seconds faster than the runner-up Sharon Lokedi, also from Kenya.

In the men’s division, Obiri’s and Lokedi’s fellow countryman, Benson Kipruto, beat Alexander Mutiso, also from Kenya, by less than a second, finishing the race in 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 9 seconds.

Thousands of enthusiastic spectators lined the marathon route across the five boroughs, cheering on the runners in pursuit of bragging rights.

Ana Iza Sandoval from Westchester was cheering on her brother Francisco, who began running during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Everyone was having a hard time with life, and he started running, and he stuck to it, and he loves it. Now, it’s his life,” Sandoval said.

The 2025 New York City Marathon was a first for the siblings.

“It is my first time attending the New York City Marathon. I’m so excited,” Sandoval said. “I can’t wait to meet [Franisco] in another mile down the line. It’s a very energizing and lovely, lovely atmosphere.”

New York City resident Chris Mutterer’s sign told amNewYork Metro that he has run the NYC Marathon three times, and the only reason he was skipping this year’s endurance contest was that he had run the Javelina Jundred 100-mile race in Arizona the previous weekend, which he finished in 21 hours. Instead, he cheered on his friends as they ran the marathon from the sidelines.

“I got inspired, probably around 2020, and I went from the marathon to running some longer distances, and I went from 50 miles to 100 miles,” Mutterer said.

New Jerseyite Kelly Dunlop’s brother, Jack, was part of the “Keep A Child Alive” running team. Dunlop told amNewYork Metro that her brother was not a runner, but was committed to the race.

“We’re so excited to see him accomplish a really big goal and a really big dream of his,” said Dunlop, who had never been to the NYC Marathon.

“This is actually my first time, too, at the New York City Marathon,” Dunlop said. “This is really an experience, and it’s amazing. It’s crazy seeing how everybody can come together, even though we’re in a world of struggle, and all just cheer for the same thing. I absolutely love it.”

The Doherty family from Westchester told amNewYork that they loved the enthusiasm and energy of the marathon crowd while they were waiting for their daughter and sister, Mary, who ran the Marine Corps Marathon last year, to pass by.

“[Mary] just loves the thrill of [running a marathon], the challenge of it. She’s always trying to beat her pace from her previous run. So she loves it,” said Christine Doherty, Mary’s mom. “I have to give my husband credit. He ran the marathon 25 years ago. I was just pregnant with Mary, and now she’s running it.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in amNY. Click here to see the original story.

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