Competitors include defending champions Abdi Nageye and Sheila Chepkiru plus Sifan Hassan, Eliud Kipchoge, Helen Obari and Britain’s Jess Warner-Judd and Patrick Dane.
Just months after racing in the Sydney Marathon, Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge will make their Big Apple debut when they compete in the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday (November 2).
In the women’s race, Hassan will face Kenya’s Helen Obiri, Sheila Chepkirui and Sharon Lockedi, while the men’s race includes defending champion Abdi Nageye of the Netherlands along with Evans Chebet and Kenya’s Albert Korir.
There is also interest from the UK this year, with Jess Warner-Judd and Patrick Dever making their marathon debuts. Elish McColgan is absent, however, due to a build-up caused by illness, while Charles Hicks, another marathon debutant, has switched allegiance from Britain to the United States.
Dever ran 27:08.81 in the 10,000m and is a former NCAA champion at that distance. Historically, he has also been closely matched with Emile Cairess in track and cross-country, which bodes well for the Preston Harrier given how well Cairess has run over 26.2 miles, including fourth place at the Paris Olympics.
Warner-Judd is coming back from some troubling epileptic episodes and has shown excellent form over the years, from the 800m to the half marathon, with a PB of 67:06 in the latter. You can find more about his build and race hopes here here.
British viewers will be able to watch the final event of the 2025 World Marathon Majors via TNT Sports.
Hasan won the Olympic title last year and has also won the London, Chicago and Sydney marathons so far in his road career. In New York, he will face Olympic bronze medalist Obiri, who also won the New York event in 2023, plus 2022 New York winner Lockede and defending champion Chepkirui.
Hasan ran 2:18:22 in Sydney and had just 62 days to recover and recover in New York.
US record holder Emily Sisson, 2:18:23, is holding out hope. Also look out for 2021 Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel, who says she will move to ultra running after that, plus Sarah Hall, Susanna Sullivan and Fiona O’Keefe, among others, creating a strong American presence.
Having turned 41 on November 5 and finishing ninth in Sydney in 2:08:31 a few months ago, Kipchoge is now in the twilight of his career. She is joined by another veteran superstar, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, a former 5,000m and 10,000m world record holder who joined the field relatively late at 43.
READ MORE. Coverage of the 2024 New York City Marathon
Nagei is the man to beat, however, as he clocked 2:07:39 to win in New York in 2024, while he won Olympic silver behind Kipchoge in 2021. Chebet and Korir also know how to win this race, having won here in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
Also competing are Benson Kipruto, who was third at Paris 2024, plus last year’s London Marathon champion Alexander Mutizo.
READ MORE. Kipchoge vs. Bekele in the marathon
As for American hopes, Abbabia Simbasa, an Ethiopian-born athlete making her third marathon appearance, has a personal best of 2:06:53, while Hicks, Hilary Bohr and Joe Klecker are making their debuts.
Reigning wheelchair champions Danielle Romanchuk and Susanna Scaroni defend their titles this weekend.
