NEW YORK (AP) — Abdi Nageeye and Sheila Chepkirui used powerful kicks in the final mile to pull away from their closest competitors and both won the New York City Marathon for the first time on Sunday.

Nageeye, who became the first Dutch rider to win the men’s race, followed 2022 champion Evans Chebet before using an acceleration to head into Central Park for the final time to come away with victory in 2 hours. , 7 minutes and 39 seconds. Chebet finished 6 seconds behind.

“At the end, I said to myself: am I dreaming? I won New York,” Nageeye said.

He had previously run the New York race three times, with his best finish coming in 2022, when he was third.

“I know the course,” Nageeye said. “Today it was two things: surviving this race and my race will be after 36 (kilometers; 22 miles). I was thinking like a cyclist, survive 36km and you’re going to win.

Chepkirui was racing in New York for the first time and pulled away from defending champion Hellen Obiri in the women’s race down the stretch.

“Let me push the last kilometer, let me do my best,” the Kenyan said. “When we had about 600 meters to go, I told myself I had to attack harder. When I saw that Hellen wasn’t coming, I knew I was going to win and I was so happy.

Chepkirui, who began running marathons in 2022, won in 2:24.35. Obiri finished almost 15 seconds late.

Obiri was looking to become the first back-to-back champion since Mary Keitany of Kenya won three in a row from 2014 to 2016. Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya finished third, giving the African nation the top three spots.

Tamirat Tola, the reigning men’s champion and Paris Olympic gold medalist, finished fourth, just behind Albert Korir.

“I had a good year,” Tola told The Associated Press through a translator. “I won the Olympics and then coming back to New York after that, you know it’s a tough journey. I know I spent a lot of energy. Around the 33 mile mark I felt my muscles tighten and my muscles just couldn’t take it.

Tola, who set the course record last year, was hoping to become the first back-to-back men’s champion since Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai won in 2011 and 2013. The 2012 race was canceled due to Storm Sandy.

The top Americans finished sixth in both races. Conner Mantz led the men’s race and Sara Vaughn led the women’s race. Vaughn was in the lead group heading into Mile 20 when they entered the Bronx before leaving the lead pack.

Vaughn was ready to run Chicago before COVID-19 prevented her from participating in that race. She was a late addition to this marathon.

The day started with a surprise in the men’s wheelchair race when three-time defending champion Marcel Hug was defeated by Daniel Romanchukwho also won in 2018 and 2019. Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair race. It was his second victory in New York, also winning the 2022 race and giving the Americans winners in both events – the first time that has happened.

The 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) course took runners through New York’s five boroughs, starting in Staten Island and ending in Central Park. This is the 48th year the race has been held in all five boroughs. Before that, the course was held entirely in Central Park when it began in 1970. The first race had only 55 participants while more than 50,000 competed this year.

Hours after the top runners arrived, it was announced that the Sydney Marathon would become the seventh major marathon in the world, after Berlin, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, London and New York.

The weather was perfect for running with temperatures in the 40s at the start of the race. Last year it was 61 degrees at the start of the race.

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