NEW YORK — Defending New York City Marathon champions Tamirat Tola and Hellen Obiri are looking to be the first repeat winners in nearly a decade.

“It wasn’t easy to reach New York; I know that all the athletes who come here are confident,” said Tola, who set the course record last year. “I also compete to win, so I know I’m up for the challenge.”

If Tola wins on Sunday, the 33-year-old Ethiopian will be the first man to repeat his championship title in New York since Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won in 2011 and 2013. The 2012 race was canceled due to Superstorm Sandy .

Tola has even more history on the line: He’s looking to join select company by becoming only the second runner to win both an Olympic gold medal and the New York City Marathon in the same year, matching the feat accomplished by Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya in 2021.

Jepchirchir is the first runner to win the Olympic, New York and Boston marathons during his career.

Tola is coming off a victory at the Paris Games, where he set an Olympic record in the marathon. He said the Paris and New York courses were similar because of the hills.

To defend his title on his favorite course, he will have to beat an all-star field including past winners Geoffrey Kamworor (2017, 2019), Albert Korir (2021) and Evans Chebet (2022), all from Kenya.

Bashir Abdi of Belgium won the silver medal in Paris and is also in the race. Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who finished eighth and ninth in Paris, are the top Americans.

Obiri, a 34-year-old Kenyan who won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, is trying to become the first woman to win consecutive races since Mary Keitany of Kenya won three in a row from 2014 to 2016.

“Winning back-to-back is what I’m looking forward to,” Obiri said.

She will have to beat her own loaded peloton to accomplish this feat. Other past champions in Sunday’s race among the women include Sharon Lokedi (2022) and Edna Kiplagat (2010), both of Kenya. American stars Dakotah Popehn and Jenny Simpson are also in the running.

“I still call this my encore tour,” said Popehn, who got married last weekend. “When I’m having fun, I’m the best anyway. My goals are to be the best American and retain that title at the Olympics. I think I can be in the top five overall.

Swiss stars Marcel Hug and Manuela Schär, who have won nine New York marathons, headline the wheelchair events. Hug has won every race he has entered this year, including the Paris Paralympics.

The New York City Marathon has been held since 1970, and more than 50,000 runners completed the race last year. The race is organized by the non-profit New York Road Runners. Runners can participate in the marathon in a variety of ways, including completing a qualifying time, entering a lottery, or donating to charity.

For the first time, the organization added a “Climate Team” which allowed runners to donate $3,000 in carbon credits to be able to participate in the race. Although it has been hot all week in New York, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), race day is expected to see it cool down into the 50s.

In an effort to improve the runners’ experience after the 26.2-mile race, the New York Road Runners worked with the city and arts organizations to offer deals on select museum admissions and tickets to live performances. Broadway.