2021 New York City Marathon

After the 2020 New York City Marathon was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,^[1] the 2021 race was confirmed in June 2021 by Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo.^[2] It was held on its traditional date of the first Sunday in November.^[2] It was the last of the five World Marathon Majors held in 2021; all of the events in the series were run in the space of six weeks between late September and early November.^[3][a] The 2021 New York City Marathon was sponsored by Indian company Tata Consultancy Services.^[5] The elite races had prize money of $100,000, $60,000 and $40,000 for the top three finishers, plus $25,000 for the highest finishing American competitor in each race.^[6][7] The total prize fund was $534,000 for each elite race.^[8] The wheelchair races awarded prize money of $25,000, $20,000 and $15,000 for the top three finishers in each event,^[9] and a total prize fund of $155,000.^[8]

Given the ongoing pandemic, the number of runners was limited to 33,000,^[2] and competitors were required to either prove that they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or to have had a recent negative COVID-19 test.^[10] Competitors were required to wear face coverings when not racing,^[11] and started in five different timeslots, to minimize crowding on the course.^[12]

Course

The marathon distance is 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) long as sanctioned by World Athletics.^[13] The New York City Marathon starts at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island.^[14] The runners cross the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge into mostly-flat Brooklyn where for the next 12 miles (19.3 km) they pass through Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Williamsburg.^[15] The course then enters Queens by crossing over the Pulaski Bridge; the mid-point of the race is on that bridge.^[15]

After a short time in Queens, the race crosses the Queensboro Bridge at mile 14 (22.5 km),^[16] and enters Manhattan^[15] where competitors run north on First Avenue for 3 miles (4.8 km).^[15][17] The runners cross the Willis Avenue Bridge, where they enter The Bronx^[18] for 2 miles (3.2 km) from mile 19 (30.6 km).^[16] The course then re-enters Manhattan via the Madison Avenue Bridge^[18] for the final 6.2 miles (10.0 km).^[15] After running through Harlem, there is a slight uphill section along Fifth Avenue before it flattens out and runs parallel to Central Park. The course then enters the park around mile 24, passes Columbus Circle at mile 25 and re-enters the park for the finish.^[15][17]

The elite women's race featured Peres Jepchirchir, who won the marathon event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics,^[19] and had the fastest personal best time of all competitors in the field.^[20] It was Jepchirchir's first New York City Marathon,^[21][22] and another debutant was Molly Seidel, who came third in the Olympic marathon.^[23] The race also included Ababel Yeshaneh and Nancy Kiprop, who came second and fourth respectively at the 2019 Chicago Marathon,^[21] 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden, and Americans Sally Kipyego, Aliphine Tuliamuk and Emily Sisson.^[19] 2019 winner Joyciline Jepkosgei chose to run the 2021 London Marathon instead of the New York Marathon.^[24]

The elite men's race featured Kenenisa Bekele, his first appearance at the event. Bekele had not competed in a race in New York since 2006, but was convinced by New York Road Runners to attend.^[25][26] Albert Korir and Girma Bekele Gebre, who came second and third respectively at the 2019 event, returned for the 2021 event.^[27] Other competitors included Abdi Nageeye, who came second in the Olympic marathon event, Kibiwott Kandie, the world record holder in the half marathon in his first marathon race,^[25] 2016 winner Ghirmay Ghebreslassie,^[21] as well as Noah Droddy, Callum Hawkins and Jared Ward, all of whom had a personal best of under 2:10:00. Canadian Ben Preisner, whose personal best was just outside 2:10:00, also raced; it was his first World Marathon Major.^[25]

The women's wheelchair race featured Manuela Schär, who had won the last three New York City Marathons, and set the course record in 2019.^[28] Also competing were five-time winner Tatyana McFadden,^[19] who last won the event in 2016,^[23] as well as twice former champion Amanda McGrory,^[19] Madison de Rozario,^[29] who won the marathon event at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics,^[30] Nikita den Boer, who won the 2020 London Marathon,^[28] and Susannah Scaroni,^[19] who recorded the fastest time at the virtual 2020 New York City Marathon.^[31]

The men's wheelchair race featured 2018 and 2019 winner Daniel Romanchuk, as well as three time former champion Marcel Hug.^[28] Other competitors included Aaron Pike, who came fourth in the 2018^[32] and 2019 races, Ernst van Dyk, who had won the Boston Marathon on 10 occasions, and David Weir, who was an eight-time winner of the London Marathon.^[28]

The wheelchair races started at 08:00 EST (13:00 UTC), the handcycle event commenced at 08:22 EST, the elite women's race began at 08:40 EST and the elite men's competition commenced at 09:05 EST.^[33] The race conditions were sunny with a cool temperature,^[34] and light wind,^[7] which helped enable fast races.^[7] The temperature was officially recorded as 44 °F (7 °C) at the race start and 52 °F (11 °C) at the finish line.^[35]

The elite women's race was won by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, ahead of fellow Kenyan Viola Cheptoo and Ethiopian Ababel Yeshaneh.^[7] It was the first time that any woman had won the Olympic and New York City Marathons in the same year.^[36] Jepchirchir took control of the race after 18 miles (29 km), but Jepchirchir, Cheptoo and Yeshaneh were still together as the race headed into Central Park.^[7] Jepchirchir finished in the third fastest time in history; she was nine seconds slower than the course record. Cheptoo and Yeshaneh's times were the fourth and sixth fastest times in history respectively.^[7] Molly Seidel finished fourth overall; her time of 2:24:42 was the fastest ever by an American woman at the New York City Marathon,^[7] beating Kara Goucher's time in the 2008 race by over a minute.^[37] Shalane Flanagan finished her sixth World Marathon Major of the year (including the virtual Tokyo Marathon),^[37] each one in a time of under three hours.^[36]

The elite men's event was won by Kenyan Albert Korir, ahead of Moroccan Mohamed El Araby and Italian Eyob Faniel.^[6] It was Korir's first victory at a World Marathon Major.^[38] El Araby and Faniel took the lead early in the race, and at the halfway point, they were 51 seconds ahead of a chasing group containing Korir. 18 miles (29 km) into the race, the pair were caught by Korir and Kibiwott Kandie, and Korir took the lead 2 miles (3.2 km) later.^[6] American Elkanah Kibet finished fourth overall, and won $25,000 for being the highest finishing American competitor.^[6]

The wheelchair women's event was won by Australian Madison de Rozario, the first time that the event had been won by an Australian.^[9] It was also the first time that a woman had won the Paralympic and New York City marathons in the same year.^[39] De Rozario, Manuela Schär and Tatyana McFadden traded the lead early on.^[9] Schär was dropped from the leading group after 30 kilometres (19 mi),^[37] and de Rozario took the race lead on the Queensboro Bridge.^[9] McFadden and Schär finished the race in second and third respectively.^[9]

The wheelchair men's event was won by Switzerland's Marcel Hug; it was his fourth New York City Marathon victory,^[36][9] and his fourth World Marathon Major victory of 2021.^[36] Hug led the race throughout; after 20 kilometres (12 mi), he had a lead of three minutes over Briton David Weir,^[9] and was on track to beat the course record.^[37] Hug eventually won by over 6 minutes, ahead of Weir and Daniel Romanchuk, who finished second and third respectively.^[9] Hug's finishing time was slower than the course record, as he lost time on hilly sections in the latter half of the race.^[37]

Non-elite race

The mass participation event commenced in five waves between 09:10 and 12:00 EST.^[33] Around 30,000 people competed in the mass participation event,^[38] of whom 25,020 finished.^[40] The first 8 miles (13 km) of the mass participation event were run on three different courses to prevent overcrowding.^[8]

Celebrity sportspeople who participated included former international women's soccer players Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday, Kate Markgraf and Leslie Osborne, as well as former American footballer Tiki Barber.^[41] Other celebrity competitors included Catfish: The TV Show presenter Nev Schulman, musician Marcus Mumford, ultramarathon runner Robin Arzon, television presenter Willie Geist, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former US president Bill Clinton, supermodel Christy Turlington, and reality TV stars Tayshia Adams, Peter Weber and Matt James.^[42] Actress Kelli O'Hara competed and also sang the national anthem before the event.^[41]