Shalane Flanagan ended a four-decade drought for American women in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, dethroning one of the giants of the sport in the process.
Flanagan’s unofficial time was 2 hours 26 minutes 53 seconds, fast enough to beat the three-time defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya and become the first American woman to win since Miki Gorman in 1977.
Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya, a two-time world champion in the half-marathon, won the men’s race. His time was 2:10:53. Wilson Kipsang of Kenya finished second in 2:10:56, and Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia was third in 2:11:32.
The footsteps behind Shalane Flanagan quietly dropped off and she could see nothing but history in front of her. It had been 40 years since an American woman won the New York City Marathon. Flanagan, at age 36, was running fast and free.
Behind her, but fading fast, Mary Keitany was chasing history, too: The 35-year-old Kenyan had won this race three times in a row. She was attempting to join Grete Waitz as the only women to compile a winning streak of at least four.
But Flanagan, motivated and exhilarated, proved untouchable even for Keitany. With tears in her eyes, pointing and shouting (with maybe a few colorful words thrown in), Flanagan won the race with a time of 2 hours 26 minutes 53 seconds.
Keitany, who finished second with a time of 2:27:54, hugged Flanagan, who had the American flag already draped over her shoulders. Mamitu Daska, of Ethiopia, competing in the New York City Marathon for the first time, finished third with a time of 2:28:08.
Keitany was seeking to cap a career year, in which she won the London Marathon with a blistering time of 2:17:01, a women’s-only record. She had blown away the field here a year ago, winning by a margin (3 minutes 34 seconds) not seen in the women’s race since 1980.
It was clear almost from the start, though, that Sunday’s race was not going to follow the same trajectory. A pack of nine competitors consistently jockeyed with Keitany for the lead, including three runners making their New York debut: Kenya’s Betsy Saina; Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska; and Sara Dossena, an Italian triathlete.