Hellen Obiri Wins the 2023 New York City Marathon

Published November 5, 2023 11:51AM

The women competing in the 2023 New York City Marathon on Sunday saved the real racing for the final four miles, setting up a thrilling sprint finish in Central Park. Hellen Obiri of Kenya had the edge this time, crossing the line in 2:27:23, just five seconds ahead of runner-up Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia.

It is Obiri’s second World Marathon Majors victory—she is also the 2023 Boston Marathon winner, becoming the first woman in 34 years (and the fifth ever) to take first place in both races in the same year. Kenyan Sharon Lokedi, who won New York in 2022, completed the podium in third place, in 2:27:33.

Race Day in New York City

The weather was ideal on Sunday—the kind that marathon runners dream of: slightly overcast and 50 degrees. Those stellar conditions, combined with a highly competitive field and the ever-present super shoes, set the field up for a record-breaking day. Many predicted the 20-year-old course record (2:21:31) would fall this year. But race strategy and tactics dominated the day, with a pack of 11 athletes largely sticking together through 20 miles.

It was Kellyn Taylor, 37, who was racing her first marathon since giving birth to her daughter, Keagan, 10 months ago, who led much of the effort through the five boroughs of the city. She jumped out front from the start, over the Verrazano Bridge, and gapped the field significantly several times. When the top three women started to break away in the final 10K, Taylor was unable to hang on to the leaders after mile 23. She finished eighth, the top American, in 2:29:48.

“It was a super weird race,” said Taylor, who is a member of Northern Arizona Elite, based in Flagstaff, Arizona. “New York traditionally starts off a little bit slow, and then it picks up the second half. This year it just seemed to kind of lag and I just found myself in front quite a bit…it seemed like we were just kind of playing a game.”

Obiri, 33, who trains with the On Athletics Club in Boulder, Colorado, under coach Dathan Ritzenhein, finished sixth in New York last year, which was her first attempt at the distance. She said that the biggest lesson she’s learned since then is practicing restraint—knowing that she shouldn’t make a move too early in the race. The strategy has worked well for her in 2023 and she hopes that her efforts are rewarded with a spot on the 2024 Olympic marathon team for Kenya.

“In New York we don’t [worry about] the time; it’s all about winning the race,” Obiri said. “I said, ‘let me be patient up until the last few miles.’ So when I went into Central Park, I said, ‘Can I make the move?’”

Gidey, 25, who is the half marathon and 10,000-meter world record holder (1:02:52 and 29:01:03, respectively), said she was focused on mastering the New York course. “I was thinking, let me just learn the New York course and then tackle the race again at the end,” she said.

Obiri takes home $100,000 for her victory, Gidey wins $60,000, and Lokedi earns $40,000.

Molly Huddle, 39, finished ninth (2:32:02) in her first marathon since giving birth to her daughter, Josephine, in April 2022.

Huddle and Taylor are planning to compete in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on February 3, in Orlando, Florida, in an attempt to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for next summer’s Paris Olympics.