Sheila Chepkirui Holds Off Hellen Obiri as Jessica McClain Claims New York Marathon Podium

Sheila Chepkirui won the New York City Marathon with a measured late surge, and Jessica McClain turned a hard final climb into a milestone: second place, just one second ahead of defending champion Hellen Obiri. Chepkirui crossed in 2:24:36, six seconds clear of McClain and seven ahead of Obiri. The result reversed last year’s script, when Obiri used a decisive final-mile sprint to defeat Chepkirui and Sharon Lokedi.

For Obiri, the closing stretch offered a familiar chance to take control. She stayed on Chepkirui’s shoulder through Central Park South, as she had done before her course-record 2:19:51 victory the previous year and her 2023 win. This time, Chepkirui kept her form and pace as the line approached. Obiri said she tried everything to press on in the last mile, but Chepkirui was too strong.

Chepkirui, who also won in New York in 2024, said patience mattered as much as force. She knew Obiri’s finishing ability and kept pushing toward the line rather than letting the defending champion dictate the final move. Her 2:24:36 was one second slower than her winning time in 2024, but it was enough to reclaim the title after last year’s defeat.

A patient race turns into a five-runner contest

The women started 30 minutes before the men, and the early pace left room for the field to stay together. The opening 5K took 18:23, a modest 2:35 pace. The tempo rose across the next sections, but 11 runners still shared the lead at halfway in 1:13:52. The group included six Americans and five Kenyans, mixing proven marathon performers with a debutant over the full distance.

Among the Kenyans were Violah Lagat, Mercy Chelangat and Edna Kiplagat, a two-time world champion who had won in New York in 2010. The American contingent included McClain, Carrie Ellwood, Anne Frisbie, Amanda Vestri, Lauren Hagans and Weini Kelati. Kelati drew particular attention after setting the American half-marathon record; New York was her first marathon.

The pack narrowed between miles 18 and 22, falling from eight runners to five. By then, Kelati and Ellwood had dropped away, leaving Chepkirui, Obiri, McClain, Chelangat and Kiplagat to contest the lead. That patient opening had become a test of positioning and late strength, with little separating the front runners until the decisive moves began.

Chepkirui made the first clear push in mile 23. Obiri matched the acceleration, while McClain and Chelangat worked to stay within reach. Kiplagat began to lose contact. As the two leaders stretched their advantage, Chelangat briefly moved ahead of McClain, but McClain recovered third place by mile 24 and began closing on the pair ahead.

McClain’s late climb changes the podium

McClain’s final pass made the closing seconds as consequential as the move for the win. She accelerated up the last climb and edged past Obiri only steps from the line, finishing in 2:24:42 to Obiri’s 2:24:43. The American had been 8th in her New York debut in 2024; this time she became the first American woman on the city’s marathon podium in eight years. Shalane Flanagan was the last, placing third in 2018 after winning in 2017.

McClain said she didn’t feel at her best, and described reaching those final 400 meters as a journey. Her approach was to take the course mile by mile, focus on the hills late in the race and run the tangents well. She credited the hill work she had done during the year with helping her through the final miles. The result suggests those choices paid off when the race became a direct contest of resilience rather than a long, controlled pack effort.

The finish also caps a steady return to top-level competition. A former Stanford standout who competed as Jessica Tonn, McClain returned to serious running when she set herself the goal of running a marathon for her 30th birthday. She said that experience revealed that her competitive drive was still there. Since resuming world-class racing in 2024, she has placed 7th in Boston and 8th at last year’s World Championships, then finished 5th in Boston this past April in an all-conditions best of 2:20:49.

“I found my way back into this world in the marathon,” McClain said, adding that she was proud to have put herself back into competition. New York gives that return a sharper marker: a near miss for the win, but a place ahead of one of the event’s strongest closers.

New York City Marathon women’s results

1. Sheila Chepkirui (Ken) 2:24:36; 2. Jessica McClain (US) 2:24:42; 3. Hellen Obiri (Ken) 2:24:43; 4. Edna Kiplagat (Ken) 2:25:42; 5. Mercy Chelangat (Ken) 2:25:46; 6. Carrie Ellwood (US) 2:26:28; 7. Weini Kelati (US) 2:26:51; 8. Paige Wood (US) 2:27:29; 9. Violah Lagat (Ken) 2:28:34; 10. Fabienne Königstein (Ger) 2:28:49.

11. Giovanna Epis (Ita) 2:28:55; 12. Julia Paternain (Uru) 2:29:09; 13. Lauren Hagans (US) 2:29:42; 14. Micaela Rivera Wood (Per) 2:29:52; 15. Anne Frisbie (US) 2:30:04; 16. Amanda Vestri (US) 2:30:16; 17. Philippa Bowden (GB) 2:30:45; 18. Lily Murphy (US) 2:31:18; 19. Rie Kawauchi (Jpn) 2:31:29; 20. Monica Hebner (US) 2:33:21.

Chepkirui reclaimed the title by meeting Obiri’s challenge head-on; McClain made the podium by saving her best response for the final climb. Their narrow margins turned a patient race into a finish decided by seconds.