New York City marathon: All the action from full-capacity race, including winners and costumes

The New York City Marathon returned to the streets of the Big Apple at full capacity for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Sunday.  

From the start in Staten Island, racers crossed the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn and passed through Queens. They then entered Manhattan, before looping briefly into the Bronx and then returning to Manhattan for the final stretch to the finish line in Central Park.

Competitors faced unseasonably warm weather in the five boroughs of New York with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the high 60s or low 70s, with forecasts predicting a peak in the mid-70s in the late morning, when most elite runners will be in the final stretch.

Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid-70s until mid-afternoon when the amateur runners will be out on the course.  

Amateur runners donned creative costumes as they raced through the streets of the Big Apple. One runner seemed to be channeling a bride in her race-day attire with white strips of material streaming behind her. She wore all-white Champion running gear, matching white gloves and sunglasses and had her ‘veil’ weaved into the spacebuns she had styled her hair in. 

The New York City Marathon returned at full capacity for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic

One runner appeared to be channeling a bride in her race-day attire with white strips of material streaming behind her 

She wore all-white Champion running gear, matching white gloves and sunglasses and had her ‘veil’ weaved into spacebuns 

Many runners went all out with their costumes. One runner dressed as the Statue of Liberty in a bejeweled dress and crown

Reigning champion Albert Korir (right) headlines the men’s race after he earned his first New York marathon crown last year

From the start in Staten Island, racers crossed the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge before passing through all five boroughs

Another female runner well and truly embraced the New York theme as she dressed as a version of the city’s iconic Statue of Liberty. She put her own twist on New York’s emblem as she wore a short dress in the statue’s famous oxidized green but added more sparkle to the look with sequins and jewels decorating the outfit. She also wore a version of the Statue of Liberty’s crown with a green tulle veil on the back. 

The wheelchair division got underway first and Marcel Hug of Switzerland not only defended his title but shattered the course record. 

He won the New York City Marathon men´s wheelchair race for the fifth time, shattering the course record Sunday and tying Kurt Fearnley for most-ever victories in the men’s wheelchair race.

Hug finished the 26.2-mile course that goes through all five boroughs of New York in 1 hour, 25 minutes and 26 seconds to break the previous mark of 1:29.22 set by Fearnley of Australia in 2006. Hug, who also won the race last year, earned $50,000 for besting the course record. He crossed the finish line more than 2 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Daniel Romanchuk of Illinois.

The 36-year-old Hug, nicknamed the ‘The Silver Bullet,’ has been on quite a streak, winning four gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics last year as well as the Tokyo, Berlin, London and Chicago Marathons in 2022.

Hug won on an unseasonably warm day – with the temperature expected to soar into the 70s and possibly challenge the record for the hottest race since the marathon moved to November in 1986. While that might not be good for the 50,000 runners, Hug said Thursday that warm conditions are ideal for wheelchair racers.

More to follow.  

Marcel Hug won the New York City Marathon men´s wheelchair race for the fifth time and defended his 2021 title Sunday 

The Swiss smashed the course record Sunday and tying Kurt Fearnley for most-ever victories in the men’s wheelchair race

The professional wheelchair division got the marathon underway with the women’s race first, followed shortly by the men’s