Central Park is a bouquet of ovations. A mix of color, noise and passion. Central Park in the New York Marathon is the outcome, the crossroads, the difference between winning and losing, or rather between winning and not winning. In this emblematic enclave, up to five women arrive together with 3 kilometers to go. After a tactical, exciting and close race, very different from other “majors”, where everything is defined much faster, Cheptoo, Obiri, Gidey, Lokedy and Kosgei ride in search of victory. Cheptoo shoots first but it doesn't open a gap and when there are 2 km left there are only three left, demanding as is the route and the distance. They are Obiri, Gidey and Lokedy. That's nothing, the Boston champion and multiple medalist in World Cups and Games (Obiri) and the half marathon and 10,000m record holder (Gidey). The two of them are one point superior and they are going to duel.
The Ethiopian Gidey touches her knee and makes a gesture of annoyance. She doesn't see it, Hellen Obiri, who opens up the gas, widens her stride and faces the climb, at this point on the infernal road, with unleashed strength.
The race now has an owner. Obiri wins, with 2h27m23s. Right behind comes Gidey and a little later the Kenyan Lokedy, winner in New York in 2022. This time she repeats the podium but cannot win.
The outcome of the men's race is then left, very different because it is defined in the last ten kilometers. It was then that, towards the Bronx neighborhood, the Ethiopian Tamirat Tola attacked his compatriot Jemel Yimer and left. Tola enters the final stretch very fresh and manages to take the circuit record, with a time of 2h4m58s, lowering the time of 2h5m6s, set by the Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011. Tola gives a performance and wins by a huge distance over the Kenyan Albert Korir, champion in the Big Apple in 2021, and who finishes in 2h6m57s. The podium is completed by the Ethiopian Shura Kitata, with 2h7m11s.
If in the women's event the emotion occurs in a wonderful ending, in the men's event it is considered to know if there is a track record or not. Tola, world marathon champion in 2022, achieves it. Nothing to do with the stratospheric times of Berlin or Chicago, but this is New York, with numerous bridges to climb that become exhausting and with that broken route in Central Park. The Big Apple has new heroes. Although in a marathon, in fact, they all are.
