Hellen Obiri will be leading a nine-man contingent at the New York Marathon 2024, on Sunday, November 3, with eyes on the final marathon of the year.
The nine Kenyans will form part of a star-started line-up seeking to bag Ksh12.9 million for race winners at the highly rated race.
Obiri and Sharon Lokedi, Peres Jepchirchir, Edna Kiplagat, Vivian Cheruiyot, Evans Chebet, Geoffrey Kamworor, Abel Kipchumba, and Albert Korir will be joining others on the track that will see winners receive $100,000 (Ksh13 million) in prize money, second fiddles will bag $60,000 (Ksh7 million), and third-placed athletes will receive $40,000 (Ksh5 million).
Defending champion Hellen Obiri has expressed confidence in defending her title. In 2023, she won the New York Marathon race in two hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds. This followed her win in the 2023 Boston Marathon.
"With the marathon, you cannot predict, but as for me, I am looking forward to running a beautiful race and an amazing race and to enjoy the race," Hellen Obiri revealed in a recent interview with New York Marathon on Friday.
The athletes who will finish fourth, fifth, and sixth will bag $25,000 (ksh 3 million, $15,000(ksh 1.9 million) and $10,000 (1.2 million) respectively.
The runners who will cross the finish line seventh, eighth, and ninth will be awarded $7,500 (Ksh967,500), $5,000 (Ksh 645,000), and $2,500 (Ksh322,500) with the 10th-place finishers bagging $2,000 (Ksh258,000).
In her two New York City Marathons, Obiri has taken home $110,000 (Ksh14 million). Sharon Lokedi who has lost to Obiri by mere seconds this year twice is also looking to win the price this year.
In 2023 the 34-year-old achieved the incredible feat of winning both the Boston and New York City Marathons in the same calendar year; making her the first woman in 34 years to do so.
Hellen Obiri also won two Boston Marathon titles. She received a total prize money of $300,000 (Ksh38.6 million), per the Boston Athletics Association. The 2024 New York Marathon is expected to be a feisty race, but Obiri is confident in clinching the win.
"After Paris, I took some weeks off before I started running, so it is only to see how my body and recovery will be," she revealed while speaking to journalists about her preparation.
Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba is also expected to be in the race bringing in tough competition this being her debut in the race.
Dibaba, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 5000m and 10,000m, is expected to bring her formidable long distance-running skills to the New York course.
Great Britain’s Lily Partridge, with a marathon personal best of 2:25:12, will also be in the mix, adding further intensity to the race.
The race will start at at 8 a.m. Eastern (4 p.m.) Kenyan time, with runners of all ages, abilities, and skill levels from all over the globe lacing up.
