2025 New York City Marathon Preview

It’s expensive. It’s hard. It’s littered with potholes and sharp turns. The hills are relentless. Getting there is hard. Getting home is harder. And STILL everyone wants to run it. Maybe it’s for the crowds. Maybe it’s for the sheer diversity. Maybe it’s because it is truly one of the best days in the best city in the world. In a city so often worked up about traffic and prices and noise and politics and drama, Marathon Day is all about unity and joy. 

This year’s race is shaping up to be another doozy. The New York Road Runners have again gathered an extraordinary collection of elite athletes for the men’s and women’s races, replete with past winners, Olympians and promising debutantes. Let’s get to it.

The Men’s Race:

Abdi Negeye of the Netherlands comes back as the returning champ. He had already been top five at NYC three times before clinching his first Abbott World Marathon Majors victory last year. Clearly he knows the course and will be ready to run with confidence after besting last year’s field. 

He’ll be up against other NYC stalwarts such as Albert Korir, who won the race in 2021. 

Kenyan Alexander Mutiso won the London Marathon this past April and may be the man to beat, if he can navigate a more challenging course.

He’ll have his hands full not only with past winners, but with Benson Kipruto, who has a stunning 2:02 personal best from last year’s Tokyo Marathon. 

Another Kenyan who will be vying for the win is Abel Kipchumba, who has run a 57:59 half marathon and won the NYC Half Marathon twice. 

The Kenyans will be challenged by Ethiopian star Deresa Galeta, who also owns a 2:02 PR and will be in the mix for the win. 

Many of us will also be watching Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania, who won the World Championships Marathon in Tokyo in September in a photo finish. Is he recovered enough to compete for the win in New York? 

Expect everyone listed above, including Norwegian Sondre Moen and French star Felix Bour, to be together until at least 30K.

The biggest question mark of the entire day pertains to the one and only Eliud Kipchoge, who will make his NYC debut at this year’s race. The man has done everything there is to be done on the track and the roads, including running under 2 hours for the marathon. He has won every marathon there is to win, from Chicago to London to the Olympics. He is the face of Nike and the quintessential ambassador of running. His last few performances, however, have been decidedly un-Kipchoge-like. He finished ninth at the Sydney Marathon in August, running a very mortal 2:08. Was he keeping his powder dry for New York or is this the new Eliud? I guess we’ll find out very soon. 

The second biggest question mark has to do with late-entry Kenenisa Bekele, the forty-three year-old Ethiopian legend. He and Kipchoge have gone head-to-head in six marathons, dating back to 2014. Bekele has held multiple world records, essentially owning the 5K and 10K for a decade. He has Olympic medals and is perhaps the greatest cross-country runner of all time. He owns a marathon PR of 2:01:39(!) His last matchup with Kipchoge, at the Paris Olympics last summer, was a bust, with neither having a good day. Will they both be on their “A” game in New York? Could we possibly see one final showdown with both of these lions in contention near the end of the race? It is unlikely but we shall see. 

As always, there are a number of exciting debuts that will unfold on the streets of NYC on November 2. Joe Klecker, the much heralded track star, will be running his first marathon, as will Hillary Bor. Both Americans come in with solid resumes as past Olympians and national champions. 

Klecker’s longheld relationship with the 10K likely sets him up for a positive transition to the marathon, as does Bor’s success in the steeplechase. If either one of them runs in the range of 2:12 on the NYC streets and finishes in the top ten, I think their confidence would only grow. 

Another American to look out for will be Alex Maier of Puma, who won the Half Marathon champs in Atlanta earlier this year (also on a hilly course incidentally). He ran 2:08 in Dusseldorf and could catch some of the east Africans late, depending on how he plays his cards. 

The one American that seems poised to mix it up with the international runners is Biya Simbassa, who ran an impressive 2:06 in Valencia and is coached by Ian Carter. He will likely be in the lead pack as long as possible. 

Joel Reichow, Colin Bennie and Reed Fisher (who just finished 28th at the World Championships in Tokyo in 2:15), all seem due for a big breakthrough. I would love for one of them to surprise us with a big performance. Will it happen?

Weather depending, I expect a fast race dominated by the east Africans. The days of patience seem to have gone. Is Tamirat Tola’s 2023 course record of 2:04:58 in jeopardy? Probably not, but it’s not out of the question.

My picks:

Kipchumba (2:05:40)

Kipruto (2:06:01)

Negeye (2:06:56)

Americans:

Bor (2:09:09)

Bennie (2:09:16)

Reichow (2:09:48)

The Women’s Race:

The women’s elite field also hosts a veritable parade of past winners, Olympians and superstars. The headliner is Siffan Hassan of the Netherlands, who comes off of a win at the Sidney Marathon just a few weeks ago. She’s won in London and has multiple Olympic medals to her name, including gold in the marathon at the Paris Olympics last year. 

A trio of superstar Kenyans will be challenging her to be sure. Sharon Lokedi, Sheila Chepkirui and Helen Obiri all come in with stunning resumes. Chepkirui won last year. Obiri won the year before and was second last year. Lokedi won in 2022 and won in Boston this past April. 

Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia could ruin the Kenyan party if she has a good day as could Eilish McColgan of Great Britain or Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal of Norway, a past winner of the NYC Half. This international group is so compelling and so hard to predict. I expect many of them to be together since on Fifth Avenue, late in the race, particularly the past champions. Obiri and Hassan both have stunning late kicks, which could make for incredible drama in Central Park.

In terms of the Americans, there are a number of really interesting plot lines. Fiona O’Keefe, who ran away with the Olympic Trials in Orlando last year, returns to the marathon after battling injury. That day, the Puma athlete bested a field that hosted a litany of tough, accomplished runners: Hall, Sisson, D’Amato, Rogers, Saina… Will she run with American record-holder Emily Sisson? Will the two of them go with the east Africans from the gun? Perhaps. If not, both would be in a position to run down those who fade late. 

Molly Seidel also returns to NYC after a prolonged absence. The Olympic bronze medalist from Tokyo, Seidel has battled injury and personal challenges for a number of months. What will her form look like in New York? Is she back? Is she better? She’ll have lots of supporters out there for sure, as will the likes of school teacher Susanna Sullivan and thirty-nine year-old Sara Vaughn. An American debut to pay attention to will be that of Amanda Vestri, won the 6K championships this summer and runs with ASICS.

My picks:

Hassan (2:22:55)

Lokedi (2:24:08)

Obiri (2:24:14)

Americans:

Sisson (2:25:30)

O’Keefe (2:25:52)

Vestri (2:26:11)

Ben is the Senior Rabbi of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel of Elkins Park, PA. A cancer survivor, he has run 23 marathons. He holds PRs of 3:15 for the marathon and 1:30 for the half. At 46, he still enjoys pushing himself and combining his running with supporting a variety of causes. Follow him on Instagram: @RabbiBPD or Twitter: @BDinPA 

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