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Conner Mantz showed he’s continuing to rise among the world’s elite marathoners on Sunday in the New York City Marathon, while Sara Vaughn proved once she’s as gritty and resilient as they come. Both finished sixth on the 2024 New York City Marathon results list.
Mantz and Vaughn also took home the honor of top American runners in this year’s star-studded race through all five boroughs of the Big Apple. Mantz, coming off an eighth-place finish in the Paris Olympic Marathon, turned in his third solid marathon performance of the year after sticking with the lead pack for 16 miles and hanging on to finish sixth in 2:09:00. Vaughn ran similarly, but also surged into the lead after mile 16, and then battled hard to move up late in the race to finish sixth in 2:26:56.
Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race in her New York City Marathon debut in 2:24:35 by outrunning defending champion Hellen Obiri in a thrilling duel over the final miles through Central Park. Moments later, Somali-born Dutch runner Abdi Nageeye turned in one of the best performances of his life on Sunday, winning the men’s race in 2:07:39 after out-sprinting Evans Chebet over the final 400 meters.
This year’s New York City Marathon was expected to be the largest in history with approximately 55,000 runners.
How the Women’s Race Played Out
The women’s race started relatively slowly as more than 25 runners were in the lead pack that went through the halfway mark in 1:14. As the leaders came off the Queensboro Bridge, 15 women remained in contention as things started to get spicy.
After American Dakotah Popehn took the lead briefly on First Avenue, Vaughn went to the front and led momentarily while soaking in the energy of the roaring crowd. Although she wasn’t able to hang with the small breakaway pack by Chepkirui and Obiri and found herself running alone most of the rest of the way, she ran like the gritty veteran she is through the Bronx and back into Manhattan and caught and passed Ethiopia’s Senbere Teferi to move up into sixth in the final miles. Chepkirui and Obiri battled together over the final 5K before Chepkirui gapped in the final 500 meters after they turned back into the park from Columbus Circle.
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Although Obiri, a Kenyan who lives and trains in Boulder, Colorado, has been one of the very best marathon runners in the world over the past two years—earning the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics in August, winning in New York last year, plus taking the last two Boston Marathons—Chepkirui is no slouch. She entered the race with a much faster personal best (2:17:29) than Obiri (2:21:38) and was just stronger over the final miles.
Chepkirui didn’t race in the Paris Olympics, so she might have been fresher than Obiri, who not only raced in Paris (where she won the bronze medal) but also won the Boston Marathon back in April. Chepkirui finished sixth in the London marathon in April (in 2:19:31) and then focused on racing shorter distances the rest of the year.
“My training went really well, and I knew I was ready,” Chepkirui. “I am very happy.”
Obiri finished second in 2:24:35 just 84 days after racing in the Olympics, while Vivian Cheruiyot, a 41-year-old who won the 2016 Olympic 5000 meters, finished third to round out the first Kenyan women’s podium sweep in New York City Marathon history.
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Vaughn ran a strong race just three weeks after dropping out of the October 13 Chicago Marathon. Her time on Sunday was not her personal best—she ran 2:23:24 in Chicago last year—but that’s a really solid effort on the hilly New York City Marathon course. The 38-year-old mother of four was out for redemption after stepping off the Chicago Marathon course a month ago as she was still getting over a bought of Covid in early October. She hung in the large pack of women that ran relatively slowly through the first half of the race but was ready to mix it up when the race entered Manhattan.
“That was a really fun day,” Vaughn said. “It feels a disservice to call it a Plan B because this is New York City! It’s amazing. Um, I just feel like everything worked out the way it was supposed to. I felt good and kept thinking, when, when are we gonna start going? It was a little bit fartlek style where somebody would surge, but that felt good to me to kind of open it up a little bit. I just covered every move as long as I could and when I took the lead, the energy was amazing and I was just enjoying the moment. I can’t believe how good I felt the whole race. It was just awesome.”
Vaughn was followed by two other Americans in the top 10—with Jess McClain (8th, 2:27:19) and Kellyn Taylor (10th, 2:27:59) both turning in strong performances. Des Linden, a two-time Olympian and 2018 Boston Marathon winner, was 11th in 2:29:32, while Tristin Colley (13th, 2:30:02), Maggie Montoya (14th, 2:30:53), Savannah Berry (16th, 2:31:39), Dakotah Popehn (17th, 2:31:45), Jenny Simpson (18th, 2:31:54), Aliphine Tuliamuk (19th, 2:32:10) and Jessa Hanson (20th, 2:32:43) rounded out the 11 American women among the top 20.
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How the Men’s Race Played Out
Nageeye has had an up and down marathon career and several near-misses in New York City, but overcame a disappointing experience in the Paris Olympics to win in New York City. The 35-year-old runner won the silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and finished third in the New York City Marathon in 2022, but then he dropped out of the marathon at the 2023 World Athletics Championships because of an injury. He won the Rotterdam Marathon in a personal best 2:04:45 in April and was one of the favorites heading into the Paris Olympics this summer, but he suffered a hard crash after a collision with Kenyan runner Alexander Mutiso near the 10 mile mark and dropped out with hip pain.
Nageeye was born in Somalia, moved to the Netherlands at age 6, then moved to Syria for three years and then back to Somalia before returning to the Netherlands via Ethiopia when he was adopted.
He came to New York—where he had finished fourth, third and fifth previously while racing through the five-borough race—wanting to make a statement and reestablish himself among the world’s best and make up for lost opportunities. The men’s race also started slow—running through the halfway mark in 1:05:35—but then Paris Olympic champion Tamirit Tola, Chebet, Albert Korir, Addisu Gobena and Nageeye broke away on First Avenue and dropped the rest of the field.
Nageeye won the battle of attrition over Chebet, who won in New York in 2022 and took Boston Marathon titles in 2022 and 2023.
“When I was finishing, the emotions weren’t there in the moment, but I just couldn’t believe that I was going to win it,” he said. “I felt like I was dreaming. Most people didn’t even expect me to be in the top five, but I know what I am capable of. This was my race today.”
Mantz and training partner Clayton Young once again ran parts of the race together and finished close together, as Young finished one spot behind Mantz (8th, 2:09:21). Meanwhile, CJ Albertson, who ran a new personal best of 2:08:17 just 21 days ago in Chicago, placed 10th in 2:10:57.
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2024 New York City Marathon Results
Women’s Results
1. Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) – 2:24:35
2. Hellen Obiri (KEN) – 2:24:49
3. Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) – 2:25:21
4. Eunice Chumba (BRN) – 2:25:58
5. Fabienne Schlumpf (SUI) – 2:26:31
6. Sara Vaughn (USA) – 2:26:56
7. Senbere Teferi (ETH) – 2:27:14
8. Jessica McClain (USA) – 2:27:19
9. Sharon Lokedi (KEN) – 2:27:45
10. Kellyn Taylor (USA) – 2:27:59
11. Des Linden (USA) – 2:29:32
12. Edna Kiplagat (KEN) – 2:29:56
Men’s Results
1. Abdi Nageeye (NED) – 2:07:39
2. Evans Chebet (KEN) – 2:07:45
3. Albert Korir (KEN) – 2:08:00
4. Tamirat Tola (ETH) – 2:08:12
5. Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN) – 2:08:50
6. Conner Mantz (USA) – 2:09:00
7. Clayton Young (USA) – 2:09:21
8. Abel Kipchumba (KEN) – 2:10:39
9. Bashir Abdi (BEL) – 2:10:39
10. CJ Albertson (USA) – 2:10:57
11. Ryan Ford (USA) – 2:11:08
12. Colin Bennie (USA) – 2:11:16
For complete results of the 2024 New York City Marathon, go to this link.