The 2025 New York City Marathon just got a whole lot more interesting.
New York Road Runners has officially unveiled the professional field for the November 1 race — and the lineup is unlike anything the five boroughs have ever seen.
For the first time in history, the two fastest American men ever to run a marathon will toe the same start line, setting the stage for a rivalry that could rewrite the record books.
And on the women’s side, a defending champion, a European record holder, and a marathon debutante with world-class credentials are making this one of the deepest fields in the race’s 50-year history in the five boroughs.
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Two Americans, One Record That Counts — and One That Doesn’t
Conner Mantz holds the official American marathon record at 2:04:43, a blistering time he clocked for fourth place at the Chicago Marathon last October.
That run shattered Khalid Khannouchi’s long-standing 2:05:38 mark from 2002 by a full 55 seconds — a record that had stood for more than two decades.
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Then there’s Zouhair Talbi. His story is more complicated — and arguably more jaw-dropping.
Talbi ran 2:03:45 at the Boston Marathon in April, finishing fifth. That’s the fastest any American has ever physically covered the marathon distance. It is not, however, the national record — because Boston’s point-to-point course is not record-eligible under World Athletics standards.
So Talbi owns the fastest American marathon performance ever run, without the record to show for it. Only in athletics.
A Course Record That’s Already Been Beaten — Just Not in New York
Here’s a number worth sitting with: the New York City Marathon course record is 2:04:58, set by Tamirat Tola in 2023.
Talbi’s Boston time is faster than that. Mantz’s American record is faster than that. And ten men on the official entry list have personal bests quicker than 2:04:58 — meaning the record is in genuine danger on November 1.
Last year’s winner, Benson Kipruto, leads the field with a personal best of 2:02:16. The Kenyan star is joined by Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta at 2:02:38 and Kenya’s CyBrian Kotut at 2:03:22, making the top of the men’s field one of the most competitive assemblies the race has ever hosted.
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Kipruto won the 2024 edition in 2:08:09, but don’t expect a repeat of that modest-by-elite-standards winning time.
The American Rivalry to Watch
Mantz and Talbi aren’t strangers on the start line. The two met most recently at the Falmouth Road Race just days before the NYC field announcement, with Talbi finishing third and Mantz fourth — separated by just two seconds.
Behind those two, the American contingent is deep. Ryan Ford (2:05:46), Joe Klecker (2:05:56), Casey Clinger, Sam Chelanga, Jared Ward, and Joel Reichow — who was the first American finisher in 2024 — all feature on the entry list.
No American man has won in New York since Meb Keflezighi in 2009. That drought is now 16 years old and counting — and this might be the year it ends.
Obiri Defends, Hassan Hunts, and a Debutante Could Steal the Show
The women’s race is shaping up to be every bit as dramatic. Hellen Obiri returns to defend the title she claimed in 2:19:51, a performance that retired Margaret Okayo’s 22-year-old course record in the process.
Since that win, Obiri has only gotten faster — running a personal best of 2:15:53 for second place at the London Marathon in April and claiming victory at the New York City Half Marathon in March.
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But Obiri’s biggest challenge may come from Sifan Hassan. The Dutch superstar holds the fastest personal best in the women’s field at 2:13:44 — a European record she set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Hassan finished sixth on her New York debut last year, and she’ll be looking to make a very different statement this time around.
Six women in the field own personal bests faster than Obiri’s own course record. This is not a race anyone is winning comfortably.
Weini Kelati’s Marathon Moment
One of the most compelling storylines belongs to Weini Kelati, who will be making her marathon debut on November 1.
Kelati lowered the American half-marathon record to 1:06:04 at Barcelona in February — five seconds faster than the mark she had set herself the previous year at Houston. She followed last year’s NYC Marathon from the lead vehicle, watching the race unfold from the front row.
Now she gets to be the one running it.
Joining her in the American women’s conversation are Jessica McClain, whose 2:20:49 at Boston in April displaced Shalane Flanagan’s decade-old American Boston record, and Fiona O’Keeffe, whose 2:22:49 last November stands as the fastest any American woman has ever run in New York.
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- Full-body training with one weight using swings, squats, and presses
- Solid cast iron build that feels stable and lasts for years
- Comfortable grip that makes high-rep workouts easier to handle
50 Years in the Five Boroughs — and Harder Than Ever to Get In
This year’s race carries extra weight historically. November 1 marks 50 years since the marathon expanded from Central Park into all five boroughs, a move that transformed the event into one of the world’s most iconic races.
The 1976 race — the first with a professional field — was won by Bill Rodgers in 2:10:10 and Miki Gorman in 2:39:11. Rodgers is expected to attend race week, alongside Gorman’s daughter, Danielle Mika Nagel, in a nod to the event’s extraordinary history.
Getting to the start line has never been more difficult for everyday runners. A staggering 240,000 people applied for the 2026 lottery drawing — and roughly one percent were accepted.
On November 1, though, the world’s attention will be on the professional field. With records in reach, rivalries reignited, and 50 years of history on the line, this may just be the most compelling New York City Marathon ever staged.
