Women's Race: Chepkirui Claims Her Second NYC Title in a Breathtaking Three-Way Finish

• Six seconds, three women: Sheila Chepkirui (2:24:36), Jessica McClain (2:24:42), and Hellen Obiri (2:24:43) finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd — separated by just six seconds across 26.2 miles.
• Chepkirui's late surge sealed it: she held the women's lead through the mid-race stretch, briefly ceded it, then reclaimed first for good — and posted the fastest women's split on the 9M→15K segment.
• Edna Kiplagat, 46, finished 4th at 2:25:42 — a remarkable performance that anchored a podium-adjacent group of four elite women within 70 seconds of each other.
• Flagstaff showed up in force: Mercy Chelangat (5th, 2:25:46), Weini Kelati (7th, 2:26:51), Paige Wood (8th, 2:27:29), and Julia Paternain (12th, 2:29:09) all call Flagstaff home — four women in the top 12.

Sheila Chepkirui came to New York with unfinished business, and she left with a second title. The 35-year-old from Kericho navigated a tactical early race — sitting 6th then 7th through the opening miles — before surging into the lead by the time the field hit the mid-race checkpoint. She briefly dropped to second late in the race, but reclaimed first and held it all the way to the tape, clocking 2:24:36 at a 5:31/mi average. It's her second NYC crown, matching Hellen Obiri's two-title haul here, and she earns it with one of the tightest winning margins this race has seen.

The real drama was behind her. Jessica McClain, 34, ran one of the gutsiest races in the field. She was 9th at the first checkpoint, climbed to 2nd by mid-race, briefly seized the women's lead late — posting the fastest women's split on the 30K→19M stretch — before Chepkirui edged back ahead. McClain crossed in 2:24:42, just six seconds off the win. Hellen Obiri, the two-time NYC champion (2023, 2025), was never far away — she ran the fastest women's split on the early 3M→5K segment, sat 3rd through most of the race, and finished 3rd in 2:24:43, one second behind McClain. Three women, three different race strategies, six seconds of daylight between them.

Just off the podium, Edna Kiplagat delivered one of the afternoon's most compelling performances. At 46, she finished 4th in 2:25:42 — posting the fastest women's split on the 5M→6M segment — running a composed, disciplined race through all five boroughs. Mercy Chelangat rounded out the top five in 2:25:46, having rocketed from 11th to 2nd early before settling into a strong final position. Behind them, Carrie Ellwood (6th, 2:26:28), Weini Kelati (7th, 2:26:51), and Paige Wood (8th, 2:27:29) completed a deep, competitive women's field of 28,901 finishers — a reminder that on a clear 50°F November morning in New York, the racing at the front was as sharp as it gets.