6 Storylines of the 2015 NYC Marathon

Oct 29, 2015 by Taylor Dutch

Defending NYC Marathon Champions Tatyana McFadden, Kurt Fearnley, Mary Keitany, and Wilson Kipsang receive their race bibs from NYRR President of Events Peter Ciaccia.

From a returning champions showdown between Meb Keflezighi, Wilson Kipsang, and Gebre Gebremariam, to Sally Kipyego making her 26.2-mile debut, the New York City Marathon has an endless amount of excitement surrounding it this year. All will be determined this Sunday at the finish line in Central Park, but here are six storylines to get you marathon-ready until then.

1. Returning Champions Showdown - Meb vs. Kipsang vs. Gebremariam

Kipsang, the defending NYC Marathon Champion, is returning from a disappointing performance at the World Championships in Beijing where he dropped out just after 25K. However disappointing Kipsang’s recent performance was, the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist has run under 2:05 six times in his career — the most of any runner in history. Meb is returning to New York City for the first time this year after running a season’s best 62:17 at the NYC Half in March. While he hasn’t won the NYC Marathon since 2009, his most recent major marathon win came famously at the 2014 Boston Marathon. He finished fourth at last year’s NYC Marathon and will be running once again as a NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, which is a charity organization that is attempting to reach a fundraising goal of $5 million this year. 2010 NYC Marathon winner Gebremariam comes to New York after finishing third in 2014. Although he has only run one race so far in 2015, a sixth-place finish at the Peachtree Road Race 10K, the two-time Olympian is a known force on the roads.

2. Boston Marathon Champ Lelisa Desisa Returns for NYC Redemption

Desisa finished runner-up to Kipsang at the 2014 NYC Marathon, and this year, the Ethiopian will be looking to continue a successful 2015 marathon campaign which has included a second victory in Boston since winning in 2013, the year of the bombings. The World Championships silver medalist has clocked a season’s best of 2:05:52, which he ran in Dubai in January. He also competed in the marathon at the World Championships in Beijing 10 weeks ago where he finished seventh overall.

3. Can Geoffrey Kamworer Challenge the Defending Champ?

He may be young, but 22-year-old Kamworer has already achieved running feats beyond his years, most recently with a World Championships silver medal in the 10K. His gold medals include the 2015 World Cross Country Championship and the 2014 World Half Marathon Championship. Kamworer is also a natural talent at the marathon distance, which he proved in his debut in 2012 when he finished third in Berlin in 2:06:12. His most recent marathon performance took place at the 2014 Berlin Marathon where he finished fourth in 2:06:39. Sunday should be a great test for the Kenyan who is making his debut in New York against a stacked field.

4. Will 2014 Champion Mary Keitany Defend Her Title?

Keitany does not lose very often. So far in 2015, she has earned victories at the RAK International Half Marathon, the Oakley New York Mini 10K, the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon, and the Great North Run Half Marathon. The only performance that did not result in a win in 2015 was at the London Marathon where she finished runner-up to Tigist Tufa, who is also competing on Sunday. The runner-up finish in London is still fresh in Keitany’s mind, as she told FloTrack in an extensive interview, “All I will say is that I was not 100 percent.”

Look for Keitany to be out for marathon redemption against Tigist on Sunday on a course that she is very familiar with.

5. 10 Weeks After Finishing Fifth at Worlds, Sally Kipyego Will Make Her Marathon Debut

Despite a disappointing podium miss in Beijing, Kipyego has picked herself back up and used the experience as fuel for her marathon debut. It was a commitment she kept as a secret to even her coach Mark Rowland until less than three months before the race. Kipyego had to begin marathon training immediately after the World Championships which left her 10 weeks to prepare, but despite the rush, the Olympic silver medalist is riding an emotional high from the challenge that awaits.

“Coming back, I was excited to start something, something completely out of my comfort zone, something that I haven’t tried before,” Kipyego told FloTrack while in her preparation for the race.

With a half marathon personal best of 68:31 from the NYC Half and the experience of riding as part of the NYC lead-cart broadcast, Kipyego’s debut will make for an exciting race to watch on a course she knows well.

6. Clash Between Caroline Rotich, Helah Kiprop, Tigist Tufa

The women’s individual race will not only bring back the defending champion, but also several other formidable opponents that have earned World Marathon Major wins and World Championship medals in 2015. Rotich is the reigning Boston Marathon Champion, which was a race won with an exciting kick to the finish between the Kenyan and runner-up Mare Dibaba who finished just four seconds behind her. Kiprop is returning from earning a silver medal in the marathon at the World Championships, and also placed second at the 2015 Tokyo Marathon, performances which currently rank her second in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series. Tufa, as mentioned earlier, claimed the London Marathon title over Keitany in the spring of 2015, which marked the first Ethiopian Champion since 2001. Tufa recently finished sixth in the marathon at the World Championships in Beijing. Expect to see the three marathon stars duking it out over the five boroughs on Sunday morning.

Watch FloTrack's top picks for the 2015 NYC Marathon in the field preview:

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