NYRR Press Release 

All four defending champions – Kenya’s Mary Keitany, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, the United States’ Daniel Romanchuk, and Switzerland’s Manuela Schär – will return to the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 3. Keitany will go for her fifth career title in New York, Schär will race for her third consecutive crown, and Desisa and Romanchuk will look to post back-to-back victories.

The professional athlete field will include 11 former New York City Marathon champions, 13 Olympians and 19 Paralympians, and 14 past Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.

This year’s TCS New York City Marathon professional athlete field was officially announced by a pair of Rising New York Road Runners Youth Ambassadors in this special video, as NYRR marks 20 years of its free youth running programs.

“We’re thrilled to have all four of our defending champions return to the TCS New York City Marathon and lead a world-class professional athlete field through the streets of the five boroughs on November 3rd,” said NYRR president and CEO Michael Capiraso. “In addition to being incredible athletes, Mary, Lelisa, Manuela, and Daniel are all inspirations for the next generation of runners, including the 250,000 kids participating in NYRR’s free youth running programs.”

Women’s Open Division 

In 2018, Keitany became the second woman to win in New York in the open division four times, recording the second-fastest time in event history in 2:22:48. It was her fourth win in five years and she’s the only woman other than Grete Waitz to win the race four times. Keitany is the women-only marathon world record-holder (2:17:01) and is a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, having taken the series titles in 2012 and 2016. 

Keitany will be challenged this year by 2019 Boston Marathon champion Worknesh Degefa, 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion Ruti Aga, 2019 United Airlines NYC Half champion Joyceline Jepkosgei, and 2018 Boston Marathon champion and two-time U.S. Olympian Des Linden. Joining them at the starting line will also be a strong group of U.S. 2020 Olympic team contenders including Allie Kieffer, Sara Hall, and Kellyn Taylor.

Men’s Open Division 

Desisa won his first TCS New York City Marathon title last year after finishing on the podium three times previously. He held off fellow Ethiopian Shura Kitataby two seconds to finish in 2:05:59, the second-fastest time in event history. Desisa also has two Boston Marathon titles to his name, having won in 2013 and 2015. 

Runner-up Kitata will be back again this year to challenge Desisa, as will 2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who finished third last year. The American contingent will be led by U.S. Olympians Jared Ward and Abdi Abdirahman.

 Men’s Wheelchair Division

At just 20 years old, Romanchuk became the first American and youngest athlete ever to win the men’s wheelchair division at the TCS New York City Marathon last year. He broke the tape in 1:36:21, with his win coming less than a month after his first Abbott World Marathon Majors race victory in Chicago. Since November, Romanchuk has gone on to win the Boston Marathon, London Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half and break the world record in the 5000 meters on the track.

Lining up against Romanchuk this year will be Switzerland’s two-time champion Marcel Hug, South Africa’s two-time champion Ernst van Dyk, and Great Britain’s former champion David Weir.

Women’s Wheelchair Division

Schär is one of the world’s most dominant athletes right now, having won the last six Abbott World Marathon Majors races in a row, something no other athlete has ever done. She will be coming to New York in search of her third consecutive title on the five-borough course. Last year, she became just the fourth women’s wheelchair athlete to win back-to-back titles, crossing the finish line in 1:50:27.

Schär will receive stiff competition this year from a trio of Americans: 17-time Paralympic medalist Tatyana McFadden, two-time champion Amanda McGrory, and two-time NYRR New York Mini 10K champion Susannah Scaroni. McFadden will be going for her record sixth title in the event.

Top Professional Women – Open Division

Top Professional Men – Open Division

Top Professional Women – Wheelchair Division