Mary Keitany of Kenya crosses the finish line to win New York City Marathon on November 6, 2016
NEW YORK, United States, Jun 9 – Defending champion Mary Keitany will go for a fourth consecutive victory at the New York City Marathon after she was confirmed by the organizers of the IAAF Gold label Road Race.
Keitany, also the London Marathon champion has dominated the race in New York for three consecutive years and is confident of bagging a fourth in the November race.
“Another top finish for Mary would give her the second most titles in the event after Grete Waitz,”said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the New York City Marathon.
Keitany, 35, has won the New York City Marathon each of the last three years, including a dominating performance last year in which she surged ahead at Mile 14 to finish the course on a solo run in 2:24:26.
Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women’s race since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row.
Keitany is a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, taking the series titles in 2012 and 2016.
This year, she has already won her third career London Marathon in April, breaking the women’s only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01.
“I’m so excited to return to New York to race for my fourth consecutive New York City Marathon title. Being among the all-time leaders in New York City is truly an honor, and while it will not be easy to defend my title, surpassing a legendary runner like Paula Radcliffe for the second-most victories by a woman in the event would be incredible,” she said.
Keitany was named in the provisional Kenyan team for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London, but turned down the offer.
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