Lelisa Desisa and Mary Keitany win the New York City Marathon

Desisa, 28, pulled away from Shura Kitata in the final stretch of the race to take the title in 2 hours, 5 minutes and 59 seconds. Desisa previously won the Boston Marathon in 2013 and in 2015.

Keitany finished in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 48 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of the next closest runner. The victory was her fourth New York City marathon win in the last five years. Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot took second place, and last year's winner, American Shalane Flanagan, took third.

The annual 26.2-mile marathon attracts more than 50,000 runners and 12,000 volunteers. Over 2.5 million spectators line the course, which travels through the city's five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan.

The race begins on Staten Island and ends in Central Park.

Last year, Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya won the men's division, and Flanagan of the United States won in the women's division. Flanagan was the first American woman to win the race in over 40 years.

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