New York City Marathon Fast Facts

November 4, 2018 - The winners of the 48th New York City Marathon are Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia in the men's division, and Mary Keitany of Kenya in the women's division.

November 5, 2017 - The winners of the 47th New York City Marathon are Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya in the men's division, and Shalane Flanagan of the United States in the women's division. Flanagan is the first American woman to win the race in over 40 years.

Facts:
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 goes 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.

The guaranteed prize purse totals more than $825,000 including $100,000 to the first place male and female runners.

Timeline:
September 13, 1970 - The first New York City Marathon takes place with 127 runners (55 finished). The course consists of over four laps around Central Park. The first winner is Gary Muhrcke with a time of 2:31:38. He receives a recycled bowling trophy. There is no female finisher the first year.

1971 - The first female winner of the marathon is Beth Bonner with a time of 2:55:22.

1976 - The course is changed to the streets of the city's five boroughs. The race has more than 2,000 runners.

2000 - The race includes an official wheelchair division for the first time.

2002 - For the first time, the elite female runners start 35 minutes before the men and the rest of the runners. This allows the lead women unimpeded access to water stations and improved media coverage.

2010 - Rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena, one of 33 miners trapped underground for over two months, finishes the marathon in 5 hours and 40 minutes.

November 2, 2012 - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg cancels the New York City marathon due to damage from Superstorm Sandy.

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