Professional women's race underway
The professional women's race got underway at 8:35 a.m.
Sifan Hassan, 32, is among the favorites, coming off a victory at Sydney two months ago.
She is taking on the New York Marathon for the first time Sunday, looking to pull off the incredible double after winning in Australia.
To accomplish that feat, the Dutch star will have to beat the last three champions Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya (2024) , Hellen Obiri (2023) and Sharon Lokedi (2022), who set the Boston Marathon course record in April.
"I have respect for the course which I haven't done," Hassan said. "I have big respect for the athletes going to run with me. I'm not going to say I'm going to win, it's very hard."
Hassan has the best time of the group, running a personal best 2 hours, 13.44 minutes at the Chicago Marathon in 2023, but she'll have to deal with the 26.2-mile course that is full of bridges and hills.
"I remember last year after Paris it made me so scared of how hard this course (is)," said Hassan, who broke the Olympic record in the marathon last year. "I wasn't ready last year."
This is Hassan's first trip to the city and she knows how she'll celebrate after finishing the race - by having her "first slice of New York pizza."
U.S. record holder Emily Sisson and Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel are the top Americans in the field. An American woman hasn't won the race since Shalane Flanagan did it in 2017.
(Information from the Associated Press)
