The 51st TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday (6th November) was dramatic and ground breaking in equal measure. Around 50,000 runners raced from Staten Island through the five boroughs that comprise the Big Apple but as is always the case not all of them managed to reach the finish in Central Park.

In one of the most shocking collapses of a marathon race leader ever witnessed 24-year-old Brazilian, Daniel do Nascimento – a habitual aggressive front runner – was way ahead of both course record pace and the opposition (1:01:22 halfway) when he made a surprise toilet stop around the 18-mile mark, without losing all of his two-minute lead. 

This was followed by a marked slackening of pace, then a sudden buckling of the legs, before Nascimento fell beneath course marker tape near the 21-mile post, receiving immediate medical attention. This left the more conservative Evans Chebet (2:08:41) as one half of a Kenyan double, with Sharon Lokedi (2:23:23) taking the women’s race. Chebet said: “I saw him lying on the ground. I felt bad for him, but I had to finish the race.”

With around 100 nations participating it was good to see some different countries on the podium. The men’s rostrum was completed by Shura Kitata (Ethiopia, 2:08:54) and Abdi Nageeye (Netherlands, 2:10:31). Israel’s Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (2:23:30) and Gotytom Gebreslase (Ethiopia, 2:23:39) were the female runners-up. 

There were new course records in the wheelchair – or push rim classes as described in America – as Marcel Hug (Switzerland, 1:25:26) and Susannah Scaroni (USA, 1:42:43) raised the bar yet again.

The 2022 TCS New York City Marathon broke new ground by not only including a non-binary entry category but paying significant prize money. Although not part of the official Abbott World Marathon Majors prize structure, New York Road Runners made history by paying $5000 to $1000 for the top five non-binary athletes for the first time in an Abbott Majors Marathon. The non-binary winner was New York City resident Jake Caswell (2:45:12). 

Results are available via runABC South race listing here

Image courtesy TCS New York City Marathon on Facebook