2016 New York City MarathonNov 3, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
New York City Marathon Men's Preview
New York City Marathon Men's Preview
Kenya's Stanley Biwott, Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa, and Eritrea's Ghirmay Ghebreslassie will be some of the top contenders at the 2016 New York City Marathon men's professional race on Sunday.
Stanley Biwott is out for redemption in the same place where he earned his first World Marathon Majors victory--the TCS New York City Marathon. After dropping out of the Olympic marathon at the halfway point, Biwott is using New York as a place to not only repeat his victory from last year but also make a comeback.
Using the disappointment in Rio, Biwott says he is out to prove himself once more.
"Everything went as planned, but my body just failed to react. I erred, and this will be my chance to prove I am still a worthy bet in running," Biwott told Coast Week ahead of Sunday's race.
Other than the Olympic Games, the Kenyan has executed impressive finishes in the marathon over the past several years. In his 2013 New York City debut, Biwott finished fifth overall. In 2014 and 2016, Biwott collected runner-up finishes at the London Marathon. This year's performance in London earned Biwott a personal best of 2:03:51. He was a contender in the exciting race where Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge narrowly missed the world record by eight seconds.
Last year, Biwott claimed the victory in New York by pulling away in the final two minutes to finish in 2:10:34.
"New York is special to me, because it was here I won my first title in the Abbott World Marathon Majors," Biwott told New York Road Runners. "After last year, my name has been spread worldwide, and I have been considered among the top athletes in the world. That's why I always like to return to New York, where I left a piece of my heart."
Biwott will have competition in Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa and Eritrean Ghirmay Ghebreslassie. Desisa earned a silver medal in the marathon at the 2013 world championships and has since collected a runner-up finish at the 2014 New York City Marathon, a victory at the 2015 Boston Marathon, and most recently a runner-up finish at the 2016 Boston Marathon.
Ghebreslassie--the 20-year-old wunderkind who burst onto the scene when he claimed gold at the 2015 world championships--will make his debut on the New York City course. Ghebreslassie won gold in Beijing at the age of 19, becoming the youngest ever world marathon winner. He is returning from a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Games and a fourth-place finish at the London Marathon where he set a personal best of 2:07:46.
American Dathan Ritzenhein, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, and Lucas Rotich of Kenya should also be in the mix of the top group.
Ritzenhein, a three-time Olympian, is returning from a runner-up finish to four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah at the Great North Run. While being self-coached for the past two and a half years, Ritzenhein ran his second-fastest half marathon of his career and his fastest mark since 2009 when he claimed bronze at the world championships.
RELATED: Self-Coached Dathan Ritzenhein Launches Comeback at Great North Run
With his track days behind him, Ritzenhein says his primary goals now lie with major marathons. This Sunday will mark Ritzenhein's first appearance in New York since taking eighth in 2010.
"I feel like I'm still in my prime," Ritzenhein told FloTrack after the Great North Run in September. "I've run 2:07, but I know I can run faster--especially after this weekend, seeing how close I was to my half marathon PR. But at the same time, I'm not even thinking about that. I'm just thinking about doing the best I can and winning one of these things one day."
Kipsiro will be running his second marathon ever after making his debut in 2:15:48 in Hamburg last April. The Ugandan athlete has made his mark on the track and cross country course with two world championship bronze medals. His most recent performance came at the Glasgow Half Marathon in October where he finished second in 60:54.
Rotich is returning from a victory at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon where he ran 2:09:11. His personal best of 2:07:17 came when he won the Hamburg Marathon last year.
The American contingent will not only be represented by Ritzenhein but also with a strong group that includes Ryan Vail, Matt Llano, Shadrack Biwott, Tyler Pennel, Craig Leon, and Christo Landry.
Vail owns a 2:10:57 marathon PR from finishing 10th at the 2014 London Marathon and has been sharing his workouts and training progress on his blog leading up to New York.
Llano narrowly missed making the Olympic team this summer after finishing sixth overall at the Olympic Trials in February. The past couple years have been a progression for Llano, who posted his personal best of 2:12:28 at the Berlin Marathon last year.
RELATED: Workout Wednesday: Matt Llano Does 30x400
Biwott finished right behind Llano at the Trials by closing for seventh-place overall. He also posted a recent victory and season's best of 61:55 at the San Jose Half Marathon on Oct. 2.
Pennel finished fifth at the Trials and has since posted a runner-up finish at the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic five-mile race.
Leon is returning to New York after finishing eighth at last year's race. He battled heat to finish 29th at the Trials and claimed a victory at the Rogue Run Medford Marathon in September.
Landry hasn't raced a marathon since setting his personal best of 2:14:30 at the 2014 Chicago Marathon, but he's been competing on the track and in shorter road races this year. He posted a half marathon personal best of 62:52 in Columbus last April, a 15th-place finish in the 10K at the Olympic Trials, and more recently a third-place finish at the USATF 20K Championships.
Follow FloTrack's live updates of the TCS New York City Marathon beginning Sunday morning at 8:30 AM ET.
Using the disappointment in Rio, Biwott says he is out to prove himself once more.
"Everything went as planned, but my body just failed to react. I erred, and this will be my chance to prove I am still a worthy bet in running," Biwott told Coast Week ahead of Sunday's race.
Other than the Olympic Games, the Kenyan has executed impressive finishes in the marathon over the past several years. In his 2013 New York City debut, Biwott finished fifth overall. In 2014 and 2016, Biwott collected runner-up finishes at the London Marathon. This year's performance in London earned Biwott a personal best of 2:03:51. He was a contender in the exciting race where Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge narrowly missed the world record by eight seconds.
Last year, Biwott claimed the victory in New York by pulling away in the final two minutes to finish in 2:10:34.
"New York is special to me, because it was here I won my first title in the Abbott World Marathon Majors," Biwott told New York Road Runners. "After last year, my name has been spread worldwide, and I have been considered among the top athletes in the world. That's why I always like to return to New York, where I left a piece of my heart."
Biwott will have competition in Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa and Eritrean Ghirmay Ghebreslassie. Desisa earned a silver medal in the marathon at the 2013 world championships and has since collected a runner-up finish at the 2014 New York City Marathon, a victory at the 2015 Boston Marathon, and most recently a runner-up finish at the 2016 Boston Marathon.
Ghebreslassie--the 20-year-old wunderkind who burst onto the scene when he claimed gold at the 2015 world championships--will make his debut on the New York City course. Ghebreslassie won gold in Beijing at the age of 19, becoming the youngest ever world marathon winner. He is returning from a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Games and a fourth-place finish at the London Marathon where he set a personal best of 2:07:46.
American Dathan Ritzenhein, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, and Lucas Rotich of Kenya should also be in the mix of the top group.
Ritzenhein, a three-time Olympian, is returning from a runner-up finish to four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah at the Great North Run. While being self-coached for the past two and a half years, Ritzenhein ran his second-fastest half marathon of his career and his fastest mark since 2009 when he claimed bronze at the world championships.
RELATED: Self-Coached Dathan Ritzenhein Launches Comeback at Great North Run
With his track days behind him, Ritzenhein says his primary goals now lie with major marathons. This Sunday will mark Ritzenhein's first appearance in New York since taking eighth in 2010.
"I feel like I'm still in my prime," Ritzenhein told FloTrack after the Great North Run in September. "I've run 2:07, but I know I can run faster--especially after this weekend, seeing how close I was to my half marathon PR. But at the same time, I'm not even thinking about that. I'm just thinking about doing the best I can and winning one of these things one day."
Kipsiro will be running his second marathon ever after making his debut in 2:15:48 in Hamburg last April. The Ugandan athlete has made his mark on the track and cross country course with two world championship bronze medals. His most recent performance came at the Glasgow Half Marathon in October where he finished second in 60:54.
Rotich is returning from a victory at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon where he ran 2:09:11. His personal best of 2:07:17 came when he won the Hamburg Marathon last year.
The American contingent will not only be represented by Ritzenhein but also with a strong group that includes Ryan Vail, Matt Llano, Shadrack Biwott, Tyler Pennel, Craig Leon, and Christo Landry.
Vail owns a 2:10:57 marathon PR from finishing 10th at the 2014 London Marathon and has been sharing his workouts and training progress on his blog leading up to New York.
Llano narrowly missed making the Olympic team this summer after finishing sixth overall at the Olympic Trials in February. The past couple years have been a progression for Llano, who posted his personal best of 2:12:28 at the Berlin Marathon last year.
10x800 at sea level for @MattLlano today. #TCSNYCMarathon in 11 days! See his entire build-up here via @FinalSurge: https://t.co/rPmOoIkek7 pic.twitter.com/RfLZBzWvOJ
— HOKA NAZ Elite (@NAZ_Elite) October 26, 2016
RELATED: Workout Wednesday: Matt Llano Does 30x400
Biwott finished right behind Llano at the Trials by closing for seventh-place overall. He also posted a recent victory and season's best of 61:55 at the San Jose Half Marathon on Oct. 2.
Pennel finished fifth at the Trials and has since posted a runner-up finish at the Bobby Doyle Summer Classic five-mile race.
Leon is returning to New York after finishing eighth at last year's race. He battled heat to finish 29th at the Trials and claimed a victory at the Rogue Run Medford Marathon in September.
Landry hasn't raced a marathon since setting his personal best of 2:14:30 at the 2014 Chicago Marathon, but he's been competing on the track and in shorter road races this year. He posted a half marathon personal best of 62:52 in Columbus last April, a 15th-place finish in the 10K at the Olympic Trials, and more recently a third-place finish at the USATF 20K Championships.
Follow FloTrack's live updates of the TCS New York City Marathon beginning Sunday morning at 8:30 AM ET.