Two of the most iconic distance runners on the planet, Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan, are headed to the Big Apple this fall, officially joining the professional field for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, organizers announced Tuesday.
For Kipchoge, the November 2 race will mark his long-anticipated NYC debut and complete his sweep of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors.
The 40-year-old Kenyan is widely regarded as the greatest marathoner of all time, with 11 Major titles and back-to-back Olympic gold medals to his name. He’s won in Berlin, London, Chicago, and Tokyo, but has never taken on New York’s hilly, unpredictable course.
“Running the TCS New York City Marathon has been a long-standing goal of mine,” Kipchoge said in a statement. “I’m honored to join the tens of thousands of runners who will run through the five boroughs in November.”
It’s a symbolic full-circle moment for Kipchoge, who famously broke the two-hour barrier in a controlled event in 2019, running 1:59:40 in Vienna, but has never conquered the five boroughs. A win in New York would not only round out his Abbott Six Star Medal but also solidify a kind of marathon completeness unmatched in the sport.
His recent results, however, suggest vulnerability.
Kipchoge finished ninth at the Sydney Marathon just last month, following his first-ever DNF in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon. Whether that was a one-off blip or a sign of fading dominance will become clearer in Central Park.
He’ll face off against defending NYC champion Abdi Nageeye, 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Benson Kipruto, former NYC winner Evans Chebet, and rising Kenyan star Alexander Mutiso, who claimed victory in London earlier this year.
On the women’s side, the addition of Sifan Hassan instantly raises the stakes. Hassan has been on an astonishing run of form since winning the 2023 London Marathon in her debut.
Hassan had a sensational outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she made history by medaling in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon, the first woman ever to pull off that triple. She capped the campaign with a gold in the marathon, running an Olympic record to seal it.
Now, the Dutch superstar has her sights set on New York.
“The TCS New York City Marathon is legendary,” Hassan said. “I love a challenge and am ready to test myself against the world’s best athletes.”
That includes Hellen Obiri, the two-time Boston champ who earned bronze in Paris behind Hassan, and Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 NYC winner who placed fourth in that same Olympic final.
Hassan’s 2:13:44 personal best is nearly four minutes faster than anyone else in the women’s field, but the New York course, hilly, technical, and often humid, has a way of neutralizing time and rewarding toughness.
Hassan and Kipchoge join an already world-class field that features more than 50 Olympians and Paralympians, according to NYRR. American standouts include national record holder Emily Sisson, Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel, and Olympic marathon debutants Fiona O’Keeffe and Joe Klecker.
A handful of athletes, including Charles Hicks, Hillary Bor, and Charles Philibert-Thiboutot, will be making their marathon debuts.
The 2025 NYC Marathon is expected to welcome over 55,000 finishers, with more than 2 million spectators lining the streets. Last year’s race set an event record and, at the time, became the largest marathon in history.
And while the day will showcase runners of all ages and abilities across the five boroughs, all eyes will be on Kipchoge and Hassan, two living legends now headed for one of the sport’s most iconic stages. If there’s one thing the marathon has taught us, it’s to expect the unexpected. But when these two are on the start line, history usually follows.
