NEW YORK – Reigning New York City Marathon champions Geoffrey Mutai and Priscah Jeptoo, both of Kenya, will defend their titles against all-star professional fields at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 2, 2014, it was announced today by Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners.
In last year’s race, Mutai outran the men’s field to win by nearly a minute in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 24 seconds, and Jeptoo came from more than a half-mile behind to take the lead in the race’s final three miles and win in a time of 2:25:07.
“With Geoffrey and Priscah headlining the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon, we welcome back two great champions to the streets of New York City,” said Wittenberg. “Last year, as they led 50,000 runners in the largest marathon ever, both Geoffrey and Priscah were inspirations to us all. This November, when they line up in Staten Island to start their journey through the unique neighborhoods of the City’s five boroughs, these world-class athletes will be chasing history, as Geoffrey goes for a New York hat trick and Priscah looks to join an elite group of repeat winners.”
Mutai, 32, is the course record holder (2:05:06) and two-time defending champion of the New York City Marathon. He ran the fastest marathon of all time (2:03:02) to win the 2011 Boston Marathon; however, the course is ineligible for world records due to its net drop in elevation and point-to-point layout. In 2012, Mutai, the reigning NYC Half 2014 champion, captured the 2011–2012 World Major Marathon series title with victories at three of the six World Marathon Majors races—Boston (2011), New York (2011), and Berlin (2012).
“I’ll be back!” said Mutai. “New York is a very special place for me and I’m very excited to defend my title and go for a third win at the TCS New York City Marathon.”
A victory for Mutai would make him the third man in history to win three or more New York City Marathons and the first to do so since Alberto Salazar won the race from 1980 to 1982. Bill Rogers won four consecutive times, from 1976 to 1979.
Mutai will join recently announced 2014 Boston Marathon Champion Meb Keflezighi on the start line on November 2. Mutai can be followed on Twitter at @GeoffreyMutaiK.
Jeptoo, 30, is the reigning New York City Marathon champion. She clinched the 2012–2013 World Marathon Majors series title with victories at both the New York and London Marathons in 2013, a silver-medal performance at the 2012 London Olympic Games Marathon, and a third-place finish at the London Marathon in 2012. Jeptoo ran the second fastest half marathon of all time (1:05:45, record ineligible) to win the 2013 Bupa Great North Run over legendary Ethiopian Olympic gold medalists Meseret Defar and Tirunesh Dibaba, and boasts a marathon personal best of 2:20:14. After suffering an injury that caused her to drop out of the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon this past spring, Jeptoo is determined to defend her title at the 2014 TCS New York City Marathon.
“I am very happy to come back to defend my title at the TCS New York City Marathon early November,” said Jeptoo. “I know the field will be extremely competitive in New York as it is every year, but I will try my best to win again. I recovered well from my injury in London and hope all will be good in my preparation from now until November 2.”
A win for Jeptoo in New York this year would make her the seventh woman ever to win two consecutive years in a row (event record-holder Margaret Okayo won the race in 2001 and 2003). Nine-time champion Grete Waitz and three-time champion Paula Radcliffe are the only women to have won more than two titles.
The TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes+ from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. For those who have video subscriptions with affiliated providers, the race will also be available via WatchESPN. The race will be broadcast live in the New York City metropolitan area on WABC-TV from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST. Viewers can also watch the race on 7online or via WatchABC on mobile devices (for participating cable providers). Pre-race features from the start at Fort Wadsworth will be broadcast live at 7:00 a.m. on WABC-TV, 7online.com, and WatchABC, and a national highlights show will air from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on local ABC affiliates. International viewers can watch the broadcast via a live digital stream from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST on 7online.com or via a variety of global broadcast partners (international viewers should check local listings).
Last year, 50,266 runners crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon, making it the world’s largest marathon ever. Runners from more than 100 countries and each of the 50 states participated.