Keitany to go for fourth consecutive title, looking to surpass Paula Radcliffe in career wins

McFadden, racing as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, seeks record sixth career title in wheelchair division

New York, June 9, 2017—Both defending women’s race champions will return for the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 5, as Mary Keitany will go for a fourth consecutive victory and NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador Tatyana McFadden will race for a record-breaking sixth career title in the wheelchair division.

“Mary and Tatyana have already had tremendous success in their respective careers racing on the streets of New York City, and we are now eagerly awaiting November, when they will both have the chance to make history on the five-borough course,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for New York Road Runners and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “Another top finish for Mary would give her the second most titles in the event after Grete Waitz, and a victory for Tatyana would write her into the history books as the most dominant wheelchair racer – male or female – ever in the event.”

Keitany, 35, of Kenya, has won the TCS New York City Marathon each of the last three years, including a dominating performance last year in which she surged ahead at Mile 14 to finish the course on a solo run in 2:24:26. Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women’s race since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row. Keitany is a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, taking the series titles in 2012 and 2016. This year, she has already won her third career Virgin Money London Marathon in April, breaking the women’s only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01.

“I’m so excited to return to New York to race for my fourth consecutive TCS New York City Marathon title,” Keitany said. “Being among the all-time leaders in New York City is truly an honor, and while it will not be easy to defend my title, surpassing a legendary runner like Paula Radcliffe for the second-most victories by a woman in the event would be incredible.”

McFadden, 28, of Clarksville, Maryland, is a 17-time Paralympic medalist and the first-ever winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors wheelchair series. She has won five career New York City Marathons, including the last four consecutively. In 2016, she used her favorite hill at Mile 16 – the Queensboro Bridge – to pull away from the field on her way to a win, clocking in at 1:47:43, short of her 1:43:04 course-record time set the year prior. With another victory on the five-borough course, McFadden would surpass Edith Hunkeler and Kurt Fearnley for the most career wins – by a male or female – in the wheelchair division.

“I really look forward to racing in New York this year,” McFadden said. “I will be going for my sixth win and a record for the most victories ever by a wheelchair athlete in the New York City Marathon. Racing through the streets of New York is always exciting and I'm so proud as always to be an NYRR Team For Kids Ambassador.”

Racing as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, McFadden will represent the organization’s charity running team, a committed group of more than 1,700 adult runners from around the world who add meaning to their miles by raising funds for NYRR’s free youth running programs. The programs serve more than 215,000 kids locally and nationally, including 115,000 in New York City’s five boroughs. McFadden will also pace the second edition of the Girls’ Run at the NYRR New York Mini 10K on Saturday, June 10, leading around 500 girls through the 1.4-mile course in Central Park.

The 2017 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, November 5, on WABC-TV, Channel 7 in the New York tristate area from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, and for the rest of the nation on ESPN2 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.

Most Career New York City Marathon Victories – Open Division Women

Most Career New York City Marathon Victories – Wheelchair Division Women

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners (NYRR) and the largest marathon in the world. Over 1,000,000 people have finished the race since its first running in 1970 with just 127 entrants and 55 finishers running four laps around Central Park. The race expanded to all five boroughs in 1976 and just celebrated its 40th year as a five-borough affair. Held annually on the first Sunday of November, the race features over 50,000 runners including the world’s top professional athletes and a vast range of competitive, recreational, and charity runners. Participants from approximately 125 countries tour the city, starting on Staten Island at the foot of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and running through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before ending in Manhattan. The NYRR Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City Marathon covered 1.8 miles of the race course in Central Park, beginning near mile 24 and finishing at the famed TCS New York City Marathon finish line. More than one million spectators and thousands of volunteers line the city streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the television broadcast in 175 countries and territories, including viewers in the New York area on WABC-TV, Channel 7, nationally on ESPN2, and via various international broadcast partners. The race is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which features the world’s top marathons—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York—and crowns the top professional male and female marathoners each year. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, is the premier partner of NYRR and the title sponsor of the TCS New York City Marathon. The 47th running of the TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 5, 2017. To learn more, visit www.tcsnycmarathon.org.