Exciting Race Match-Ups Scheduled for New York City Marathon

By Adam Kopet

The elite fields for the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, scheduled for Nov. 3, have been announced and the 2018 champions, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Mary Keitany of Kenya, will be back to defend their titles.

Desisa won his first New York City Marathon last year, running 2:05:59 for second on the event all-time list, after finishing on the podium three times. He is also a two-time Boston Marathon champion. Desisa's 2018 victory came after a late duel with fellow Ethiopian Shura Kitata, who finished two seconds back.

Kitata is also set to return, as is 2017 champion Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya. The latter finished third in 2018. Kamworor will return to New York City after taking a crack at a fast half marathon at the Copenhagen Half Marathon in September. He is a three-time winner of the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.

Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola is the fastest man in the field, having run 2:04:06 at the 2018 Dubai Marathon. He was fourth last year in New York. Also in the international field is marathon debutante Andy Vernon of Great Britain.

In the women's race, Keitany will enter as the favorite, even though she is not the fastest woman in the field this year. Her 2018 victory was her fourth in New York. She also holds the women's only world record in the marathon, having run 2:17:01 to win the 2017 London Marathon. She was fifth in this year's London Marathon.

However, Keitany is likely not to be the runaway winner in New York City this year. Also in the field are the Ethiopian duo of Ruti Aga and Worknesh Degefa.

Aga won this year's Tokyo Marathon after running a personal best 2:18:34 for second at last year's Berlin Marathon. Degefa ran 2:17:41 to finish second at this year's Dubai Marathon. She followed that up less than three months later by running away from the field to win the Boston Marathon.

Also set to race is Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya in her marathon debut. She has set multiple world records on the roads, including twice breaking the half marathon world record, which currently stands at 1:04:51.

Jepkosgei had been scheduled to make her marathon debut early this year in Hamburg, but after a setback in training, she opted instead to pace the London Marathon on the same day.