Greatness in marathon running is most often measured in times. Beyond this simple measure there is spirit, character, tenacity and a million other things that we might value in an athlete.
Our measure is a closely guarded secret but we think that our list of the the 10 greatest winners on the New York Marathon is a fair mix of all the things that make marathon runners exceptional.
Here are the 10 great winners of the prestigious New York Marathon:
1. Gary Muhrcke was the winner among 56 runners to finish the first New York City Marathon in 1970, garnering a running time of 2:31:38. Muhrcke was perhaps the most talented opponent in the small divisions of New York area distance runners in the 1960’s. He was a two-time winner of the prestigious Yonkers Marathon in that era.
2. Nineteen year-old Beth Bonner was a long-distance marathoner from West Virginia who became the first winner of the 1971 New York City Marathon women’s division. She obtained a running speed of 2:55:22 and was credited as the first sub-three hour performance by a woman. She died in 1998 in New Orleans when she was hit by a truck while biking. A 5k-run is held annually in honor of Bonner in West Virginia.
3. Grete Waitz who was born on 1 Oct, 1953 in Oslo, Norway won nine New York City Marathons from 1978 to 1988 more than any other runner in the marathon history. She started running at age 17 setting the European junior record and since then, she continuously demonstrated her versatility by successfully garnering medals in various marathon competitions.
4. Tesfaye Jifar of Euthopia set a current course record of 2:07:43 in the 2001 men’s division of the New York Marathon. Born on 23 April, 1976, this 35 year-old long distance runner achieved 5 major marathon championships from 1999 to 2005.
5. Margaret Okayo, born May 30, 1976 in Masaba, Kenya is a successful female runner who won the New York Marathon in 2001 and 2003. She started nurturing her running career in 1995. Since she started competing in marathons in 1998, she has successfully earned great achievements from various major competitions. Her latest major win was the London Marathon where she ended 9th placer in 2006. She still holds the course records at the Boston Marathon and the New York Marathon.
6. Thirty two year-old Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa won the men’s wheelchair race in the 2005 New York City Marathon in 1:31:11 course records. Born in 1973 with congenital absence of both legs, Ernst demonstrated great interest in sports. In 1998 he was sponsored by a leading manufacturer of wheelchairs to train, allowing him to win, among others, nine consecutive Boston wheelchair marathons.
7. Gebregziabher Gebremariam is a 26 year-old marathoner from Euthiopia who made his marathon debut at the 2010 New York City Marathon. He won the 1st place in a running time of 2:08:14. He is married to a co-long distance runner Werknesh Kidane. He started winning in various cross country running competitions in 2002 until his latest victory in 2010.
8. Tatyana McFadden is the latest winner of the New York City Marathon Women’s Wheelchair Division. It took her 2:02:22 to finish the race. Tatyana is a paralympian athlete born in Russia with spina bifida, a congenital disorder in the spine. She became engrossed on sports and today she is known as an elite athlete winning many international records. Tatyana continued her vocation in wheelchair basketball, swimming, scuba diving, skiing, ice hockey and the track and field.
9. Alberto Salazar of Cuba won three consecutive New York City Marathons from 1980 through 1982. Representing the United States, his first-ever marathon in 1980 won for him as the fastest American debut and the second-fastest time achieved by a U.S. runner. He started as a high school standout from Massachusetts and since then he earned numerous championship winnings in various prestigious competitions.
10. Edna Kiplagat is a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2010, her second marathon ever and went on to grab the first place in the recently concluded 2010 New York City Marathon. Born on September 15, 1979 she gained her first medal of victory at the 1996 World Junior Championships.
The New York City Marathon is one of the largest annual marathons in the world coursing through the 5 metropolis of New York City. It covers a distance of 26.219 miles participated by more than 43,000 runners.
The New York Marathon is part of the World Marathon Majors with four large races, including the Berlin, London, Boston and Chicago Marathons.
Since its inception in 1970 the New York Marathon has been running every year on the first Sunday of November.
You can find a full list of New York Marathon Winners here.
It’s amazing to see how the New York Marathon has grown so quickly, and how much faster the winners are now than 40 years ago.