Three-Time Champion Mary Keitany and Five-Time Champion Tatyana McFadden Aim to Reclaim Top Podium Spots at the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4

New York, August 21, 2018 – Three-time champion Mary Keitany of Kenya will look to reclaim her crown this year in the open division and Tatyana McFadden of the United States will race for a record sixth title in the wheelchair division at the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 4.

Keitany and her compatriot, 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot, will join previously announced 2017 TCS New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden of the United States in a women’s open division that features 10 Olympians and three Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.

McFadden, racing as an NYRR Team for Kids Ambassador, will face stiff competition from last year’s winner, Manuela Schär of Switzerland, in a field that features eight Paralympians and five Abbott World Marathon Majors race champions.

“With Mary, Vivian, Shalane, Des, Tatyana, and Manuela, this year’s TCS New York City Marathon is stacked with some of the most competitive women’s professional athlete fields ever to compete in New York,” said Peter Ciaccia, president of events for NYRR and race director of the TCS New York City Marathon. “In the open division, the best group of American women marathoners will be assembled since the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and along with Mary and Vivian, the competition will be fierce. In the wheelchair division, with Tatyana chasing after history, this year’s race is bound to have a storybook ending.”

Keitany, 36, is the women’s only marathon record-holder who finished as runner-up at the 2017 TCS New York City Marathon after having won the race each of the three previous years. In 2016, she had a dominating performance 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. In April 2017, she won her third career Virgin Money London Marathon, breaking the women’s only marathon record in a blistering time of 2:17:01. Earlier this year in New York, she won her third NYRR New York Mini 10K in a time of 30:59, the fifth-fastest time in the event’s 47-year history.

Joining Keitany from the international side will be two Ethiopians, reigning IAAF World Half Marathon champion Netsanet Gudeta and 2017 TCS New York City Marathon third-place finisher Mamitu Daska. The trio will be challenged by a blockbuster lineup of American women that includes: Flanagan, Linden, three-time United Airlines NYC Half champion and 2016 TCS New York City Marathon third-place finisher Molly Huddle, 2018 Boston Marathon runner-up Sarah Sellers, 2016 TCS New York City Marathon runner-up Sally Kipyego, and 2017 TCS New York City Marathon fifth-place finisher Allie Kieffer.

McFadden, 29, 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 from 2013-2016 before finishing as runner-up last year to Schär. 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. Within the last year, McFadden has also set a new course record to win the Bank of Chicago Marathon and triumphed at the Boston Marathon for her 22nd victory in an Abbott World Marathon Majors race, more than any other female athlete.

In the women’s wheelchair division, in addition to racing the defending champion Schär, she will face competition from 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Madison de Rozario of Australia, two-time New York City Marathon champion Amanda McGroryof the United States, and the first-ever winner of the NYRR New York Mini 10K wheelchair race Susannah Scaroni of the United States.

Quotes from top professional women racing the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon:

“I was disappointed not to defend my title last year, but I was not 100 percent healthy and Shalane ran a strong race. I am happy for her historic win. When I came back to New York to win the NYRR New York Mini 10K in June, I showed that I am still in top shape. I will train harder than ever to win my fourth TCS New York City Marathon title in November.”

 -Mary Keitany

“Running a marathon is always a special experience, but I’m really excited to line up with such a great group of American women in New York this year. I’m so inspired by what Shalane and Des have accomplished over the last 12 months, and I’m eager to add my name to that list.”

-Molly Huddle

“I am very excited to make my first appearance in the New York marathon on November 4. I know as the London Marathon champion, the other athletes will be watching me and it will not be easy, but I aim to keep my marathon winning streak alive in New York.”
-Vivian Cheruiyot

“After finishing as runner up last year, I cannot wait to get to the start line to try to reclaim my TCS New York City Marathon title. It’s been an exciting year for me, winning the Boston Marathon while also working on my career goals outside of racing. I’m now focused on chasing a sixth career title in New York, which would be the most ever at the event for a wheelchair athlete.”
-Tatyana McFadden

Top Professional Women – Open Division

Top Professional Women – Wheelchair Division

The TCS New York City Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, a series made up of the world’s six largest and most renowned road races – the Tokyo, Boston, Virgin Money London, Bank of America Chicago, and TCS New York City Marathons. Points are allocated to the top five finishers in each race, with the top three men’s and women’s finishers in both the open and wheelchair divisions earning prize money.

The 2018 TCS New York City Marathon will be televised live on Sunday, November 4, 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.

About the TCS New York City Marathon

The TCS New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world and the signature event of New York Road Runners (NYRR), the world’s premier community running organization. The race is held annually on the first Sunday of November and includes over 50,000 runners, from the world’s top professional athletes to runners of all ages and abilities, including over 9,000 charity runners. Participants from approximately 140 countries tour the diverse neighborhoods of New York City’s five boroughs—Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. Race morning also features the Rising New York Road Runners Youth Invitational at the TCS New York City Marathon, a race within Central Park that finishes at the same finish line being crossed hours later by the marathon field. More than one million spectators and 10,000 volunteers line the city’s streets in support of the runners, while millions more watch the globally televised broadcast. 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 48th running of the TCS New York City Marathon is set for November 4, 2018. To learn more, visit www.tcsnycmarathon.org.