HOKA NAZ ELITE ATHLETES COMPETING:
KELLYN TAYLOR and FUTSUM ZIENASELLASSIE
Women – 8:40am ET
Men – 9:05am ETHOW TO WATCH LIVE FROM ESPN

DOWNLOAD THE NYC MARATHON APP
(check this out as you can watch non-stop streaming of the top men and top women)

WOMEN’S RACE PREVIEW: The media are calling this one the greatest NYC field ever and they may be right. It features defending champion Sharon Lokedi, reigning Boston champ Hellen Obiri, former world record holder Brigid Kosgei, current half marathon world record holder Letesenbet Gidey, and…oh yeah…Olympic gold medalist and 2021 NYC champ Peres Jepchirchir. Throw in American stars Molly Huddle and Kellyn Taylor and you have just about everything you could ever want on Sunday morning.

As for picking a favorite, keep in mind that Jepchirchir voiced some concern about a calf injury she picked up recently in training and that Lokedi was forced to withdraw from Boston last spring with an injury. As such, it would seem that Gidey, Kosgei and Obiri are the top choices. But in New York, you never know. No one picked Lokedi to win last year.

MEN’S RACE PREVIEW: If the media are calling the women’s field the greatest ever, the narrative about the men’s race seems to be that it’s wide open. With three late withdrawals, the list of contenders was whittled down but perhaps the uncertainty will provide the drama that NYC so often does. You could see a champion like Tamirat Tola—the 2022 World Champs gold medalist who’s twice been runner-up at World Marathon Majors (Tokyo ’22 and London ’23), or like Shura Kitata—the 2020 London champ who’s twice been second in NYC. But you might also see the first ever Canadian champ in the form of Cam Levins whose 170-mile training weeks have caused jaws to drop across the running world. Or maybe 17-time NCAA champ Ed Cheserek, who went to high school at St. Benedict’s Prep in nearby Newark, New Jersey, will win it in his marathon debut. Finally, there’s American star Futsum Zienasellassie who battled Cheserek in both high school and college. Zienasellassie won his first ever marathon, ran 2:09 in his second, and comes to New York in the finest form of his career.

FULL FIELDS

MORE ON FUTSUM: Futsum ran for HOKA NAZ Elite in 2017 for one year before returning in the fall of 2022. Since that time he’s won the USATF Marathon Championships, run a 2:09:40 at the NN Rotterdam Marathon and finished 33rd at the World Road Running Championships in the half marathon. He was also fifth at both the USATF 7-Mile Championships in July and the 20k Championships in September.

Futsum made the choice to run NYC so that he could continue to hone his marathon racing skills in advance of February’s Olympic Trials, a race where he will undoubtedly be one of the favorites. The championship-style racing in New York, the challenging course, and the unparalleled atmosphere should certainly provide him the experience he’s looking for. Keep an eye on his place as well. The highest-ever NAZ Elite finish at a World Marathon Major is sixth with Steph Bruce (Chicago), Kellyn Taylor (NYC) and Scott Smith (Boston) all having accomplished the feat.

MORE ON KELLYN: Kellyn is an original member of NAZ Elite—part of the roster when the team was founded in January of 2014. In a decade with the squad, she’s won 19 races and owns three Olympic Trials Top-10s, three World Marathon Major Top 10s, two national titles, and team records at 10,000 meters, 25k and the marathon. She’s also the course record holder at the Grandma’s Marathon (2:24:28) and was the #1 American at 10,000 meters in 2020. Her previous three appearances at the NYC Marathon: eighth in 2017, seventh in 2019 and sixth in 2021.

Since having her fourth child in December of 2022 she’s finished in the top 10 at the Mastercard Mini 10k in June, won the USATF 7-Mile Championships in July and was seventh at the USATF 20k Champs in September. Training over the last two months has been as good as she could have hoped and she returns to her “favorite marathon” in as good a place as ever before.

Articles

AZ Family: Flagstaff residents finish in top 10 in the New York City Marathon

New York Road Runners: Morgan Beadlescomb and Annie Rodenfels Capture Their First National Titles at 2023 USATF 5K Championships at Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K

New York Times: How the New York City Marathon Is Supporting New Moms on Race Day

Citius Mag: 2023 New York City Marathon Preview: Athletes, Storyline To Watch

LetsRun: 2023 NYC Marathon Men’s Preview: Who’s the Favorite, Ed Cheserek Debuts, & Could Cam Levins Win?

LetsRun: The Ultimate NYC Marathon Women’s Preview: Fantastic Four Set to Wage War in Strongest NYC Ever

Women’s Running: Postpartum Comebacks: Americans Kellyn Taylor and Molly Huddle Are Ready to Race the New York City Marathon

Podcasts

2 Black Runners: Ep. 121: Futsum Zienasellassie | Preparing for First NYC Marathon | Secrets to Start of NAU XC Dynasty | African Culture on U.S. Running Scene
Futsum joined two of the best young podcasters in the business, Aaron and Josh Potts, to discuss all sorts of topics including re-joining HOKA NAZ Elite, the World Road Running Champs, African culture in the U.S. running scene, idolizing Meb Keflezighi, and of course this weekend’s NYC Marathon.

CTolleRun: Kellyn Taylor – Open Arms
Olympian Carrie Tollefson chats with Kellyn about coming back from pregnancy, being the mother of four, the time between NYC and the Olympic Trials, what to expect this weekend and more.

VIDEOS

LetsRun: Kellyn Taylor Pre-Race

RESULTS

USATF 5k Champs: Ahmed Muhumed – 2nd place!!

TCS New York City Marathon (Women): Kellyn Taylor – 8th place!!

TCS New York City Marathon (Men): Futsum Zienasellassie – 10th place!!