NEW YORK – Just before mile 24, Ethiopian Buzunesh Deba looked over her shoulder as her lead began to vanish. Once Kenya's Priscah Jeptoo, with her knock-kneed stride belying the ease of her pace, pulled ahead, there was no need to look back.
In her New York City Marathon debut, Jeptoo won the women's race on Sunday with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 7 seconds, almost a minute ahead of Deba. As she crossed the finish line, Jeptoo threw her arms in the air, then leaned over for an extended breath. With the victory, she received a $500,000 bonus for also capturing the World Marathon Majors women's title.
Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai, 32, won the men's race in 2:08:24. It's the third time Kenyans swept both the men's and women's titles (2002, 2003). The only other country to sweep was the United States in 1977.
TRIBUTE: New York has Boston feel
Jeptoo entered New York as a favorite in the women's field after winning the London Marathon this year. Deba, who trains in the Bronx, finished runner-up for her second consecutive race in New York.
At mile 14, Jeptoo was trailing by 3 minutes, 29 seconds and didn't know how big the gap was until an official riding a bicycle told her. "I realized that three minutes is almost one kilometer. So I started to push the pace," she said. "I was having confidence that I will make it."
The first American woman to finish was Adriana Nelson, 33, of Fort Collins, Colo., who was 13th. Born in Romania, Nelson became an American citizen in 2011.
Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede finished second in the men's race, almost a minute behind Mutai, and took the World Marathon Majors men's title. The World Marathon Majors series includes five major marathons, the Olympics and world championships. Professional runners accumulate points over a two-season cycle.
Mutai is one of the fastest marathon runners in the world, posting a 2:03:02 on Boston's hilly course in 2011.
In 2011, when Mutai won New York, he shattered the course record by more than two and a half minutes. Given the strong wind on Sunday, no such marks were in reach. "To win is easy, but to defend your title is not easy," Mutai said. "The weather today, it was not easy."
As for the reaction back home after winning two consecutive New York City marathons? "I think I'm more famous now in Kenya," he said.
Ryan Vail, from Portland, Ore., was the first American male finisher in 13th place.
American Tatyana McFadden made history with her victory in the women's wheelchair race, completing a sweep of the Boston, London, Chicago and New York marathons in a single year.
More than 50,000 runners started the race through the five boroughs. Six months after two explosions near the Boston Marathon finish line killed three people and injured more than 260, security was highly visible along the New York course. Race organizers spent about $1 million on security, double the amount of the previous year. There were more barricades and security checkpoints for spectators and runners were not allowed to carry over the shoulder hydration packs.
All of the runners were given blue ribbons to pay tribute to Boston. A Boston Marathon yellow line was also painted alongside the traditional blue line heading into the homestretch.
The New York City Marathon returned after last year's cancellation due to Superstorm Sandy. About 22,000 runners entered in last year's race returned to the field for Sunday's race, according to the New York Road Runners.
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