Mary Keitany of Kenya claimed her second consecutive victory in the world’s largest footrace, pulling away to win the women’s division of the New York City Marathon with ease on Sunday.
On a warm, overcast day with temperatures in the mid-50s and a light breeze, Keitany, 33, won handily over Aselefech Mergia, 30, of Ethiopia, breaking from the pack with five miles to go and running the last four miles through Central Park alone. Keitany’s time of 2 hours 24 minutes 25 seconds gave her a cushion of more than a minute, a significantly greater margin than her three-second victory last year, one of the narrowest in the race’s history.