2 US Runners Make It to the Podium in the NYC Marathon

In case there were any doubts, Mary Keitany just solidified herself as the current queen of the TCS New York City Marathon, winning the women's race for a third consecutive year. Keitany was a force from the get go, positioning herself as the leader at the 10-mile mark.

Keitany, 34, took her title in 2:24:26, with her closest competitor, Sally Kipyego of Kenya, close to four minutes behind with a time of 2:28:01. Molly Huddle of the USA finished in third place with a time of 2:28:13. This was Huddle's marathon debut.

This is the first three-time consecutive women's winner of the NYC Marathon in 30 years; Grete Waitz won the NYC Marathon for a five-year stretch from 1982-1986. Keitany said, "It means a lot to me. I am very excited I got it again . . . three times. I know that it's not easy, but I got it." Of her three NYC Marathon wins, this was Keitany's second best time. In 2015 she finished the course in 2:24:25, and her time in 2014 was 2:25:07. Keitany currently is the world record holder for the 25K and is the second-fastest woman to have ever run a marathon with her 2012 London Marathon time of 2:18:37.

Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea clinched the men's race finishing with a time of 2:07:51. For those doing the math, that's an average mile pace of 4:53. This is Ghebreslassie's first appearance at the NYC Marathon. This win makes him the youngest winner of the prestigious race and also the first Eritrean athlete to win in New York.

In second place was Lucas Rotich of Kenya, who finished with a time of 2:08:53. In third, Abdi Abdirahman of the USA finished with a time of 2:11:23.