Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya crosses the finish line first in the men’s division of the New York City Marathon in New York, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017.
Seth Wenig / AP
NEW YORK — Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya has won the New York City Marathon, holding off countryman Wilson Kipsang by three seconds for his first major victory.
Kamworor ran the race in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 53 seconds. He and Kipsang embraced just past the finish line to huge cheers.
American running great and 2009 New York winner Meb Keflezighi completed his 26th and final marathon, collapsing as he crossed the finish.
In the women’s race, Shalane Flanagan pulled away from Mary Keitany to become the first American to win since 1977. Keitany had won three straight New York marathons, but Flanagan pushed ahead with about three miles to go. Flanagan finished with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 26 minutes, 53 seconds — about a minute faster than Keitany.
More than 50,000 runners from across the globe pushed themselves to the limit to traverse each of the five boroughs over a whopping 26 miles and change, CBS New York reports.
The day was dedicated to spirit and pride, and was marked by an unprecedented police presence to protect both the runners and the expected 2.5 million spectators cheering them on along the city-spanning route. The enhanced security was in response to the truck attack in lower Manhattan on Halloween.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.