NYC Marathon Winners: Kenya’s Priscah Jeptoo Beats Bronx’s Bizunesh Deba

This morning, Priscah Jeptoo and Geoffrey Mutai won the women's and men's titles in the New York City Marathon, which saw more than 50,000 starters participate. Twenty-nine-year-old Jeptoo, who was born in Kenya and a favorite for the win, overtook 26-year-old Bizunesh Deba, an Ethiopian Bronx resident, despite trailing her for most of the 26.2-mile race. Jeptoo was more than three minutes behind Deba halfway through. She sped through in the end, however, around the 24th mile. Jeptoo clocked in at 2:25:07, while Deba came in at 2:25:46. Mutai, who is also Kenyan, defended his title from 2011 with a time of 2:08:24.

Jeptoo, who's also a London Marathon champion, secured a $500,000 bonus for the World Marathon Majors title, according to the Associated Press. This is also Deba's second straight number-two title in the New York City Marathon. She placed second in 2011, losing out to Firehiwot Dado; the race was canceled last year due to Superstorm Sandy. (The New York Times)