New York marathon rocked by runner's 'scary' mid-race collapse

Evans Chebet has completed a brilliant Kenyan clean sweep of the New York marathon after a men's race that was rocked by a scary mid-race moment.

Brazil's Daniel Do Nascimento suffered a frightening collapse after jumping out to a decent lead after a fast start in the unseasonably warm conditions in New York.

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Do Nascimento had been leading for the entirety of the men's race - even after taking a toilet break - until he slowed down and collapsed around the 21-mile (34km) mark.

The Brazilian set a blistering pace in conditions that were considerably warmer than previous New York marathons, with the temperature reaching 23 degrees in Central Park at 11am.

It made it the hottest New York marathon since 1986, with the typical average temperature for New York in November, a considerably cooler 9 degrees.

Do Nascimento surged clear of the field early on in what always looked like an unsustainable pace, with the 24-year-old from Sao Paulo crossing halfway in a blistering 1:01:22 - putting him firmly on track for a course record.

However, the warmer conditions and the pace Do Nascimento went out in undoubtedly contributed to his mid-race collapse, after the Brazilian had opened up a two-minute lead on his nearest rival, Chebet.

Do Nascimento took a 20-second portable toilet break at the 18-mile (29km) mark, before his body began to give way a short time later.

The Brazilian's impressive early pace soon turned to a walk, before he fell to the ground and collapsed in a heap, to the concern of onlookers.

Do Nascimento was lying face down with his arms out in front of him as Chebet passed the stricken Brazilian, who had reportedly recovered a short time later after being attended to by paramedics.

Evans Chebet completes famous marathon double

Chebet capitalised on his rival's frightening mishap to become the first man to win the Boston and New York Marathons in the same season since 2011.

The 33-year-old looked in total control over the closing stages, holding off the challenge of Ethiopia's Shura Kitata comfortably to win in a time of 2hr 08min 41sec.

Kitata trailed home in second place, 13 seconds adrift of the lead, while Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands was third.

Chebet's win means Kenyan runners have won all six of this year's major marathons - the first time that has happened since the circuit expanded in 2013 with the addition of the Tokyo Marathon.

"Boston was actually harder but it was good preparation for the win in New York," Chebet told ESPN through an interpreter following his win.

As well as the sweep of the men's races, Chebet's victory also completed a Kenyan double in New York after debutant Sharon Lokedi took the women's race.

Lokedi produced a superb tactical performance to win in a time of 2:23:23.

The 28-year-old bided her time after breaking away alongside 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase of Ethiopia and world championships bronze medallist Lonah Salpeter of Israel with a few miles to go.

After Gebreslase was dropped going through Central Park it became a duel between Lokedi and Salpeter.

Lokedi ramped up the pace in the final mile to build a gap of around 20 meters before surging home to take the tape.

"I'm just out of words, so happy, really excited —

I just won," Lokedi said afterwards.

"I don't even know what to say. So happy that I did it here — it's just a great day, great race. The course was amazing, the cheers, everything, I'm just thankful."

Salpeter finished second in 2:23:30 with Gebreslase taking third place.

This year's New York Marathon is the first time the race has been held at full capacity since 2019, with an estimated 50,000 runners taking part.

The race was scrapped in 2020 due to the pandemic and downsized significantly in 2021.

with agencies

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