Ethiopian Feyisa Lilesa, American Molly Huddle win NYC Half
NEW YORK (AP) Feyisa Lilesa of Ethiopia ran the fastest time in five years in winning the NYC Half, and Molly Huddle of the United States won her third straight women's title in the 13.1-mile race
Lilesa, the silver medalist in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics, was timed in 1 hour, 4 seconds Sunday and finished ahead of Britain's Callum Hawkins (1:00:08) and fellow Ethiopian Teshome Mekonen (1:00:28). Lilesa outsprinted both in the final stretch for his first win in 2017.
Huddle finished in 1:08:19 over the course from Central Park to Lower Manhattan. Emily Sisson, Huddle's training partner, was second (1:08:21) and Burundi's Diane Nukuri was third (1:09:13).
Huddle's time was the third-fastest in the 12-year history of the event, which drew 20,000 runners.
South Africa's Ernst van Dyk, a two-time New York City Marathon champion in the wheelchair event, won the men's race in 47:28. U.S. Paralympian Susannah Scaroni won the women's race in 55:06.