New York City Marathon 2024: Four of the top female runners to watch in the Big Apple

Dakotah Lindwurm, USA

Another athlete who competed at Paris 2024 is American Dakotah Lindwurm, who ended the race as the USA’s top finisher after she came home in 12th place.

Lindwurm has high expectations for this year’s race in New York, having improved in an area she feels has been her main weakness in the past.

“I’d say my A goal would be to be on the podium,” Lindwurm said in the build-up to the race. “I don’t think that’s out of reach when I’ve been training so hard on the hills, and for the first time in my life, feel really, really confident on hills.”

Lindwurm will be joined on the start line by a number of other strong American runners, including Tokyo 2020 Olympic trials winner Aliphine Tuliamuk, Rio 2016 1500m bronze medallist Jenny Simpson and 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden.

Each of them will be aiming to spring a surprise in front of a raucous home crowd come Sunday.

Dakota Lindwurm Marathon PB: 2:24:40

Sheila Chepkirui, Kenya

In terms of pure marathon speed, the fastest woman in the field is another Kenyan, Sheila Chepkirui.

The 33-year-old holds a personal best of 2:17:29 set on the rapid Valencia Marathon course in 2022.

While Chepkirui does not have the Olympic pedigree of some of her rivals in New York, she did win bronze in the 10,000m at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Her form over the 42.195km distance has, however, been nothing short of impressive and includes a 2:17:49 at last year’s Berlin Marathon.

She will be aiming for a new PB in a year in which the women’s marathon world record has toppled to under the mythical mark of 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Sheila Chepkirui Marathon PB: 2:17:29