Galen Rupp to headline New York City Marathon

One of the best distance runners in U.S. history will make his debut at the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon. 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Galen Rupp will headline the men’s professional field, which is one of the strongest in recent history with 13 Olympians and six national record holders on Sunday, Nov. 6.

Rupp has competed at every Olympics since 2008, winning silver in the 10,000m in London 2012 and a bronze in the marathon in Rio 2016. He also won the 2017 Chicago Marathon and was the runner-up there last year.

“I am looking forward to making my debut in the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon,” Rupp said in a press release. “This will be my 12th marathon, so I have a lot of experience on my resume. I know a win at the TCS New York City Marathon would be right up there.”

An American man has not won the race since Meb Keflezighi in 2009. 

The reigning champion, Albert Korir of Kenya, will return to defend his TCS New York City Marathon title after taking the tape last year in 2:08:22 to finish one spot better and 14 seconds faster than his runner-up performance in 2019. His victory marked his first Abbott World Marathon Majors win. Korir had previous marathon wins at Elite-label races in Houston, Ottawa, and Vienna City.

Last year’s runner-up, Morocco’s Mohammed El Aaraby, and the 2020 London Marathon champion, Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata, will join Korir and Rupp at the start line. Kenya’s Evans Chebet will also be in the mix, looking to add another world marathon title. The defending Boston Marathon champion and has top five in Berlin, London, and Tokyo, and will be making his first start in New York. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist and Dutch national record holder Abdi Nageeye will also return to New York to better his fifth-place finish in 2021.

Other international stars include Brazilian Olympian and South American marathon record-holder Daniel Do Nascimento, who was eighth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, and Japan’s Suguru Osako, who was third at the 2018 Chicago Marathon and fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon. Both will be making their TCS New York City Marathon debuts.

Five-time U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, who has six career top-10 NYC finishes to his name, will make his final start at the 2022 marathon. The 45-year-old distance runner has announced he will retire from professional competition at the end of 2022. Abdirahman finished third in the NYC marathon in 2016. 

You can view the full list of elites for the 2022 TCS New York City Marathon here.