Report: NYC Marathon has no entrants from Ebola-stricken nations

The largest marathon in the world does not have any entrants from three Ebola-stricken countries, according to the Associated Press.

Author:
SI Wire
Publish date:
Oct 27, 2014

The largest marathon in the world does not have any entrants from three Ebola-stricken countries, according to the Associated Press.

No registered runners in The New York City Marathon, which will be held this Sunday and is expected to feature more than 50,000 runners, are from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone, three countries at the center of the Ebola outbreak in western Africa.

An African runner has won the marathon in 13 of the past 16 races. However, each of those runners has hailed from the eastern side of the continent.

Charities such as UNICEF have sponsored runners in the race in order to raise money for Ebola treatment in the stricken countries, AP reports.

Race officials had expected New York to have at least one confirmed case of the disease before the Nov. 2 race, officials told AP.

Race director Mary Wittenberg said she and others have “heard very little from our runners” concerning Ebola in New York affecting the race, CBS New York reported Monday. One male in New York confirmed to have Ebola, Dr. Craig Spencer, is himself a past competitor in the New York City Marathon.

40th NYC Marathon

Meb Keflezighi of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., celebrated after becoming the first American to win the New York City Marathon since 1982. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist posted a time of 2:09:15.

Thousands of runners filled the top deck of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (which connects Staten Island with Brooklyn) at the start of the race.

Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia won the women's title in 2:28:52. She pulled away from Russia's Ludmila Petrova in the final half-mile to win this marathon for the first time.

Winner Meb Keflezighi (USA jersey) moved through Brooklyn with the front-runners, including Americans Ryan Hall (left) and Jorge Torres (orange shorts) and Jackson Kotut Kipkoech of Kenya. The 2006 and '08 winner, Marilson Gomes dos Santos (far right), dropped out in the 23rd mile.

Cups littered Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn as runners grabbed water. Officials said 43,741 people ran the race, which winds through all five boroughs of New York City.

A female handcycle competitor watched as some of the men (Including 10th-place finisher Jason Lehmkuhle) compete.

Ryan Hall greeted Meb Keflezighi (8) at the finish line. Hall, who trains with Keflezighi, finished fourth in 2:10:36 and was one of six Americans to finish in the top 10.