42.195 kilometres through the streets of New York – past cheering crowds, through five boroughs, and across legendary bridges. The New York Marathon is more than a race: it’s a global running festival.
2025 was no exception. 59,113 runners reached the finish line in Central Park – exhausted, emotional, and proud. Among them were world stars, ambitious amateurs, and countless personal stories. The data from these finishers reveals what truly defines the marathon: diversity, passion, and the art of finding your own pace.
Winning Times
At the top, the Kenyan stars once again dominated:
- Benson Kipruto (34) won the men’s race in 2:08:09 (3:02/km).
- Hellen Obiri (35) claimed victory among the women in 2:19:51 (3:19/km).
From a Swiss perspective, Matthias Kyburz provided a highlight: with a time of 2:09:55, he finished in 5th place – placing himself firmly among the world’s elite. A result that shows how close Switzerland has come to the very best – and one that makes the running.COACH community proud.
The finisher data shows:
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Average time overall: 4:32:40
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Women: 4:48:24
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Men: 4:19:13
The large number of finishers and the solid average performance underline that the New York Marathon isn’t just a competition for professionals – it’s a global running experience that pushes tens of thousands of recreational runners to their limits and beyond every year.
Gender Distribution: Women Are Catching Up
The proportion of women among finishers at the New York Marathon was 46%, while men still made up the majority with 54%. But a look at the age distribution reveals an interesting trend:
The younger the participants, the more balanced the ratio. In the age groups between 20 and 30 years, the proportion of women even exceeds that of men in some cases – a clear sign that running is increasingly shaped by women among younger generations.
Age Structure and Performance
Broken down by gender
A closer look at the age distribution shows small differences between the genders.
Among men, the 29-year-olds formed the largest age group with 1,094 finishers.
Among women, the peak came slightly earlier – 28-year-olds were the largest group with 1,306 finishers.
Overall, it shows that peak marathon participation for women occurs just under age 30, while for men it’s right around 30.
Performance-wise, certain patterns also emerge:
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Fastest men: 26-year-olds with an average time of 4:04:38
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Fastest women: 24-year-olds with an average of 4:33:53
Across all age groups, the performance decline among men is largely linear up to around age 70. After that, there’s a noticeable drop – an indication that physiological limits become more significant from that point onward.
Among women, the performance decline is generally gentler and without distinct thresholds. Slight changes appear around the ages of 60 and 70, but they progress more evenly than among men.
Pacing Analysis: When the Race Was Decided
A fascinating look at the race dynamics shows clear differences between the women’s and men’s elite fields.
For the women, the decisive phase began early: from mile 9 the field began to spread out. While Hellen Obiri and Sharon Lokedi steadily increased the pace, Sifan Hassan initially kept up – but had to pay the price from mile 18 onward and lost several positions in the final kilometres. Her approach – staying at the front for as long as possible – was bold but risky, and shows just how fine the balance between attack and endurance is at this level.
For the men, on the other hand, the leading pack stayed together until mile 14. Only after that did the pace change, as several runners broke away. Of the eight who tried to pull ahead, only four managed to hold their positions to the finish. Matthias Kyburz played to his strength in the second half of the race: from mile 14 onward, he led the chasing group and impressively fought his way to 5th place.
These pacing analyses highlight that it’s not just speed, but also the timing of energy distribution that determines victory and placement – especially on the demanding course through New York’s five boroughs.
Pacing by Age Group
The following chart shows a constant pace as a reference value. Values above the reference line indicate a faster pace than the average pace on that mile segment.
For the men, two things stand out in particular:
First, the elite managed to run a negative split – completing the second half of the race faster than the first. That’s a sign of controlled pacing and excellent race strategy – and probably also indicates that the first half of the race was shaped by tactics.
Secondly, it shows that amateur runners tend to overpace in the first six miles – they start too fast and lose significant time as the race goes on.
For the women, by contrast, no clear negative split among the elite can be seen. This is also because the decisive move came as early as mile 9 and the pace remained high from that point on.
A similar pattern appears here as with the men: recreational runners often start too fast and therefore fade more strongly on the final miles.
Conclusion
The 2025 New York Marathon vividly shows how the running world is evolving – and staying true to itself at the same time.
More and more women are shaping the field, 30-year-olds dominate in both numbers and performance, and even beyond age 60, runners are still impressively strong.
The analyses make one thing clear: controlled pacing and experience beat overconfidence. Those who distribute their energy wisely run more consistently – and usually faster in the end. This holds true for elites and recreational runners alike.
And from a Swiss point of view? With Matthias Kyburz finishing 5th, the running.COACH community has proven that Swiss endurance has truly arrived on the world stage. Register now and become part of our community too!
Data analysis by Siarhei Thor
