The 2024 NYC Marathon has started, with Tamirat Tola and Hellen Obiri defending their titles

Over 50,000 runners from more than 150 nations participated in the TCS New York City Marathon on a clear Sunday morning.

The professional men's division got underway shortly after 9:00 a.m. with defending New York City Marathon champion Tamirat Tola from Ethiopia trying to become the first man to repeat as champion in New York since Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won in 2011 and 2013, News.Az reports. The 2012 race was canceled because of Superstorm Sandy.

Tola has more history on the line: He is looking to join select company by becoming only the second runner to win both an Olympic gold and the NYC marathon in the same year, equaling the feat accomplished by Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya in 2021.

Jepchirchir is the first runner to win the Olympic, New York and Boston marathons over a career.

Tola is coming off a win at the Paris Games, where he set an Olympic record in the marathon. He said the Paris and New York race courses were similar because of the hills.

To defend his title on his favorite course, he'll have to beat a stellar field that includes past winners Geoffrey Kamworor (2017, 2019), Albert Korir (2021) and Evans Chebet (2022), who all are from Kenya.

Bashir Abdi of Belgium won the silver medal in Paris and also is in the race. Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who finished eighth and ninth in Paris, are the top American men.

News.Az