The 2025 New York Marathon witnessed a spectacular display of Kenyan dominance, with Benson Kipruto securing a historic photo-finish victory in the men's race and Hellen Obiri smashing the course record in the women's event. Both races, held on November 2, 2025, in perfect conditions, provided thrilling moments for spectators.

In the men's race, Benson Kipruto held off a fierce late surge from his compatriot Alexander Mutiso to claim victory in the closest finish in New York Marathon history. Kipruto crossed the finish line in two hours, eight minutes, and nine seconds (2:08:09), just 0.16 seconds ahead of Mutiso, who recorded a time of 2:08:09.16. Kipruto, adding the New York title to his previous major marathon wins in Boston, Chicago, and Tokyo, described the final stretch as "so hard," pushing himself with morale to secure the win. Mutiso, the 2024 London Marathon winner, staged a gripping sprint finish over the final mile, almost catching Kipruto. Albert Korir, the 2021 New York winner, completed the Kenyan sweep of the podium by finishing third in 2:08:57. Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge, in what was anticipated to be his last major marathon appearance, finished 17th with a time of 2:14:36.

The women's race saw an equally dominant performance by Kenya's Hellen Obiri, who powered to victory with a devastating late kick, setting a new course record. Obiri, the 2023 New York winner, pulled away from compatriot Sharon Lokedi with just under a mile remaining, finishing in an impressive two hours, 19 minutes, and 51 seconds (2:19:51). This time obliterated the 22-year-old course record of 2:22:31, which was set by Kenya's Margaret Okayo in 2003. Obiri expressed her delight, noting the strong field and her strategy of patience, especially against Lokedi, a previous New York Marathon winner. Lokedi, who won the New York Marathon in 2022, finished second in 2:20:07, while last year's winner Sheila Chepkirui secured third place in 2:20:24. Notably, all three top finishers in the women's race ran faster than Okayo's old course record. Dutch star Sifan Hassan, the reigning Olympic marathon champion, finished sixth in 2:24:43.