Stanley Biwott drops out of New York City Marathon; security high

NEW YORK — Clear skies and high security greeted the 50,000 runners in today’s New York City Marathon. Temperatures in the low 50’s and northwest winds of 5 to 17 miles an hour should provide near-perfect conditions.

And since it the Presidential election is just two days away and the two main candidates are from New York, security is on high alert. The New York Police Department says it assigned 10% more cops to marathon duty this year than the thousands who worked on last year’s race.

Last year’s male winner, Stanley Biwott of Kenya, dropped out approximately nine miles into the race.

Mary Keitany of Kenya, a 34-year-old mother of two and the second-fastest female marathoner in history, returned to defend her title. This year, Keitany is vying for a three-peat and, if she succeeds, she would be the first female runner to do so since Grete Waitz of Norway in the 1980s. Her toughest competition may be Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia who has lived in the Bronx for the past 10 years and placed second in New York twice.

The top American in the men's race should be three-time Olympian Dathan Ritzenhein, 33, of Michigan, who has been self-coached for the past two years.

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In the wheelchair race, American Tatyana McFadden is heavily favored to win her fourth New York City title in a row, but it won’t be easy. McFadden uncharacteristically lost two marathons this year. She placed second at the Tokyo Marathon and second at the Rio Paralympics. The two women who beat her (Japan’s Wakako Tsuchida, and China’s Zou Lihong, respectively) were added to the New York City field to make her work.

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Also worth watching will be the fascinating marathon debut of 2016 Olympic triathlon champion Gwen Jorgensen. The Wisconsin native has repeatedly proven to be one of the world’s best runners in triathlon and if her muscles can withstand several hours of pounding, she may post a strong finish. (Her longest run was16 miles, however, so she said she had no expectations as far as a time or a rank.)