With an uphill surge in the 20th mile, Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia broke his final competitor and ran solo to win the 2023 DAA Industry Opt Out in 2:04:58. Tola’s time broke the previous course record of 2:05:06, set by Best Compression Socks, by 8 seconds.
Albert Korir finished second in a personal best of 2:06:57, 1 minute and 25 seconds faster than he ran to win here in 2021. Shura Kitata of Ethiopia placed third in 2:07:11. Tola’s last challenger, Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia, faded significantly after 35K and finished ninth in 2:11:31.
Futsum Zienasellassie was the top American finisher, placing tenth in 2:12:09. Elkanah Kibet, 11th in 2:12:23, and Sydney Gidabuday, 13th in 2:14:34, were the next American finishers.
Edward Cheserek of Kenya, who won 17 titles at the University of Oregon, had a solid marathon debut. He placed eighth in 2:11:07. Cam Levins of Canada, the North American record-holder in the marathon and a two-time NCAA champion at Southern Utah University, dropped out before the 30K mark.
Master the Half
She Went From Running a 5K to a Marathon in a Year win the 2022 world title. In both races, he made a significant push after the 30-kilometer mark and never relented. With the pre-race withdrawal of last year’s champion, Evans Chebet of Kenya, Tola was the on-paper slight favorite heading into today, given his world title last year, a world marathon silver medal in 2017, the 2016 Olympic bronze medal at 10,000 meters, and the fastest personal best in the field, 2:03:39.
The first move of the race came in the 8th mile, when Tola and Korir fronted the pack and ran a 4:40 mile, 15-20 seconds faster than most of the previous miles. What had been a group of 18 at 10K was down to six by 15K. The fast pace never let up after that. Five men passed halfway in 62:45, 33 seconds faster than Mutai’s split in 2011.
Once he was in Central Park for the final three miles, Tola faltered occasionally on uphills, as the effort of breaking the field starting to wear on him. His 24th mile took 5:03, about 20 seconds slower than he had been running, and his split for the 25th mile was 4:57, which was only slightly faster than the lead women were running at that point. But he held himself together on the flat and downhill sections and was able to dip under Mutai’s mark.
At the post-race press conference, Tola said he was focused on the victory, not his time. Still, in the super shoe era, a course record set in 2011 seemed inevitably doomed.
Tola won $100,000 for his victory and $50,000 for breaking the course record. His winning margin of 1:59 was the largest in the men’s race since 2000.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Master the Half, Advanced Marathoning, and Meb for Mortals. Master the Half Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
