It's difficult enough to run 26.2 miles in ideal weather conditions -- just try doing it while facing 20- to 40-mph headwinds.
Some 50,000 runners were registered to participate in the New York City Marathon on Sunday morning, with brutal winds in the mid-20 mph range and reported gusts of up to 40 mph. The temperature throughout the morning hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but felt like it was in the mid-30s.
Women at the front of the pack ran single file down Fourth Avenue Brooklyn in the face of the wind. The first wave of men's runners wore hats to keep warm, though some later removed them, as they got deeper into the race.
One ESPN announcer noted several miles into the men's portion of the race that the winds appeared to be adding 10 seconds to run times for each mile for the first wave of runners, compared to last year, potentially adding several minutes to total run times. "This is the slowest marathon since 1984," another ESPN announcer said.
The wind is strong enough that TV cameras capturing the race keep getting knocked around, resulting in a shaky video stream. Still, the runners persevered. The wind came to the runners' backs by the final leg of the race and the sun even came out at the end.
Mary Keitany of Kenya won the women's race with a tie of 2:25:07, narrowly beating fellow Kenyan Jemima Sumgong who finished in 2:25:10. Sara Moreira of Portugal finished third with a time of 2:25:59.
Kenya's Wilson Kipsang, who previously held the world record for the marathon, won the men's race with a time of 2:10:59, marking his first New York victory. Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia came in a close second with a time of 2:11:06.
Wilson Kipsang wins the #tcsnycmarathon in 2:10:59 pic.twitter.com/8Xnii4u3hb— TCS NYC Marathon (@nycmarathon) November 2, 2014
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Post by TCS New York City Marathon.
Wind caused havoc for NYPD Explorers who manned refreshment stand at Lafayette and Classon Ave., in Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/Js3llWcSgl— NYT Sports (@NYTSports) November 2, 2014
#NYCMarathon runners have begun making their way around five boroughs. http://t.co/lnkWP0L39K pic.twitter.com/Uh2NL7i4ZQ— NY1 News (@NY1) November 2, 2014
BONUS: Tatyana McFadden's Grand Slam Marathon Life
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