NEW YORK (AP) — Mary Keitany has won her third straight New York City Marathon to become the first woman to win three consecutive marathons in New York since Grete Waltz's five-year run from 1982 to 1986. 
 
 The 34-year-old Kenyan defended her title Sunday in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 26 seconds, beating countrywoman Joyce Chepkirui by nearly four minutes. 
 
 Last year, Keitany pulled away around the 21-mile mark. On Sunday, she began getting a sizable lead at the 15-mile mark as the race crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. 
 
 Keitany reached Manhattan in less than 90 minutes. As she began running up First Avenue, television commentators referred to her as "The Boss of New York City," and following the 20-mile mark, Keitany led by more than two minutes. 
 
 Molly Huddle placed third in her debut after setting an American record at the 10,000 meters in the Rio Olympics. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — Eritrea's Ghirmay Ghebresiassie has won the New York City Marathon in the men's field. 
 
 Ghebresiassie finished his debut in New York with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 51 seconds. 
 
 For most of the course, the men's field was a three-man race between Ghebresiassie, Kenya's Lucas Rotich and Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa. By mile 20, Ghebresiassie gradually began pulling away. 
 
 The 19-year-old beat Rotich by 62 seconds and became the youngest male winner in New York. The previous youngest male winners were Alberto Salazar in 1980 and Tom Fleming in 1973, who won as 22-year-olds. 
 
 Defending champion Stanley Biwott withdrew at the 10-mile mark with a right calf injury. He also dropped out in the Rio Olympics after getting sick. 
 
 American Abdi Abdirahman placed third. 
 
 Desisa, who was the runner-up in New York in 2014 and a two-time Boston Marathon winner, dropped out at the 22nd mile. ||||| First place finisher Tatyana McFadden of the United States, right, talks with second place finisher Manuela Schar of Switzerland at the finish line of the 2016 New York City Marathon in New York, Sunday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 First place finisher Tatyana McFadden of the United States, right, talks with second place finisher Manuela Schar of Switzerland at the finish line of the 2016 New York City Marathon in New York, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — Tatyana McFadden has swept the four major marathons for the fourth straight year by winning the New York City Marathon women's wheelchair race. 
 
 The 27-year-old American finished Sunday with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 47 minutes, 43 seconds. She again completed the Grand Slam by winning in London, Boston, Chicago and New York, extending her record streak to 17 straight wins in major marathons. 
 
 McFadden, who won six medals at the Rio Paralympics, took the lead for good at the 15-mile mark and comfortably led the rest of the course to win for the fifth time in New York. 
 
 Marcel Hug of Switzerland won his second NYC Marathon title in the men's race and his sixth marathon this year. He edged Australia's Kurt Fearnley by a sixth-tenths of a second, repeating their photo finish at last month's Chicago marathon. 
 
 Defending champion Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa came in fourth. ||||| Flat tire halts Paralympian's NYC marathon attempt Updated: 2016-11-07 11:59 By Hezi Jiang in New York(China Daily USA) 
 
 Sometimes the hardest part is not to keep going, but seeing others pass by. 
 
 Sunday was Chinese wheelchair athlete Zou Lihong's first New York City Marathon, and her right rear tire went flat at the 13th-mile point, halfway through the 26.2-mile five-borough run. The tire couldn't be repaired. 
 
 Zou was invited to the event after winning the gold medal in the women's marathon at the Rio Paralympics in the summer, where she narrowly beat Tatyana McFadden, an American marathoner who had swept 17 straight victories in major marathons, including Sunday's. 
 
 "Rio was a surprise to all of us. It was only my fourth marathon," said Zou. "Most of my competitors are very experienced. I admire McFadden a lot." 
 
 McFadden won the women's wheelchair race on Sunday, completing a grand slam of the London, Boston, Chicago and New York marathons for the fourth straight year. Marcel Hug of Switzerland won for the second year in the men's wheelchair competition. 
 
 Mary Keitany of Kenya ran to her third consecutive victory for professional women, and in the men's race, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie, 20, of Eritrea, became the youngest winner in history. 
 
 Despite not being in the best physical condition after a break from the Paralympics, Zou decided to accept the invitation to the NYC Marathon because it gave her another chance to be among the world's best. 
 
 Her team supported and cheered for her through messages and calls. "It feels like they are all here with me," she said during an interview before the race. 
 
 When she realized she couldn't continue, she thought of her supporters. 
 
 "They tried so hard to make this trip happen for me. Getting the visa on a short notice alone was not easy. But I couldn't finish," she said. 
 
 While Zou waited for a bus to pick her up, a volunteer came to her, took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. 
 
 Zou, 32, was born with polio that left her right leg paralyzed. She was managing a small grocery store in Dali, in Southwest China's Yunnan Province in 2009 when the father of a disabled cyclist saw her on the street and told her about the possibility of becoming an athlete. 
 
 She went to Shanghai for a tryout and was told she had talent. Zou started with the fencing team. Her left leg was normal, so sitting in a wheelchair for a long run painfully numbs her leg, but she loves racing. 
 
 Zou maintained her smile and said she likes New York City. She will try to come back another time - to finish a marathon and to see the Statue of Liberty. 
 
 hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com
– Mary Keitany ran away with her third New York City Marathon in a row, reports the AP, with the 34-year-old Kenyan logging an unofficial time Sunday of 2 hours, 24 minutes, 26 seconds to become the first woman to string together three straight victories since the 1980s. And she did so convincingly, finishing nearly four minutes ahead of her nearest rival, Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya. On Sunday, Keitany began getting a sizable lead at the 15-mile mark as the race crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Manhattan. Keitany reached Manhattan in less than 90 minutes. As she began running up First Avenue, TV commentators dubbed her "The Boss of New York City," and following the 20-mile mark, Keitany led by more than two minutes. Molly Huddle placed third in her debut after setting an American record in the 10,000 meters in the Rio Olympics. Elsewhere: Eritrea's Ghirmay Ghebresiassie has won the men's field, finishing his debut in New York with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 51 seconds. For most of the course, the men's field was a three-man race between Ghebresiassie, Kenya's Lucas Rotich and Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa. By mile 20, Ghebresiassie gradually began pulling away. Tatyana McFadden has swept the four major marathons for the fourth straight year by winning the women's wheelchair race. The 27-year-old American finished Sunday with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 47 minutes, 43 seconds. She again completed the Grand Slam by winning in London, Boston, Chicago and New York, extending her record streak to 17 straight wins in major marathons. Meanwhile, Will Reeve, Christopher and Dana Reeve's son, is running the race to raise money for his parents' foundation. For a look at the history of the marathon, click here.