The top finishers walked away with hefty paychecks after their impressive performances at the New York City Marathon 2025.
With Hellen Obiri and Benson Kipruto winning the women’s and men’s elite races, the duo each took home the top prize of $100,000 each at the final World Marathon Major of the year.
Obiri shattered the 21-year course record by almost three minutes, winning in 2:19:51, while Kipruto edged compatriot Alexander Mutiso in a dramatic photo finish, with both clocking 2:08:09.
How Much Did Winners and Top 10 Performers Win in the Elite Race at the New York City Marathon?
Obiri and Kipruto weren’t the only big earners, as the runners-up Mutiso and Sharon Lokedi also pocketed $60,000 each.
Third-place finishers Albert Korir and Sheila Chepkirui took home $40,000 apiece. Interestingly, all six podium finishers were Kenyan, marking a clean sweep in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
Fiona O’Keeffe emerged as the top American finisher across both the men’s and women’s fields, earning fourth place in the women’s elite race to earn $25,000. Meanwhile, the Paris Olympics 2024 marathon champion Sifan Hassan finished sixth and added $10,000 to her tally to join the list of prize money earners.
Here’s a look at the top performers and the prize money they earned in New York.
1) Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri – $100,000
2) Alexander Mutiso and Sharon Lokedi – $60,000
3) Albert Korir and Sheila Chepkirui – $40,000
4) Patrick Dever and Fiona O’Keeffe – $25,000
5) Matthias Kyburz and Annie Frisbie – $15,000
6) Joel Reichow and Sifan Hassan – $10,000
7) Charles Hicks and Jessica Warner-Judd – $7,500
8) Sondre Nordstad Moen and Emily Sisson – $5,000
9) Tsegay Weldibanos and Amanda Vestri – $2,500
10) Joe Klecker and Fionnuala McCormack – $2,000
In the men’s and wheelchair division, Marcel Hug and Susannah Scaroni clinched the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, earning $35,000 each.
The athletes finishing second through sixth earned $20,000, $15,000, $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500, respectively.
Benson Kipruto Reveals The Reason Behind His Participation in NYC Marathon
After being announced as one of the runners for the marathon in August, Kipruto opened up about his decision to compete in the major marathon held annually in New York City. He revealed that his goal was to win the NYC Marathon and complete his trio of U.S. major marathon titles, having already won Boston in 2021 and Chicago in 2022.
The Kenyan wrote an Instagram post after being named as one of the elite athletes, saying: “It is the only American @wmmajors marathon left on my bucket list! See you in @nycmarathon!”
Right before competing in the marathon, he was asked if he was at the same level of fitness for the NYC Marathon as he was for the Boston and Chicago Marathons. He replied, “Yes. Kind of. But we always have a different approach to different races. So, it depends also on how we will approach the race.”
He also won the Tokyo Marathon in 2024, in what was one of his most significant achievements, in addition to the major titles he has collected in his career.