Canadian runner and two-time Olympic champion Charles Philibert-Thibouteau is looking forward to resting before his retirement.
The 34-year-old capped his 15-year track and road racing career with his marathon debut Sunday in New York, finishing 21st in the men's pro field in two hours, 26 minutes, 25 seconds.
“It wasn’t the best time, but I got through the first half with a 65-20 lead,” he told Canadian Running. “It was a lot faster than I wanted, but I felt great.”
However, Philibert-Thiboutot soon began to tighten up at 28 or 29 kilometers out of 42.2 and almost stopped.
“All that mattered [at that point] I was finishing, but it was very hard,” he said.
Philibert-Thiboutot retires from the sport on a high note, posting three personal best indoor times over the 1500m, mile (1609m) and 5000m to start his final campaign. He set four more outdoor distances, highlighted by his victory and national record of 28 minutes and six seconds at the Canadian 10K road championships in Ottawa on May 24.
In early April, Philibert-Thibouteau ran the 3,000 and 5,000 meters at the first Grand Slam competition in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Quebec athlete has three top-three finishes on the track, including a silver medal in the 1,500m at the NACAC Championships in mid-August and a victory Sept. 20 at the Canadian 5K Road Championships in Montreal.
Philibert-Thibouteau made his Olympic debut in 2016, finishing 16th in the 1500m in Rio, before struggling with injuries for several seasons.
He failed to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but returned for the Summer Games last year in Paris, where Philibert-Thiboutot clocked a 2024 season best of 3:33.29 in his 1500th semifinal.
“I'm very tired mentally and physically. I'm very happy with my career,” he said on Sunday.
Obiri broke Okay's record
Meanwhile, the course record was set at the women's event in New York, and the men's race was the closest finish in history, decided to within a split second.
Hellen Obiri of Kenya broke the women's record, while compatriot Benson Kipruto won the men's race, 3-100 seconds ahead of Alexander Mutiso.
Obiri, who also won the race in 2023, finished in two hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds. She ran alongside 2022 winner Sharon Lokedi until Obiri pulled away from her compatriot in the final 1.6km to take the lead and win easily by 16 seconds, beating the previous course record of 2:22.31 set by Margaret Okaya in 2003.
“It’s so cool… I’m so excited to set the course record,” Obiri said. “1km left and I felt so strong. I still have some left in the tank.”
Defending champion Sheila Chepkirui finished third. All three outperformed the previous course on a beautiful day for running, with temperatures above 10C at the start of the race.
Kipruto and Mutiso separated from their pursuers in the men's 39 km race. Kipruto appeared to have blown the race by pulling away from Mutiso in the final 200m. But Mutiso, who is also from Kenya, was not done: he jumped up the last 50 meters and then nearly fell. Kipruto, competing in the race for the first time in New York, finished in 2:08.40. The finish was the best of the 2005 race, which was decided by seconds.
“I knew Mutiso was behind,” said Kipruto, who has also won the Boston, Chicago and Tokyo marathons. “It was so close and I knew it because I know Mutiso is a strong guy.”
Albert Korir, the 2021 winner, finished third, giving Kenya the top three spots in both the men's and women's races.
Eliud Kipchoge, who turns 41 next week, finished the historic race as one of the most experienced marathon runners in sports. Kipchoge, who has won 11 of the world's major marathons, finished 17th in his first race in New York.
Marcel Hug and Susanne Scaroni both won the wheelchair races by dominant margins. Hug, known as the Silver Bullet, won the marathon seven times. He finished 3:52 ahead of second place David Weir.
Scaroni defended her title and won for the third time in four years. She crossed the finish line in 5:43, ahead of second-place Tatyana McFadden, who has won the race five times.
