Athletes’ origin trends in participation and performance of master runners in the New York City marathon (1999–2024): a sex- and age-group analysis

Scientific Reports 2026 Open access

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Authors: Sasa Duric, Elias Villiger, Marilia Santos Andrade, Luciano Bernardes Leite, Pedro Forte, Daniela Chlíbková, Pantelis Τ. Nikolaidis, Katja Weiss, Thomas Rosemann, Beat Knechtle
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-36101-4
Cited by: 2
References: 47

Abstract

It is well known that the fastest elite marathon runners come from East African countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya. However, to date, there is no information available on the origin of the fastest age group (master) marathoners. This study aimed to determine the countries of origin of the fastest age group marathoners who have participated in the 'New York City Marathon' over the past several decades. Race data from 1,009,839 runners (626,183 male and 383,656 female finishers) who completed the 'New York City Marathon' between 1999 and 2024 were analyzed. Participants were categorized into five-year age groups:

Fields of Study & Subjects

Sports Performance and Training Genetics and Physical Performance High Altitude and Hypoxia

Publication details

Journal / source
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
5136–5136
Publication date
13 January 2026
Language
EN