1987 Ballot results

TCS New York City Marathon 1987 ballot: 18th running

Run on 1 November 1987, the 18th New York City Marathon was defined by Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya, who won the men's race in 2:11:01 to become the first African runner to win the five-borough event, while Priscilla Welch of Great Britain took the women's title in 2:30:17 at age 42.

The datasheet
Edition
18th running
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
n/a
Not yet reported
Race day
Nov 1
1987
Time qualifier
M2:53 W3:13
Open category (18–34)
Context

What made 1987 notable

New York 1987 belonged to Ibrahim Hussein. The Kenyan made his decisive move around the 24-kilometre mark and held on through Central Park to win in 2:11:01, becoming the first African runner to win the New York City Marathon and opening a new era for East African distance running at the Majors. He finished just 52 seconds clear of Gianni Demadonna of Italy, with Peter Pfitzinger of the United States a further second back. The women's race went to Priscilla Welch of Great Britain in 2:30:17, the 42-year-old winning more than a minute ahead of Francoise Bonnet of France, with Jocelyne Villeton of France third. It was a breakthrough day on both sides of the field.

Year over year

Applications over time

Applications · 2013 → 2026 10 editions
33K77K98K105K118K84K128K165K200K240K
'13'14'17'18'19'22'23'24'25'26
Qualifying

Time qualifier standards

View full age-group standards +
Age groupMenWomen
18-342:53:003:13:00
35-392:58:003:15:00
40-443:03:003:26:00
45-493:13:003:38:00
50-543:18:003:51:00
55-593:28:004:10:00
60-643:43:004:27:00
65-693:58:004:50:00
70-744:13:005:30:00
75-794:28:006:00:00
80-844:48:006:35:00
85-895:03:006:35:00
90+5:18:006:35:00
FAQ

Questions about the 1987 ballot

Why was the 1987 NYC Marathon notable? +

Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya won the men's race in 2:11:01 to become the first African runner to win the New York City Marathon, opening a new era of East African success at the Majors. Priscilla Welch of Great Britain won the women's race in 2:30:17 at age 42.

Who won the 1987 NYC Marathon? +

Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya won the men's race in 2:11:01, ahead of Gianni Demadonna of Italy in 2:11:53 and Peter Pfitzinger of the United States in 2:11:54. Priscilla Welch of Great Britain won the women's race in 2:30:17, ahead of Francoise Bonnet of France in 2:31:22 and Jocelyne Villeton of France in 2:32:03.

Was Ibrahim Hussein the first African to win the NYC Marathon? +

Yes. His 1987 victory in 2:11:01 made him the first African runner to win the New York City Marathon. He went on to win the Boston Marathon in 1988.

What were the 1987 NYC Marathon drawing numbers? +

New York Road Runners did not publish a separate drawing or lottery selection count for the 1987 race, so application and acceptance figures are not listed here.

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