Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner win the marathon wheelchair races

Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, both from Switzerland, won the men’s and women’s wheelchair races in the New York City Marathon on Sunday. Hug took a record sixth victory on the New York course, while Debrunner set a course record in her debut in the race.

Hug, whose nickname is the Silver Bullet, won his third consecutive race in New York in 1 hour, 25 minutes, 29 seconds, three seconds shy of the course record he set last year. He also surpassed Kurt Fearnley’s record of five wins in the race.

“It’s unbelievable,” Hug said on ESPN. “Right now I’m just so tired. It was really tough. But I am also happy.”

Debrunner capped a dominant 2023 by finishing in 1 hour, 39 minutes, 32 seconds, breaking the New York course record by more than three minutes.

Earlier this year she won the Berlin and Chicago marathons, both of which are on a flat course compared to New York’s hilly course. She set course records in both races and a world record in Berlin.

She also won the title for most points in the major marathon series, which includes six races worldwide.

“I knew this was the toughest marathon and it was my first time,” Debrunner said after the race on ESPN. “I got away much earlier than expected and rode the entire race alone. It means everything to me. I won the entire marathon series and that’s so crazy. It has been a fairytale season.”

Just like last year, Hug was neck and neck with Daniel Romanchuk from the United States in the first kilometers of the race. But as they sped through Brooklyn, Hug pulled away and was several minutes ahead at the halfway point. His commanding lead was maintained for the remainder of the course.

While Romanchuk finished second Sunday in 1 hour, 30 minutes, 7 seconds, he qualified for the U.S. team at next summer’s Paralympic Games in Paris. For the first time, the New York City Marathon served as a qualifying race for the top two American finishers. Aaron Pike, the second American finisher, was also part of the team.

Debrunner led almost from the start of the Staten Island race. She had a commanding one-minute lead within the first 10 miles of the race. By the halfway point, her lead had increased to more than three minutes over Susannah Scaroni of the United States, who won the race in record time last year.

Manuela Schar from Switzerland finished second. Scaroni finished third but qualified for the U.S. team for the Paralympics, as did Tatyana McFadden, a five-time winner of the race, who finished sixth.

Hug won $35,000 for finishing first in his division. Debrunner won $35,000 for winning her division and another $50,000 for breaking the course record.