Shalane Flanagan ended Mary Keitany's dominance of the New York Marathon by becoming the first American woman to win the race for 40 years and Geoffrey Kamworor held off Wilson Kipsang to take the men's title.

Keitany was a strong favourite after claiming victory in the Big Apple in the previous three years, but Flanagan broke away to take victory in her first marathon since the Rio Olympics in a time of two hours 26 minutes 53 seconds on Sunday.

Kenyan Keitany, who indicated she would go for a course record on Sunday, finished second and Mamitu Daska took third as Flanagan moved away for a hugely popular success in her homeland just five days after eight people were killed in a terror attack in New York. 

Not since Miki Gorman crossed the line first back in 1977 had a female American been crowned champion on the streets of New York until it all came together for 36-year-old Flanagan seven years after she was a runner-up on her marathon debut.

Flanagan missed the Boston Marathon due to a back injury, but revealed ahead of the race that she was feeling better than she had for a long time and that showed as she broke away from the pack on the undulating course with Keitany and Daska.

It was Flanagan who went alone heading into Central Park with around three miles to go and there was no catching her, Keitany – who set a women's only marathon record of 2:17:01 to win in London in April – unable to reel her in.

There was also a new winner in the men's race, Kamworor getting home in 2:10:53 to deny his fellow-Kenyan Kipsang.

Kamworor and Kipsang led a group of seven at the 20-mile mark and it was the 2015 runner-up who had enough in the tank to pull away with a mile to go.

Kipsang embraced his countryman after crossing the line in second place just three seconds after Kamworor, while Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia took third.

Source: AFP