The New York Marathon 2016 is expected to retain its position as the largest Marathon as more runners are expected to take part but Kenyans remain favorite for a win.

The New York City Marathon is clearly the most popular Marathon event in the world. Its popularity can be easily gauged by the fact that it attracts more than 50,000 runners every year. The rise in competitors has also been met with a rise in popularity amongst bookmakers, who are expected to go big when it comes to the New York Marathon 2016 odds.

History

The first event took place in 1970 and the event people in 2013 with a whopping 50,304 finishers. Alongside the Chicano and Boston Marathons, the New York City Marathon ranks as one of the finest in the world.

The only occasion when the Marathon was not held in the last four decades was in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy forced organizers New York Road Runners Club to quit the competition altogether. NYC Marathon, which is now branded as TCS New York City Marathon, has been held in every other year. November’s first Sunday marks the starting of the event, and it attracts professionals and amateurs from around the world. The immense popularity means that participation is only decided through a lottery system.

Key Details

It is also possible to qualify for the New York Marathon 2016 by meeting certain qualification standards like at least 15 or more past completions at this event. Certain time qualification standards are also available but it is largely meant to professionals and not amateurs. Just like in the past, the Marathon will cover more than 26 miles through Bridges, streets, and park roads. The runners certainly will not be alone, as several thousand fans cheer them on along the way. The organizers come out with the NYC marathon map for the spectators.

After starting out with just 127 runners, the last event saw just under 50,000 finishers which illustrates the incredible growth.

Favorites

In the earlier stages, United States runners dominated with consecutive successes until 1982. In recent times, though, the event has largely been dominated by Kenyans in every aspect like the NYC Marathon qualifying times. Stanley Biwott is the defending champion but Wilson Kipsang and Geoffrey Mutai are the previous winners from the African nation. A similar trend continues in the women’s event with Kenya providing the last three winners. Mary Keitany managed to defend successfully the title that she won in 2015.

Despite the recent dominance, United States are marginally better than Kenya in terms of overall wins but New York Marathon 2016 betting tips are likely to favor a Kenyan winning the title again.

Men's

The NYC Marathon has $500,000 and the course record at stake. Men's side will feature four incredible athletes in the 44th edition - Kenya's Wilson Kipsand (2:03:23) and Geoffrey Mutai (2:03:02) and Ethiopia's Gebre Gebremariam (2:04:53) and Lelisa Desisa (2:04:45). Genremariam has won the 2010 NYC marathon but has not shown elite form lately. The others could provide some fireworks next Sunday.

Kipsand is the current world record-holder and a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist. He got 2:04:29 at the London Marathon in early 2016 and he is also the only man in history to have completed five full marathons under 2:05. Mutai won the 2011 Boston Marathon. Everyone is eyeing the course record right now.

Women's

The women's favorites are punctuated with more question marks that the men's, yet there is a pair of really fast elite contenders, Buzunesh Deba and Mary Keitany, who could assault the course record (held by Margaret Okayo, 2:22:31, 2003). Keitany has been in a long break recently, giving birth to her second child. Anyway, she is the second-fastest woman in history, having a record of 2:18:37, putting her behind Radcliffe.

Deba is also a top contender here, and her most notorious run includes the London Olympics in 2013 where she fought really hard with Ethiopian Tigist Tufa.

Bet Online

"Who bets on marathon runners?" you might ask. Well, successful punters see opportunities everywhere, and this is yet another chance to win consistently. Our experts do their homework every day and come up with useful tips for anyone who's willing to take a chance at winning big. Get started today. Sign up at reputable bookmakers and get the best deals and promotions!