NEW YORK, USA: The 2024 New York City Marathon showcased the remarkable talents of 36 Pakistani runners who competed among thousands from around the world. This year, the event was a significant platform for athletes to demonstrate their skills, with an impressive 12 runners finishing the grueling race in under four hours.
A local TV channel reported that leading the Pakistani contingent was Danish Elahi, who recorded the fastest time for Pakistan, finishing the marathon in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 50 seconds. He was closely followed by Rufi Shehzada, who crossed the finish line at 3:32:22, and Pakistani-American Babar Ghias, who completed the course in 3:38:53.
Other notable performances included Ammar Mumtaz, Prem Kumar, and Rehman Azhar, who also finished with commendable times under four hours.
Among the female Pakistani runners, Khoula Ahmed, a Norwegian-Pakistani, stood out as the fastest woman from Pakistan, finishing with a time of 3:43:02. She was joined by Maheen Sheikh and Kaukab Sarwar, who rounded out the top three Pakistani women in the marathon.
This year’s participation included not only locals but also Pakistani expatriates from countries like Norway, the UAE, the UK, and Saudi Arabia, highlighting the global reach of the Pakistani running community. The NYC Marathon continues to serve as a beacon for athletes from Pakistan, encouraging the development of distance running in the country.
The elite categories of the marathon were dominated by international runners, with Dutch runner Abdi Nageeye taking the men’s title and Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui leading the women’s field.
