2002 New York City Marathon
The 2002 New York City Marathon was the 33rd running of the annual marathon race in New York City, New York, which took place on Sunday, November 3. The men's elite race was won by Kenya's Rodgers Rop in a time of 2:08:07 hours while the women's race was won in 2:25:56 by Joyce Chepchumba, also of Kenya.
This was the first time in Marathon history that three men from Kenya placed first, second, and third in a marathon. This also was the first time a man and woman from Kenya won the men's and women's race in a marathon as well.
In the wheelchair races, Americans Krige Schabort and Cheri Blauwet won the men's and women's divisions, respectively. In the handcycle race, Switzerland's Franz Nietlispach and America's Helene Hines were the winners.
A total of 31,824 runners finished the race, 21,634 men and 10,190 women.
Results
Women
- Olivera Jevtić of Serbia originally finished in third place in a time of 2:26:44 hours but was later disqualified after testing positive for ephedrine, a banned stimulant.
Introduction of New Age Groups for Time Qualification
In 2001, the New York City Marathon expanded its qualifying times for guaranteed entry. The new qualifying times were less strict, and they also included an option for qualifying with a half marathon time. However, the only two age groups were under 40 and masters.In 2002, two new categories were added for "veteran" runners - 50-59 and 60 and over. These new qualifying times effectively expanded access to the race for older runners.
| Age | Men's Marathon | Women's Marathon | Men's Half Marathon | Women's Half Marathon |
| Under 40 | 2:45:00 | 3:15:00 | 1:16:00 | 1:31:00 |
| 40 to 49 | 3:00:00 | 3:30:00 | 1:24:00 | 1:39:00 |
| 50 to 59 | 3:15:00 | 3:45:00 | 1:32:00 | 1:44:00 |
| 60+ | 3:30:00 | 4:00:00 | 1:40:00 | 1:55:00 |