Five of Williamsburg's finest road racers were in New York for the 53rd annual New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, the largest, and one of the most prestigious marathons in the world, along with Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin and Chicago.

Those six marathons make up the world major marathon series, and it was announced on Sunday that Sydney, Australia would join that group as the seventh world major, starting in 2025. New York has been held annually since 1970, the first Sunday in November, with the exceptions of 2012 (Hurricane Sandy) and 2020 (COVID).

There were a record 56,646 finishers at New York on Sunday, the world's largest marathon ever, with a remarkably high percentage of entrants who finished (99.3%). More than two million spectators lining the course are a huge factor in that. The race covers all five boroughs of New York, starting on Staten Island, crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, then winding through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx before finishing in Central Park in Manhattan.

The winners were Abdi Nageeye of The Netherlands (2:07:39) and Sheila Chepkirui (2:24:35) of Kenya, each winning $100,000, and both winning with decisive kicks in the final few hundred meters of the 26.2-mile event. New York is not a fast course, especially compared to Chicago and Berlin, where world records are routinely set. Weather conditions were perfect this year with temperatures in the low 40s when the race started.

Adam Otstot, 42, vice president of the Colonial Road Runners, is the leader of the Williamsburg marathoners group and gives coaching advice to the others and also organizes the training runs, both weekly long runs and speed workouts. Otstot also led the Williamsburg group to the finish line, recording an outstanding time of 2:29:02, 5:45 pace per mile, placing 102nd overall, 63rd American, and sixth (of 4,285) in the men's 40-44 age group. His age grade of 86.43% is the equivalent of a 2:22:15 marathon in the open division.

Sean Bush, 34, was next with a time of 2:36:39, a 5:59 mile pace, and 285th overall, age grading 78.72%. Emma Rogers, 24, broke the 2:50 barrier (at one time the Olympic Trials Marathon qualifying time for women) with her 2:49:41, 6:29 per mile, the 83rd female, and second (of 1,689) in the women's 20-24 age group. She age-graded 79.81%.

Chris Minty, 36, had a time of 2:53:47, 261st in his 35-39 age group, and age grading 71.39%. Deelyn Robinson, 59, was at 3:27:46, 7:56 per mile, and 23rd in her women's 55-59 age group, with an age grade of 82.76%. The equivalent marathon time for that age grade was 2:43:38 for the women's open division.

All five had used the Oct. 19 Weighted Angels 5K (race directed by Otstot's sister, Kate Crump) on the Landfall at Jamestown 5K course as a final tuneup for New York. At that race, Otstot was second overall in 15:17, a near lifetime PR, barely missing the world-class age-grade level of 90%, with his 89.87% age grade. Bush ran a PR 15:49 for sixth place and a lifetime-best 82.12% age grade, winning his 30-34 age group.

Minty was at 17:13, winning the 35-39 age group and age grading 76.35%. Rogers won the women's overall title at Weighted Angels by a half minute in 17:54, age grading 82.31%. And Robinson won the 55-59 division in 22:06, age grading 82.68%.

Otstot emailed, "I was definitely aiming for a lifetime PR (sub 2:27:23) and my stretch goal was 2:26:05, which is just under the Women's Masters American Record. I was on pace to meet that PR goal through 18 miles, and then I started running about 10-12 seconds slower per mile and it slipped away from me. I have unfinished business with the marathon now. This was my third marathon. I raced Richmond in 2013 (2:27:23) and Boston in 2015. New York was an amazing race. The crowd support was insane and contributed to an electric atmosphere for 90% of the course. For me personally, I was placed in the orange wave based on my qualifying time, and that meant that I was one of the fastest runners in that wave. I had two racers to work with for the first two miles, but then I was running out front by myself until mile 8 when the waves integrated on course. That 6 mile stretch was into a headwind which made it unnecessarily hard for me. Other than that, I would say the other hard part was that the "flat" sections of the course were still pretty hilly. I thought I did a good job prepping for the hills, but by mile 16-17, my quads were already tapped out. It made for a long last 8-9 miles. I have already registered for Chicago 2025. I am not planning on racing a marathon before Chicago."

Otstot had also completed eight marathons in Ironman Triathlon competitions, with his best there a 2:56:09, after first swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles. He qualified for his Boston Marathon with a 2:58:28 at the 2012 Ironman World Championships, an unusual feat.

Bush emailed, "My goal time was sub-2:40 with a stretch goal of sub-2:35. I'm very happy with a 2:36 on a course as challenging as NYCM. This was my 5th marathon. I have raced One City in Newport News twice, Boston Marathon once, and New York City Marathon twice now. My previous best was 2:44 at One City in March of this year. One City in March 2025 will be my next goal marathon. I believe I can run faster than I did in NYCM on a flatter course. The best part of the New York City Marathon is the atmosphere, without a doubt. The energy from the crowds and the grandeur of the course are unmatched. The hilly nature of the race is the biggest challenge. The two hardest sections were the Queensboro Bridge at mile 16 and the stretch on 5th Avenue at mile 24. Those miles were two of my slowest due to the long/steep inclines. I really enjoyed training hard with my friends these last several months as we worked toward this race together. It felt special. The training block and the race itself provided great memories that will last a lifetime. Now, on to the next one!"

Rogers emailed, "I have never done a marathon before, so this was my first. I had a number of different goals going into the race. My number one goal was to finish and prove to myself I could run that far. Second was a Boston Qualifying time and third was a sub 3 hour marathon. My "stretch" goal was a 2:45 finish time. I still feel like that time is realistic, so I'm excited to train towards it again. All that being said, I feel incredibly grateful to be able to achieve 3 out of 4 of those goals on my first try at the distance. The hills during the last 10k of the race were brutal and my quads were screaming at me, but the atmosphere was insane and I had so many people supporting me throughout the course."

Robinson emailed, "The New York marathon was a fabulous experience. The crowds were supportive, loud and cheering throughout the entire 26.2 miles and the weather was perfect. It was, however, absolutely the hardest race that I have ever run with many inclines. The race begins on an uphill climb at the Verrazano-Narrows bridge and ends on an incline beginning at mile 25 in Central Park. I am thrilled to have run 2 minutes faster in the NY marathon than I did in my last marathon in Berlin on a flat and easier course. I am signed up for Boston and Chicago in 2025."

Minty emailed, "My time goal was low to mid 2:40s. My stretch goal was sub-2:40, though I knew that would be difficult on that course. My training indicated that a range between 2:44 and 2:46 was certainly doable, even with the hills. Alas, it didn't pan out that way. Suffering an injury mid-race was hardly ideal. NYCM was my fourth marathon. I've done the Delaware Marathon in Wilmington (3:06:52; April 2023); Chasing the Unicorn in Washington Crossing, PA (3:04:35; Aug. 2023); and One City in Newport News (2:50:43; March 2024). The best part about racing New York, I think, is the crowds and the course. The energy of the crowd on Sunday was electric and very encouraging. Feeding off the crowd gave me a lot of energy going through Brooklyn, though it was during that borough when I focused too much on the crowds and not where I was running, leading me to wobble on a pothole and tweak my hip flexor. I lived in New York and I've run over the Queensboro Bridge many times."