The streets of New York are ready for one of the most electrifying showdowns in the women’s marathon ever. With the roster stacked to the brim at the 2025 New York City Marathon, featuring the likes of Hellen Obiri, Sharon Lokedi, Sheila Chepkirui, Vivian Cheruiyot, and Edna Kiplagat, anything is possible. After all, these athletes already have a proven record as world-class performers. But tucked into this glittering lineup is one name turning heads – Sifan Hassan. On her debut over 26.2 miles in NYC, she’s chasing the win. But the road for her is anything but simple. 

Hassan enters with a resume that stops most people in their tracks. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she secured the gold medal and set an Olympic record of 2:22:55. Additionally, she secured two bronze medals, each in the 5,000m and the 10,000m race. Yet, her road to glory runs through Kenya’s decorated roster. Hellen Obiri, a two-time world champion and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, headlines the charge. Then, there’s Sharon Lokedi, the 2022 NYC and 2025 Boston Marathon champion, with a clock-in time of 2:17:22. Add in Vivian Cheruiyot, Sheila Chepkirui, and Edna Kiplagat, and the Kenyan camp looks near invincible.

Still, the Americans aren’t just showing up to watch. Molly Seidel, the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, returns to New York hungry for redemption after injury setbacks. Meanwhile, Emily Sisson, the American record holder in the marathon, who clocked in at 2:18:29 in Chicago in 2022, brings both experience and consistency. With Hassan chasing debut glory, Kenya is guarding its marathon crown. And her own countrywomen are standing tall as strong opponents. 

Even the Kenyans seem wary of Hassan. When asked about Sifan Hassan as a possible barrier to the win during a recent interview with CITIUS MAG, Lokedi admitted, “There’s four other women who are very strong and everyone wants to win. So, it might be a little bit different compared to what we’ve seen before. But I’m expecting it to be fireworks… It’s not gonna be easy, for sure.”

Of course, every single contender has something to prove. And for Hassan, it’s time to ensure that her nightmares at training came to fruition. Needless to say, the training regime for marathoners is nothing less than a trip through hell. But do you know about the most difficult training that Hassan went through?

Sifan Hassan recalls her training nightmare ahead of the 2025 New York City Marathon

During a conversation with The Female Athlete Project, Hassan recalled that her training in Utah was her toughest session. And the reason? Unbearable heat! She recalled that she did a 38 or 34 km run in 92°F. And her coach, Tim Rowberry, kept bringing her water every 5,000m. But one time, Rowberry missed her. She stated, “Okay, so he missed me, and I was just hot. I was somewhere in the village, feeling so toasty. I almost wanted to drink the river water, and I thought I was going to pass out. I was going to get heat stroke, and I told myself, “Oh my God, why? Why? What if I don’t run…” because I was doing it for marathon training, and that was the hardest one.” 

The distance queen endured it all, of course. Well, Rowberry’s philosophy was an extreme approach, combining marathon runs with speed workouts. He claimed that the only reason people don’t balance extreme events is that they simply don’t train for them. And with the training regimen for Hassan, balancing speed and long runs, he ensured that she became the first woman in history to win a gold medal in the marathon, as well as bronze in the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Olympics. 

However, things will be a bit easier during the New York City Marathon as far as the weather is concerned. According to the forecast, the marathon on 2nd November will begin with a cool breeze in Staten Island. The sky would be partially cloudy with bearable temperature shifts throughout the day. All Stifan Hassan will have to worry about is beating the Kenyans and her fellow Americans.