Kenya's Albert Korir and Peres Jepchirchir have won the New York City Marathon

Updated November 7, 2021 at 2:07 PM ET

The iconic New York City Marathon got underway in person on Sunday for the first time since it was cancelled last year and turned into a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's race saw a raft of new health and safety measures to prevent the massive competition from turning into a superspreader event.

Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya won the women's division, blazing past the pack with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 39 seconds. The 28-year-old triumphed in the race just three months after winning the gold medal in the women's marathon at the Tokyo Olympics.

Albert Korir, also of Kenya, took home the top prize in the men's division, completing the marathon in 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 22 seconds. Korir nabbed second place in 2019.

Earlier in the day were the Professional Wheelchair Division races, which saw Swiss competitor Marcel Hug become the men's champion, finishing with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 31 minutes and 24 seconds. Madison de Rozario, of Australia, won the top prize in the women's field, with a time of 1 hour, 51 minutes and 1 second.

This year's race is the 50th New York City Marathon. The first one, held in 1970, cost just $1 to enter and welcomed 127 registered runners, just 55 of whom crossed the finish line.

Over five decades, the marathon grew to become the world's largest, organizers say, with 53,640 finishers in 2019.

For this year's race, the number of runners dropped to more than 30,000, many of whom were running after being unable to participate last year, and the specter of the pandemic still hung over the race in the form of increased public health requirements.

Runners had to show proof of at least one round of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative coronavirus test from the previous 48 hours. Organizers increased the number of starting waves to prevent crowding. And fuel and hydration belts were permitted this year, while marathon staff and volunteers were instructed to hand finishers their medals and ponchos rather than placing them around runners' necks.

Still, fans and onlookers took to the streets along the 26.2-mile route through all five of New York City's boroughs to cheer on the racers for the first time in two years.

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