Although she has won the race three times, favorite Paula Radcliffe placed fourth in the New York Marathon. The first woman to cross the finish line was Derartu Tulu — the first Ethiopian woman to claim first place in the NYC Marathon in its 40-year history.

Tulu ran the course in two hours, 28 minutes, 52 seconds and was there to comfort Radcliffe as the world record holder limped across the finish line, holding her knee and crying in agony. Second place went to Russia's Ludmila Petrova , who ran the course in two hours and 29 minutes flat. Christelle Daunay, of France, came in third (2:29:16), nine seconds ahead of Radcliffe.

Tulu, who gave birth to her second daughter in 2006 and increased her brood by adopting four orphans, wasn't ready to quit racing. With two Olympic gold medals under her belt and a previous marathon win in London in 2001, Deratu ran with a calm confidence and proved that returning to the sport was well worth it.

For details on the men's race, read more.
Eritrean born American citizen Meb Keflezighi won the men's race in two hours, nine minutes, and 15 seconds. Filled with emotion on winning his first major marathon in his adopted country, Keflezighi said, "U.S.A. gave me all the opportunity in the world, education, sports, lifestyle.This is so special to me." Ryan Hall, considered the future of US distance running, came in fourth. In fact, six Americans finished in the top 10! Robert Cheruiyot, of Kenya, placed second (2:09:56) with Jaouad Gharib of Morroco coming in third, racing the course in two hours, 10 minutes, and 25 seconds. Hall finished the race in two hours, 10 minutes, 36 seconds.

Thinking of running the marathon in the Big Apple next year? The application for the lottery will be available Nov. 2. If you're not ready to commit to a marathon but still love to run, join the RunningSugar group.