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Geoffrey Mutai Of Kenya Wins New York City Marathon For Second Consecutive Time

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- For the final few miles, it wasn't even a contest.

Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya won the New York City Marathon on Sunday with an unofficial time of 2:08:24. It was his second consecutive win at the event, 1010 WINS' Marc Ernay reported.

Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya came from behind to win the women's title.

More On Marathon: Track Runners | Race Photos | Boston Tribute

Geoffrey Mutai Of Kenya Wins New York City Marathon For Second Consecutive Time

Large Crowds Cheer On Marathon Winners

She trailed Buzunesh Deba by nearly 31/2 minutes at the halfway point. Jeptoo started making her move as the race entered Manhattan and passed Deba with just more than 2 miles to go.

Jeptoo won in an unofficial time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, 7 seconds Sunday. The London Marathon champ clinched a $500,000 bonus for the World Marathon Majors title.

An Ethiopian who lives in the Bronx, Deba finished second for the second straight NYC Marathon.

The 26.2-mile race returned after a one-year absence, canceled in 2012 because of the destruction of Superstorm Sandy.

Security was heightened after the bombings at April's Boston Marathon. Bomb-sniffing dogs roamed the course, and barricades limited access points to Central Park.

Security Heavy As The World Runs Through The Big Apple

Marathons themselves are a monumental struggle for those who compete. Now, the logistics of safely holding a marathon may be just as challenging.

New York City was covered from the air to the ground in a steel curtain of security from Staten Island to Central Park, CBS 2's Steve Langford reported.

Getting into the park on Sunday was akin to getting into an airport.

Spectators were wanded, bags were searched, and some areas of the park resembled a ghost town. Sheep Meadow was entirely empty, bicycles and pedestrians were nowhere to be found on Terrace Drive, and the boathouse was off-limits as well.

But, any complaints about the heightened security were drowned out by the cheers of a grateful crowd.

"They checked him, they checked me, they checked the stroller. I felt very secure," Melissa Carp said.

Runners were thankful for the police protection and the supportive crowd.

"Just a great celebration of the human spirit getting out there and having a great event," runner Kevin Pool said.

New York's traditional blue line was joined by a yellow line near the end of the race. It was a salute to Boston in remembrance of the bombing in April.

Runner Meb Keflezighi told CBS 2's Langford that this event was about more than just the runners.

"This is not about me. It's more for what happened last year and what happened in Boston," he said.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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