Thirteen Pakistanis finish NYC marathon within four hours

KARACHI: Pakistani runners made an impressive mark in the 2024 New York City Marathon on Sunday, with 13 finishing the grueling 26.2-mile course in under four hours.

Pakistani-American Syed Ali Hamza completed it in less than three hours. The annual race, one of the world’s largest and most challenging marathons, saw more than 36 Pakistani runners, including local competitors and expatriates from Norway and other countries.

Pennsylvania based Syed Ali Hamza completed the course in 2 hours 41 minutes and 42 seconds to finish at 460th place out of 55,525 runners. While Ali Hamza was fastest among all Pakistanis, including diasporas, Karachi based Danish Elahi, led the way for his compatriots who travelled to USA from Pakistan for the NYC Marathon, finishing in 3 hours, 26 minutes, and 50 seconds.

Close behind Danish was Rufi Shehzada with a time of 3:32:22, while Pakistani-American Babar Ghias completed the course in 3:38:53. Other runners who crossed the finish line under four hours included Ammar Mumtaz, Prem Kumar, and Rehman Azhar, showcasing both speed and resilience.

Among women, Khoula Ahmed, a Norwegian-Pakistani, was the fastest, clocking in at 3:43:02. She was followed by Maheen Sheikh and Kaukab Sarwar, the second and third-fastest Pakistani women, respectively.

Top Pakistani Runners Finishing Under 4 Hours:

1. Syed Ali Hamza – 2:41:42

2. Danish Elahi – 3:26:50

3. Rufi Shehzada – 3:32:22

4. Babar Ghias – 3:38:53

5. Ammar Mumtaz – 3:39:42

6. Prem Kumar – 3:42:44

7. Rehman Azhar – 3:42:53

8. Yawar Siddiqui – 3:42:58

9. Khoula Ahmed – 3:43:02

10. Shariq Samad – 3:43:31

11. M. Fasih ul Saleh – 3:44:44

12. Salman Khan – 3:44:44

13. Salman Chaudhary – 3:57:37.