Stanley Biwott Won The NY Marathon Men's Division

On Sunday morning, a predicted more than 50,000 runners gathered at the Verrazano Bridge to participate in the 26-mile-and-285-yard New York City marathon through the city's five boroughs. Among these runners, marathoner Stanley Biwott was able to emerge victorious with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 34 seconds, which equates just less than five minutes per mile. So, who is Stanley Biwott? The New York City marathon might have been his first victory in a major world marathon, according to the Times, but Biwott, a 29-year-old Kenyan long-distance runner, is no newcomer.

Just two years ago, Biwott came in fifth place at the New York City marathon, and placed second in last year's London marathon in a career best time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 55 seconds, according to The Mirror . Biwott is also the winner of the 2012 Paris Marathon, finishing in a course record time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 11 seconds, and completing the 2012 Paris half-marathon in another course record time of 59 minutes and 44 seconds. According to his athlete profile with IAAF Athletics, his half-marathon best is 58 minutes 56 seconds. He achieved this time while running in Ras Al Khaimah in February 2013.

Prior to these successes, according to NBC Sports, Biwott emerged from humble origins. The news source reports that until 2006, Biwott worked on a dairy farm, and even today still owns 10 cows. In 2006, however, Biwott started working with Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, according to IAAF News.

As early as 2010, before turning 30, Berardelli was already regarded by some as "one of the most successful middle and long distance coaches in the world." According to an article by the Hungarian Coaching Association, Berardelli led long-distance runners Alfred Kirwa Yego and Janeth Jepkosgei to World Championship titles in 2007, and Nancy Lagat to Olympic victory. In 2006, the same year Biwott began working with Berardelli, Biwott came in seventh at the Carpi Marathon.

Since, Biwott has participated in marathons around the world, and achieved stellar personal bests listed on his IAAF athletic profile. In a 2013 race in Philadelphia, Biwott ran 10 kilometers in 28 minutes, and two years later, in a race in the Hague in Netherlands, he completed 15 kilometers in 42 minutes and 13 seconds.

In this year's New York City marathon, Biwott pulled ahead of runner-up Geoffrey Kamworor, also of Kenya, and third-place runner Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia. Mary Keitany, also of Kenya, emerged as the marathon's female winner for the second time in a row with a time of 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 25 seconds.