Md. Woman Wins Wheelchair Title In 2nd Marathon Grand Slam

NEW YORK (AP) -- Even a brief fall couldn't stop Tatyana McFadden from finishing off another marathon grand slam.

The Maryland woman won the wheelchair title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday to win her eighth straight race and cap off a second consecutive year of winning London, Boston, Chicago and New York.

McFadden, of Clarksville in Howard County, laughed off her fall late in the race.

"That was my fault, it was coming into the turn before the climb, right before the finish, that one last right turn," McFadden said.

"I just took the wrong line, and I fell out of my wheelchair. I quickly had to get back in," she said. "I think I hit a bike. It was quite embarrassing, but I owned it at that moment, and I got back in and took one look behind me to make sure the girls didn't catch me, and I just continued with my way up that last hill right before the finish."

The 25-year-old hasn't lost a marathon she's entered since 2012 and finished New York in an unofficial time of 1 hour, 42 minutes, 16 seconds.

"I cannot believe that I have won eight marathons in a row," McFadden said. "Again, this is absolutely incredible."

McFadden competed in the Sochi Paralympic Games last winter and won a silver medal in cross-country skiing. She's won 10 medals from the last three Summer Paralympic Games.

"This year has been an absolutely incredible year," McFadden said. "There's no words to describe it. I did the Winter Paralympics in Sochi, and I got to go back to my place where I was born and have my birth family, my adoptive family there. Winning the silver medal was just the cherry on top."

Kurt Fearnley won the men's wheelchair race, pulling ahead in the final 200 meters to finish in 1:30.55, unofficially. Four men finished within three seconds of Fearnley, who won four straight New York Marathon's from 2006-09.

Both wheelchair races started at the third mile just past the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge because it was such a windy day.

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