Former midfielder shines in New York
After calling time on his extensive two-decade football career this summer, Milner tested his renowned fitness levels on the famous New York course. The 40-year-old crossed the finish line with an impressive time of three hours, nine minutes, and four seconds.
Tackling a route known more for testing hills than rapid finishes, the former Brighton and Aston Villa man recorded an average pace of seven minutes and 12 seconds per mile, which equates to roughly four minutes and 28 seconds per kilometre.
Staying true to his pre-race strategy, Milner started aggressively instead of running a measured race. He cleared the first half in one hour and 31 minutes before battling through the latter stages to complete the second half in one hour and 38 minutes.
Knee issues nearly scuppered running ambitions
Ahead of his first world major, Milner admitted that his primary obstacle was "building up the mileage without getting injured", especially since his previous clubs had restricted his running workload late in his career. The Englishman also acknowledged that a faster time might have been possible in his younger days.
"A few years ago, I feel like I could have definitely done sub-3:00," he explained. "My career went on longer and longer. Two years ago, I had a knee operation, and when I woke up from the knee operation, I couldn’t lift my foot. And I had a second operation that day to check, and then I couldn’t lift my foot for six months. I had nerve damage.
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"So I feel to go from not being able to walk properly and maybe never being able to walk to coming back, playing football in the Premier League, and hopefully potentially finishing a marathon, I don’t want to get too much caught up on the time."
Premier League pedigree translates to the road
Milner's seamless transition to long-distance running will surprise very few. During his time at Liverpool, he was famous for dominating the club's gruelling pre-season lactate threshold sessions, consistently outlasting his team-mates until they collapsed from exhaustion. He also possessed a strong childhood background in cross-country running.
While his debut time is excellent, he sits slightly behind fellow former professionals in the marathon standings. Bayern Munich legend Arjen Robben and ex-Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey have both broken the three-hour barrier in Rotterdam and Stockholm, respectively, but both players also needed more than three hours during their first attempts.
Elite class remains a step above
Despite his outstanding effort, Milner's time naturally fell short of the elite field. Fellow debutant Andreas Almgren, who claimed European 10,000m gold in the summer, took the overall victory with a time of two hours, six minutes, and one second. He beat Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa by 13 seconds, with Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo a further 12 seconds back.
Meanwhile, the women's race delivered a thrilling finale. Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui secured her second New York Marathon crown in two hours, 24 minutes, and 36 seconds. She was closely followed by American runner Jessica McClain, who produced a brilliant late surge from behind to edge Kenya's Hellen Obiri by a single second.