The finish line for the New York City Marathon, so orderly and secure throughout the morning and afternoon, resembled a carcass by Sunday evening as workers began to strip away its decorative features. A red truck slowly backed over the line, and employees hopped out to disassemble signs.

At 7:30 p.m., Sala Cyril, a 38-year-old woman from New York, trotted across the line, 8 hours 28 minutes after she had started the marathon. Greeted by family, friends and volunteers, Cyril placed 49,466th. She was celebrated as the final finisher with a recorded time.

“I did it!” she said.

Seconds later, race officials erected a small orange barrier along the finish line and placed traffic cones in front of it. The marathon was essentially over, and a new, less ceremonious stage had inadvertently taken shape — one for the first runners to arrive at the finish after the official time cutoff.

They had missed the 7:30 p.m. deadline by several strides. They were Shari Diaz, 32, of Hempstead, N.Y.; Wicki Ball, 55, of London; and Kendra Sandman, 54, of Baltimore.