NEW YORK, Nov. 1 (TodayViralUSA) — Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won the New York City Marathon on Sunday in his first attempt at the distance, and Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui took the women’s title for the second time in three years, holding off American Jessica McClain by six seconds in a sprint through Central Park.
About 60,000 runners from more than 140 countries started the race, which marked 50 years since the course first wound through all five boroughs.
A debut to remember
Almgren, a standout on the track and in the half marathon, broke away from Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile and crossed in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 1 second. Crippa finished 13 seconds back, and Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho was third in 2:06:26, edging defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya.
Almgren’s time was the third fastest in the history of the course, and the top seven men all ran among the 10 fastest times ever recorded there. He is the first runner to win in his marathon debut since Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam in 2010. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth in the fastest time ever run on the course by a U.S. man.
An American back on the podium
Chepkirui, who also won in 2024, pulled away from fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the last 150 meters to win in 2:24:36. McClain passed Obiri in the closing strides to finish second in 2:24:42, the first time a U.S. woman has finished in the top three since 2018. Obiri, a two-time champion in both New York and Boston, was third, one second behind McClain.
Wheelchair races
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for the eighth time, overtaking American Daniel Romanchuk in the final 100 meters after Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile. Catherine Debrunner broke away early to win the women’s wheelchair race in 1:40:02, the second-fastest time in the event’s history. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni, racing three months after giving birth to her first child, finished third.
A small change at Mile 20
For the first time in 15 years, organizers adjusted the course, rerouting runners slightly at Mile 20 in the Bronx to cut the number of turns there from seven to five and reduce street closures. The race began in 1970 as loops inside Central Park and moved onto city streets in 1976 to celebrate the nation’s bicentennial, when just over 2,000 people took part, only 88 of them women. This year, nearly half the field were women.
Sources & Credits
- The Boston Globe (Associated Press): Sweden’s Andreas Almgren, Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui claim New York City marathon titles
- Associated Press: Andreas Almgren wins men’s race in NYC in marathon debut, Sheila Chepkirui wins women’s race
- Runner’s World: Here Are the Results From the 2026 New York City Marathon
- NPR: New York marathon: Sweden’s Almgren and Kenya’s Chepkirui win as 60,000 take part
Image: Runners crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge during the 2014 New York City Marathon, by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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