Andreas Almgren and Sheila Chepkirui win New York City Marathon

Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men’s race of the New York City Marathon in his debut at 26.2 miles, finishing in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second on November 1, 2026. Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women’s race for the second time, pulling away in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36.

The race drew about 60,000 runners to the starting line across all five boroughs of New York City for its 50th milestone running. Nearly half of the competitors were women, representing more than 140 countries.

Almgren and Chepkirui Take Victory on Sunday

Almgren pulled away from Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile of the race. Crippa finished 13 seconds behind the winner. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place, edging out last year’s champion, Benson Kipruto. Almgren’s finishing time stands as the third fastest in the 50-year history of the course, and the top seven finishers all recorded times ranking among the top ten all-time results for the event. He is the first runner to win his marathon debut in New York since Gebre Gebremariam took the 2010 title.

In the women’s division, Chepkirui repeated her success from 2024 by defeating fellow countrymate Hellen Obiri in the closing stretch. American runner Jessica McClain passed Obiri in the final strides to secure second place, finishing six seconds behind Chepkirui. McClain’s finish marks the first time a United States woman finished in the top three since 2018. Zouhair Talbi, running for the United States, placed sixth in the men’s race and set a new record for the fastest time ever recorded by an American runner in the event.

Half a Century Across Five Boroughs

Sunday marked the 50th time the marathon course has spanned all five boroughs of New York City. When the race was first held in 1970, it took place entirely within Central Park using a system of loops. Organizers moved the event out of the park in 1976 to celebrate the United States bicentennial and help lift the spirits of a city facing severe economic struggles at the time.

That seventh running featured just over 2,000 competitors, which included only 88 women. Participation grew steadily over the decades into a marquee international event. Organizers implemented a minor change to the course layout for the first time in 15 years, altering the route at Mile 20 as runners entered the Bronx. The adjustment reduced the number of turns in that borough from seven to five in order to ease street closures.

Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner Win Wheelchair Races

Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for the eighth time. He edged Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second after Romanchuk seized the lead during the final mile as the competitors entered Central Park. Hug overtook him in the final 100 meters.

In the women’s wheelchair division, Catherine Debrunner won and finished in 1:40:02. The mark stands as the second-fastest time in race history, sitting about 30 seconds behind her own record set in 2023. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni placed third, crossing the finish line more than eight minutes behind Debrunner just three months after giving birth to her first child.

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