NYC Marathon: Almgren and Chepkirui take titles in 50th edition

Andreas Almgren of Sweden captured the men's title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, securing a victory in his first attempt at the 26.2-mile distance. The former half-marathon specialist outpaced Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. Crippa crossed the line 13 seconds later, while Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place, narrowly beating the defending champion, Benson Kipruto.

Almgren’s performance placed him third on the all-time course records list, a mark from the race's 50-year history. The top seven finishers all recorded times that rank among the 10 fastest ever on this course. He is the first runner to win the event in his debut since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia did so in 2010. In the men's field, Zouhair Talbi of the United States finished sixth, setting the fastest time ever recorded by an American in this race.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women's race for the second time, having also claimed the title in 2024. She separated from Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36. Jessica McClain of the United States finished second, overtaking the two-time champion Obiri in the final strides. McClain crossed the line six seconds behind Chepkirui, marking the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018.

The event marked the 50th time the marathon has traversed all five boroughs of New York City. Participation has grown steadily since 1976, when the seventh edition of the race featured just over 2,000 competitors, including only 88 women. On Sunday, approximately 60,000 runners started the race, with nearly half of the field consisting of women. Athletes from more than 140 countries took part in the competition.

Organizers implemented a course change for the first time in 15 years, altering the route at Mile 20 as runners entered the Bronx. The modification reduced the number of turns in the borough from seven to five, a move designed to ease street closures in that area. The race itself originated in 1970, with the first six years held entirely within Central Park. The event moved to the city streets in 1976 to coincide with the U.S. bicentennial and to support a struggling municipality.

In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug of Switzerland won his eighth men's title, edging Daniel Romanchuk by just over one second. Romanchuk had taken the lead in the final mile as they entered Central Park, but Hug made a move in the last 100 meters to claim victory. In the women's wheelchair race, Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland finished first with a time of 1:40:02, the second-fastest time in the race's history. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni placed third, finishing more than eight minutes behind Debrunner three months after giving birth to her first child.