Sweden’s Andreas Almgren Triumphs in New York City Marathon Debut

Andreas Almgren of Sweden made a stunning debut by winning the men’s race at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya was victorious in the women’s race, claiming her second win in the event.

Almgren, after having a successful half-marathon career, excelled in his first attempt at the full 26.2 miles. He secured his victory over Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile, finishing in an impressive 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. Crippa completed the race just 13 seconds behind, while Kamohelo Mofolo from Lesotho came in third, outpacing Benson Kipruto, the defending champion.

Almgren’s performance ranks as the third fastest in the 50-year history of the course, highlighting the caliber of the top seven finalists who all joined the ranks of the top 10 all-time fastest marathon finishes.

The victory marks a milestone in Almgren’s career, as he is the first to win his debut in the marathon event since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia accomplished it in 2010. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting the fastest time by a U.S. runner in this marathon.

In the women’s race, Sheila Chepkirui clinched victory by pulling ahead of fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the last 150 meters, clocking in at 2:24:36. American Jessica McClain finished second, narrowly surpassing Obiri in the final strides of the race. This marked the first time a U.S. woman secured a top-three finish since 2018, with McClain trailing Chepkirui by just six seconds.

This year’s event celebrated the 50th occasion that the race traversed all five boroughs of New York City. The marathon, which began with over 60,000 participants, saw nearly half of them as women, showcasing significant growth since the seventh running in 1976, when only 88 women competed.

Runners hailed from over 140 countries, including last year’s men’s champion Benson Kipruto. His previous win was remarkable, narrowly edging out Alexander Mutiso by merely three-hundredths of a second.

The New York City Marathon, established in 1970, initially took place solely within Central Park, involving multiple loops. As part of the U.S. bicentennial celebrations in 1976, the race expanded to uplift the city during challenging times. The event has since evolved into one of New York’s premier activities.

This year witnessed a minor course alteration for the first time in 15 years. The change at Mile 20 in the Bronx reduced the number of turns from seven to five, aiming to alleviate street closures in the area.

In the men’s wheelchair race, Marcel Hug clinched his eighth victory, narrowly surpassing Daniel Romanchuk in a thrilling finish by just over a second. Romanchuk made a bold attempt to seize the lead during the final mile in Central Park, but Hug outpaced him in the last 100 meters.

Catherine Debrunner of Sweden dominated the women’s wheelchair race, finishing early with a time of 1:40:02. This was the second-fastest time recorded in the event’s history, trailing her own record by approximately 30 seconds from 2023. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni, having recently become a mother, finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner.