Almgren takes NYC Marathon debut as Chepkirui claims second title

Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men's New York City Marathon on Sunday in his first attempt at the distance. Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya claimed the women's title for the second time, completing a dominant performance in the 50th edition of the event.

Almgren, who previously specialized in half-marathons, broke away from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy during the final mile. He crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. Crippa finished 13 seconds behind Almgren. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place, finishing ahead of defending champion Benson Kipruto. Almgren's result stands as the third fastest time in the course's 50-year history. The top seven finishers all recorded times that place them in the top 10 all-time list. He became the first runner to win his debut in the race since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia in 2010. Zouhair Talbi of the United States finished sixth, setting a new record for the fastest time by an American in the event's history.

Chepkirui secured her victory by pulling ahead of Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters. She finished in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. Jessica McClain of the United States took second place, passing Obiri in the final strides. McClain finished six seconds behind Chepkirui. This marked the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018. Obiri, a two-time winner, finished third.

Approximately 60,000 runners started the race on Sunday, with nearly half being women. Participants represented more than 140 countries. The number of competitors has grown since 1976, when just over 2,000 runners, including 88 women, took part. The race has traversed all five boroughs of New York City in every running since its inception in 1970. For the first time in 15 years, the course changed slightly at mile 20 in the Bronx. The adjustment reduced the number of turns from seven to five and eased street closures in the area.

In the wheelchair divisions, Marcel Hug won the men's race for the eighth time. He edged out Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second after passing him in the final 100 meters. Catherine Debrunner of Sweden won the women's wheelchair race in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 2 seconds. Her time is the second fastest in the event's history, trailing her own record from 2023 by about 30 seconds. Susannah Scaroni finished third in the women's wheelchair race, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner, three months after giving birth to her first child.