Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race at the 2026 New York City Marathon for the second time, while Sweden’s Andreas Almgren claimed the men’s title on his marathon debut on Sunday.
Key Highlights
- Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui wins the NYC Marathon women’s race in 2:24:36, her second title after 2024.
- Sweden’s Andreas Almgren wins the men’s race in 2:06:01 on his marathon debut.
- American Jessica McClain finishes second, ahead of Kenya’s Hellen Obiri.
- Switzerland’s Marcel Hug wins his eighth men’s wheelchair title; Catherine Debrunner wins the women’s.
- Nearly 60,000 runners from over 140 countries took part in the 50th five-borough edition.
Chepkirui, who previously won the women’s race in 2024, clocked 2 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds (2:24:36) to secure victory after pulling away from compatriot Hellen Obiri in the final 150 metres.
American Jessica McClain finished second, six seconds behind Chepkirui, after overtaking Obiri in the closing strides. Obiri, a two-time winner of the race, settled for third place.
McClain’s performance marked the first time an American woman had finished among the top three at the New York City Marathon since 2018.
Almgren Wins On Debut
In the men’s race, Almgren delivered an impressive performance to win in 2:06:01, pulling away from Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile.
Crippa finished second, 13 seconds behind the Swedish runner, while Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo took third place after edging defending champion Benson Kipruto.
Almgren, 29, was competing in his first marathon after establishing himself as a successful half-marathon runner.
His winning time was the third-fastest in the 50-year history of the course, with the top seven finishers recording times among the 10 fastest ever achieved at the event.
He also became the first runner to win the men’s race on his marathon debut since Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam achieved the feat in 2010.
American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting a record for the fastest time ever recorded by a United States runner at the event.
The 2026 edition marked the 50th time the marathon had been staged across all five boroughs of New York City, attracting nearly 60,000 runners from more than 140 countries.
Nearly half of the participants were women, highlighting the scale of participation in the landmark edition.
First held in 1970, the marathon initially took place entirely within Central Park, with runners completing multiple loops of the park.
The course was moved beyond Central Park in 1976 as part of celebrations marking the United States’ bicentennial and efforts to boost New York City, which was experiencing economic difficulties at the time.
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Hug Wins Eighth Wheelchair Title
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug claimed his eighth men’s wheelchair title after edging American Daniel Romanchuk by just over one second.
Romanchuk moved into the lead during the final mile as the pair entered Central Park, but Hug overtook him in the final 100 metres to secure victory.
In the women’s wheelchair race, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner dominated the field to win in 1:40:02, recording the second-fastest time in the event’s history.
Her winning time was approximately 30 seconds slower than her own course record, set in 2023.
Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner, three months after giving birth to her first child.
The organisers also introduced a minor course adjustment for the first time in 15 years, changing the route at mile 20 in the Bronx to reduce the number of turns from seven to five and ease some street closures.
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