Almgren and Chepkirui capture titles in 50th running of NYC Marathon

Andreas Almgren of Sweden claimed his first New York City Marathon victory on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. He secured the win in his debut at the 26.2 mile distance, having previously built a career in half marathons. Almgren pulled away from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile. Crippa crossed the line 13 seconds later, followed by Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho who edged out defending champion Benson Kipruto.

The performance places Almgren among the elite in the event's history. His winning time is the third fastest recorded in the 50 year span of the race. All top seven finishers posted times that rank within the top 10 all time for the course. Almgren becomes the first runner to win his debut race since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia achieved the feat in 2010. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting the fastest time ever by a U.S. runner in this event.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya defended her title in the women's race, claiming her second victory. She passed countrymate Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to finish 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. It is the first time a U.S. woman has placed in the top three since 2018.

Sunday's event marked the 50th time the marathon traversed all five boroughs of New York City. The race has grown substantially since its early years. In 1976, the seventh running of the race, just over 2,000 competitors participated, including 88 women. On Sunday, approximately 60,000 runners started the race, with nearly half being women. Athletes from more than 140 countries competed in the field.

Organizers implemented a minor course change for the first time in 15 years. The route shifted slightly at mile 20 when entering the Bronx. This adjustment reduced the number of turns in the borough from seven to five. The change aimed to ease street closures in the area. The race originated in 1970, initially running loops entirely inside Central Park for its first six years.

Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time. He defeated Daniel Romanchuk by just over one second. Romanchuk took the lead in the final mile as they entered Central Park, but Hug passed him in the last 100 meters. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women's wheelchair race with a time of 1 hour, 40 minutes and 2 seconds. This is the second fastest time in the race's history, trailing her own record from 2023 by about 30 seconds. Susannah Scaroni finished third, competing three months after giving birth to her first child.