Sweden’s Andreas Almgren won the men’s race in his first appearance at the New York City Marathon, while Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s race for the second time on Sunday.
Almgren made his debut with a 26.2-mile run after success in the half-marathon. He overtook Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile and won in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. Kripa was 13 seconds behind. Lesotho’s Kamohelo Mofolo beat defending champion Benson Kipruto to finish third.
Almgren’s time was the third-fastest in the course’s 50-year history, and the top seven finishers are all among the top 10 all-time. He became the first marathon runner to make his debut in the event since Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam won in 2010.
American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting the fastest time ever run by an American in the event.
Cepkirui, who also won the race in 2024, overtook compatriot Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to seal victory in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. American Jessica McClain passed two-time champion Obiri in the final steps to take second place. This is the first time since 2018 that a U.S. woman has finished in the top three. McLean was six seconds behind Chepkirui.
This is the 50th time the race has traveled through all five boroughs of the city. At the seventh edition of the competition in 1976, there were just over 2,000 participants, of whom only 88 were women. About 60,000 runners took to the starting line on Sunday, nearly half of them women.
Runners from more than 140 countries took part in the race on Sunday, including the reigning men’s Kipruto champion. Last year he won in thrilling fashion, finishing three hundredths of a second ahead of Alexander Mutiso.
The New York City Marathon began in 1970 and for its first six years was held entirely in Central Park, with participants running in circles. The game was moved out of Central Park to celebrate the United States’ Bicentennial and to help cheer up the troubled city. It ended up being one of the big events in New York.
Curriculum adjustment
For the first time in 15 years, the curriculum has undergone minor changes. As the race entered the Bronx, the runners took a slightly different route at mile 20. The move is intended to reduce the number of turns in the borough from seven to five and ease some street closures in the area.
eight time champion
Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for the eighth time, just over a second ahead of Daniel Romanchuk. As the pair entered Central Park for the final time, Romanchuk made a move in the final mile to take the lead. Hager passed him in the final 100 meters to win.
Hug’s fellow Swede Catherine Debrunner, who retired early, won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:40:02. It was the second-fastest time in race history, some 30 seconds behind her own record in 2023. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni, three months after giving birth to her first child, finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner.