Andreas Almgren of Sweden and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya were the first man and woman respectively to win the New York City Marathon on Sunday — beating a record number of competitors.
Almgren, 31, put his best foot forward in his New York City debut with a finish time of 02:06:01. His time was about a minute behind the record of 2:04:58 set in 2023 by Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia.
Chepkirui, 35, meanwhile captured her second victory in the women’s race with a time of 2:24:36. Chepkirui also won the New York race in 2024.
Her time was about 5 minutes off the record 2:19:51 set by fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri last year.
The winners led a pack of nearly 60,000 runners, the most ever for the race.
Almgren dethroned 2025 champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya, who narrowly cinched his win last year with a time of 2:08:09. Almgren won by 13 seconds this year, pulling away from Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile.
Chepkirui distanced herself from fellow Obiri, 36, in the final 150 meters to secure this year’s win. In second place was American Jessica McClain, 34, who overtook Obiri in the final seconds.
NYC Marathon 2026 best times, male
- Andreas Almgren, Sweden 02:06:01
- Yemaneberhan Crippa, Italy 2:06:14
- Kamohelo Mofolo, Lesotho 2:06:26
- Benson Kipruto, Kenya 2:06:27
- Haftu Strintzos, Australia 2:06:34
NYC Marathon 2026 best times, female
- Sheila Chepkirui, Kenya 2:24:36
- Jessica McClain, USA 2:24:42
- Hellen Obiri, Kenya 2:24:43
- Edna Kiplagat, Kenya 2:25:42
- Mercy Chelangat, Kenya 2:25:46
Sunday’s eventmarked the 50th running of the race — and the first time in more than a decade that saw a change in its five-borough course.
The 1-mile stretch of the race that flows through The Bronx was slightly rerouted after years of complaints from residents who griped the steady stream of runners through the current course cut them off from necessary amenities.
With Post Wires
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