Andreas Almgren wins New York City Marathon on debut; Sheila Chepkirui takes women's race

Almgren wins on debut

Sweden's Andreas Almgren, 31, won the men's race on Sunday, 1 November, in his first marathon, finishing in 2:06:01. He pulled away from Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa in the closing stretch through Central Park and crossed the line 13 seconds ahead of him. Crippa took second in 2:06:14, Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo was third in 2:06:26, and Kenya's Benson Kipruto, the defending men's champion, finished fourth in 2:06:27. Almgren had shattered the European half marathon record on his way to the world title in Copenhagen in September, so expectations for his debut were high. He is the first European-born man to win the New York race since 1996, and he plans to focus fully on the marathon after the 2028 Olympic Games. Almgren said:

“I've probably never felt so emotional after a race ever.”

The Dutch record holder Abdi Nageeye, who won in New York in 2024, had forecast the Swedish breakthrough. He finished 13th in 2:07:58 after being unable to match the late surges.

Chepkirui claims second title

Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui, 35, won the women's race in 2:24:36, her second New York title after 2024. She pulled away from compatriot Hellen Obiri, the defending women's champion, in the final 150 metres, and Obiri finished third in 2:24:43. American Jessica McClain passed Obiri in the final strides to take second in 2:24:42, six seconds behind the winner. McClain's result was the first by a US woman in the top three since 2018. Chepkirui described the closing miles this way:

“The last mile was really tricky, I knew I had to be patient because Hellen was really strong so I had to really push up to the finish line.”

Italy's Giovanna Epis was 11th in 2:28:55, and Italy returned to the New York podium five years after Eyob Faniel.

Swiss wheelchair double

Switzerland's Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race in 1:28:14, his eighth New York win according to RTS, finishing one second ahead of American Daniel Romanchuk. Catherine Debrunner, 31, won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02, her second New York title after 2023. She finished more than eight minutes ahead of the five-time winner Tatyana McFadden of the United States. Both Swiss wins came on the same morning as the elite men's and women's races.

Field size and rising demand

About 60,000 runners lined up at the start on Sunday, nearly half of them women. A few hundred thousand more people applied for a lottery place and did not get in, and New York lottery entries rose nearly 20 percent this year compared with last year. Applications for next year's London Marathon reached 1.3 million, up from 578,000 three years earlier. Run clubs, particularly popular with younger people, have added to the boom, and many runners are signing up for more races.