Almgren Wins NYC Marathon Debut
The Swedish runner set the third-fastest time in the event's 50-year history, while Kenya's Chepkirui claimed her second women's title.
By Harper Collins ·
Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men's New York City Marathon on Sunday in his first attempt at the distance. He finished in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second, pulling away from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile. Crippa crossed the line 13 seconds later. This time marked the third fastest in the race's 50-year history.
Almgren, 26, had previously focused on half-marathons. He became the first runner to win his debut in the event since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia did so in 2010. The top seven finishers all posted times that rank among the top 10 all-time for the course. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting the fastest time ever recorded by a U.S. runner in this marathon.
In the women's race, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya secured her second victory. She defeated Hellen Obiri of Kenya in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36. Jessica McClain of the United States took second place, passing Obiri in the last few strides. McClain finished six seconds behind Chepkirui. This result marked the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018.
The event marked the 50th time the marathon has traversed all five boroughs of New York City. Approximately 60,000 runners started the race, with nearly half being women. Competitors came from more than 140 countries. In the inaugural 1976 edition, just over 2,000 participants took part, including only 88 women.
The course saw a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Runners took a different route at Mile 20 in the Bronx to reduce the number of turns from seven to five. This change aimed to ease street closures in the area. The race originated in 1970, initially running loops inside Central Park for the first six years before expanding to the current citywide route.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time. He passed Daniel Romanchuk in the final 100 meters after Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile. Hug won by just over one second. In the women's wheelchair race, Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won with a time of 1:40:02, which is the second-fastest in race history.
Susannah Scaroni finished third in the women's wheelchair category. She competed three months after giving birth to her first child and finished more than eight minutes behind Debrunner. Defending men's champion Benson Kipruto of Uganda finished fourth, losing to Mofolo of Lesotho for third place.
