Andreas Almgren won the 2026 New York City Marathon in 2:06:01 on his marathon debut on Sunday, November 1, 2026, becoming the first Swedish runner ever to win the race, while Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya claimed the women's title in 2:24:36 for her second New York crown in three years. The 55th running of the race, the last World Marathon Major of 2026, produced a debut triumph, a six-second women's winning margin and the first podium finish for an American man or woman in New York since 2018, as Jess McClain of the United States finished second in the women's race in 2:24:42. More than 60,000 runners from 140 countries were expected to take on the 26.2-mile, five-borough course from Staten Island to Central Park, in the 50th anniversary year of the five-borough route and with a course change for the first time in 15 years.
The professional wheelchair divisions started at 8 a.m. ET, the elite women at 8:35 a.m. and the elite men at 9:05 a.m., and by late morning both open races had delivered finishes that will be remembered. In the men's race, Almgren, the 2025 World 10,000m bronze medallist, led at 40 kilometres in 2:00:00 with defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya just one second behind, and held on through Central Park to win in 2:06:01, one minute and three seconds outside the course record. Crippa finished 13 seconds back in 2:06:14, and Mofolo was third in 2:06:26. Kipruto, who had won last year's race by the smallest margin ever, faded to fourth this time. The leading Americans were Zouhair Talbi in sixth in 2:06:43, Ahmed Muhumed seventh in 2:07:08, Ryan Ford tenth in 2:07:17 and American marathon record-holder Conner Mantz eleventh in 2:07:27.
The women's race was decided in the final strides in Central Park. Chepkirui, who won in New York in 2024, crossed the line in 2:24:36, six seconds ahead of McClain, who surged past two-time winner Hellen Obiri in the closing metres to take second in 2:24:42. Obiri, who set the women's course record of 2:19:51 in winning last year, finished third in 2:24:43, only 0.41 seconds behind McClain. Edna Kiplagat, the 2010 champion from Kenya, finished fourth at the age of 46 in 2:25:42, ahead of compatriot Mercy Chelangat in 2:25:46, while Carrie Elwood was the second American home in sixth in 2:26:28 and Paige Wood was eighth in 2:27:29.
Almgren's victory is a landmark for Swedish distance running. He is the first Swede to win the New York City Marathon, the first Swede to win any of the major marathons, and the first European man to win in New York in 30 years, according to NBC Sports' race report. That a runner making his debut over 26.2 miles could win one of the world's biggest marathons, against a field that included the defending champion and a deep group of sub-2:07 runners, is the story of the day, and it was built on a patient race: Almgren was in the leading group at 40 kilometres and then had the strength to pull away when the race reached Central Park, where so many New York marathons are won and lost.
The New York City Marathon is the largest marathon in the world and the final World Marathon Major of the year, following Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin and Chicago. The 2026 race was the 55th edition and marked the 50th anniversary of the five-borough course, first run on October 24, 1976, when 2,090 runners took part and Bill Rodgers and Miki Gorman won. A record 59,226 runners crossed the finish line in 2025, and more than 60,000 runners from 140 countries were expected this year. The course starts on Staten Island, crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, then runs through Queens and the Bronx before entering Manhattan and finishing in Central Park, and this year's race included a course change for the first time in 15 years.
Chepkirui's second title in three years puts her among the recent greats of the women's race. She won in 2024, watched Obiri break the course record in 2025, and has now beaten Obiri again, this time in a much slower, more tactical race: the winning time of 2:24:36 is nearly five minutes outside Obiri's 2:19:51 course record from last year, which underlines how much the head-to-head racing, rather than the clock, decided this year's women's title. McClain, fourth at the 2024 Olympic Trials in both the marathon and the 10,000m and the top American at the Boston Marathon in 2025 and 2026, had never stood on a New York podium before, and her second place ends an eight-year American wait.
The women's field had been weakened before the start by two high-profile withdrawals three weeks before the race: Olympic gold medallist Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands pulled out through sickness, and 2024 US Olympic Trials champion Fiona O'Keeffe withdrew after left hamstring surgery. Their absence opened the race up, but it did not diminish the quality at the front, where three women finished within seven seconds of each other after more than two hours and 24 minutes of racing.
The men's race turned at 40 kilometres. Almgren led in 2:00:00, Kipruto was just 0.55 seconds behind him, Crippa was third and Talbi fourth, six seconds back, with only 2.2 kilometres to run. From there, Almgren's debut marathon became a test of nerve as much as fitness: a first-time marathoner leading the New York City Marathon into Central Park, with the defending champion on his shoulder and a fast-finishing Italian behind him. He answered it by stretching the lead to 13 seconds by the finish, a margin that sounds comfortable but was earned in the hardest part of the course, where the rolling hills of Central Park punish tired legs.
The women's race turned even later, in the final strides. Chepkirui had the lead, but the fight for second between McClain and Obiri went to the line, with McClain getting past the two-time champion by 0.41 seconds. That is a margin measured in less than a stride after 26.2 miles, and it is the difference between a podium finish and fourth place in the record books. For McClain, it is also the difference between a fine run and a historic one: no American man or woman had finished in the top three in New York since Shalane Flanagan was third in her title defence in 2018, and McClain's second place is the best American result in the race since then.
The depth of both fields was shown by the American results behind the winners. In the men's race, four Americans finished in the top 11, led by Talbi in sixth, and Mantz, the American record-holder, finished eleventh in 2:07:27 after being tipped before the race as a contender. In the women's race, Elwood's sixth place in 2:26:28 and Wood's eighth in 2:27:29 gave the United States three women in the top eight, a strong team showing on a day when the individual honours went to Sweden and Kenya.
NBC Sports' race report, published at 11:13 a.m. ET on Sunday, confirmed the headline facts: Almgren as the first Swede to win New York and the first Swede to win any major marathon, Chepkirui's second title in three years, and McClain's ending of the American podium drought. FloTrack's live coverage recorded Almgren's 40-kilometre lead and his 2:06:01 winning time, and its women's results confirmed Chepkirui's 2:24:36, McClain's 2:24:42 and Obiri's 2:24:43. No post-race quotations from the winners were included in the reports checked for this article, and this article invents none; the winners' own words from the finish-line interviews will be added to this coverage as they are published.
The wheelchair races, decided earlier in the morning and covered separately by US News Pulse, set the tone for the day: Switzerland swept both titles, with Marcel Hug winning his eighth men's wheelchair crown in 1:28:14, one second ahead of American Daniel Romanchuk, and Catherine Debrunner winning her second women's wheelchair title in 1:40:02, more than eight minutes ahead of American Tatyana McFadden. American Susannah Scaroni, who won in 2024 and 2025, finished third in her first race since giving birth to her son Jonah on August 6.
Almgren's win matters because debut marathon victories at major-marathon level are rare, and because it breaks a long European drought in the men's race in New York. A track runner stepping up to the marathon and winning immediately changes the conversation about who can contend in the marathon's biggest races, and it gives Sweden its first major-marathon champion. It also matters for the sport's global picture: the men's podium featured Sweden, Italy and Lesotho, with Kenya's defending champion fourth, a spread of nations that shows how wide the marathon's elite has become.
McClain's second place matters just as much for American distance running. Eight years without a New York podium, for men or women, had become a talking point in every preview of this race, and it ended with a sprint finish decided by less than half a second. McClain's progression, from fourth at the Olympic Trials to top American at Boston in successive years to second in New York, is the arc of a runner arriving at her peak, and it gives American women's marathon running its best New York result in nearly a decade.
Chepkirui's second title in three years matters because it confirms her as the defining women's runner of this New York era. She has now won twice in three attempts in Central Park, beating two different champions along the way, and she did it this year in a race decided by racing rather than by time. With Valencia, traditionally the fastest marathon course in the world, still to come on December 6, the 2026 marathon season is not quite over, but New York, as the last World Marathon Major of the year, is where the season's story is settled, and this year's story is Almgren, Chepkirui and McClain.
The full, searchable results will be published by New York Road Runners, and the remaining finishers among the more than 60,000 starters will continue to cross the Central Park finish line through the afternoon. The elite winners will now turn to their next targets: for Almgren, the question is whether a debut marathon win in New York leads to a spring marathon and a tilt at the major-marathon circuit; for Chepkirui, whether a second New York title leads to a defence in 2027; and for McClain, whether second in New York is the springboard to a first major-marathon victory.
For the sport as a whole, attention now moves to Valencia on December 6, traditionally the race that produces the year's fastest times, and then to the 2027 World Marathon Majors season. For New York, the 2026 race will be remembered for a debutant who made history for Sweden, a Kenyan champion who won her second title, and an American who ended an eight-year wait with a sprint finish decided by less than half a second.
This article will be updated if the winners' post-race comments, the full official results or any prize-money and bonus details are published.
Who won the 2026 New York City Marathon? Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men's race in 2:06:01 on his marathon debut, and Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women's race in 2:24:36.
How close were the finishes? Almgren beat Yemaneberhan Crippa by 13 seconds. Chepkirui beat Jess McClain by six seconds, and McClain beat Hellen Obiri by 0.41 seconds for second place.
Why is Jess McClain's second place historic? It is the first podium finish for an American man or woman in the New York City Marathon since Shalane Flanagan was third in 2018.
How many runners took part? More than 60,000 runners from 140 countries were expected, on the 26.2-mile five-borough course from Staten Island to Central Park, in the 50th anniversary year of the five-borough route.
What prize money do the winners receive? The men's and women's professional champions each earn $100,000 in base prize money, while the wheelchair winners receive $50,000 each.
Related coverage: Marcel Hug wins eighth NYC Marathon wheelchair title by 1.13 seconds; Catherine Debrunner wins second NYC Marathon wheelchair title in 1:40:02.
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