Andreas Almgren won the men’s open division in his marathon debut at the TCS New York City Marathon, crossing the finish line first on November 1, 2026, as NYRR reported. Nearly 60,000 athletes took part in the event, which marked the 50th anniversary of the 5-boro course established in 1976.
Almgren Breaks Through in Historic Marathon Debut
Almgren, the 2026 World Athletics Half Marathon champion and 2026 European champion in the 10,000 meters, stayed with the lead pack through the first 25 miles before making a decisive break with one mile remaining. His winning time made him the first open division man to win in his marathon debut since Gebre Gebremariam accomplished the feat in 2010. Almgren’s victory also marks the first time a Swedish runner has won any division at the TCS New York City Marathon. He outpaced Italy’s Yeman Crippa and Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho, who finished on the podium on his 21st birthday as the first athlete from his country to place on the podium.
This is my first marathon. I don’t really know how it’s supposed to feel. So at 32K, I thought I’m tired and that I was supposed to feel a lot better. Then with 5K left, I started feeling it was pretty easy to respond to the moves. So somewhere around there, I felt like, it might be my day, actually.
Andreas Almgren
Behind the leaders, four men placed in the top 11, registering the four fastest times ever run by American men in New York. Zouhair Talbi led the contingent in sixth overall with a time of 2:06:43. Ahmed Muhumed followed in eighth at 2:07:09, Ryan Ford took 10th in 2:07:17, and Conner Mantz finished 11th in 2:07:27.
Chepkirui Reclaims Crown as American Women Excel
Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui captured her second women’s open division title in three years, clocking a time of 2:24:36. The race for second place came down to a final-meter sprint where American Jess McClain overtook last year’s champion and event record holder, Hellen Obiri of Kenya. McClain’s podium finish is her highest at an Abbott World Marathon Majors race and represents the first time an American woman has finished in the top three of the open division since Shalane Flanagan took third in 2018.
McClain’s performance was supported by strong runs from fellow Americans in the top 10. Carrie Ellwood placed sixth in 2:26:28, Weini Kelati finished seventh in 2:26:51 during her marathon debut, and Paige Wood took eighth in 2:27:29.
Swiss Athletes Sweep Wheelchair Divisions
Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland swept the wheelchair division titles. Hug recorded a time of 1:28:14 to secure his eighth TCS New York City Marathon victory, narrowly defeating three-time champion Daniel Romanchuk of the United States by a single second. Debrunner claimed her second women’s wheelchair title with a dominant finish, crossing nearly eight and a half minutes ahead of Tatyana McFadden of the United States.
The race was very close. Daniel was very strong today… He was always with me. I tried not to give up. He had a little gap, then tried to not give up. Just a few meters before the finish, I caught him again, so it was a good win and I’m very happy.
Marcel Hug
Notable Runners Complete the Five-Borough Course
The 2026 field featured several prominent figures and human-interest runners across the course, which spans from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and back into Central Park:
- Casey Neistat: Finished in 2:57:25.
- Dylan Efron: Completed the race in 3:28:11 with Team New Balance.
- Jennifer Connelly: Ran in 3:40:09 to support Fred’s Team for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
- Hanna Born: Finished in 3:58:10 as part of Team Inspire through her Run to Remember 2,977 initiative.
- Antoni Porowski: Crossed in 4:22:15 supporting City Harvest.
- Tiki Barber: Completed the run in 5:11:49.
- Mildred Baker: The 80-year-old Bronx resident finished her first full marathon in 7:03:49 after starting with NYRR Striders in her late seventies and completing her first half marathon in 2025.
Related reading