2026 NYC Marathon: Andreas Almgren wins marathon debut, Sheila Chepkirui captures another win on women's side

In most marathons, you can count on the big names to pull away from the pack. While the 2026 NYC Marathon did see that phenomenon on the women's side, the men's portion of the event featured a surprising first-time winner.

Swedish runner Andreas Almgren won the 2026 NYC Marathon in his marathon debut. While Almgren was an accomplished runner coming into the race — winning medals at the World Championships and other competitions — this was the first time he ran a competitive marathon.

Almgren finished with a time of 2:06:01, beating out last year's winner Benson Kipruto. It took a superhuman 4:30 final mile from Almgren to take the victory.

Kipruto, who won the NYC Marathon in 2025, fell behind in the final stretch. He actually finished fourth, with a time of 2:06:27.

Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa finished second behind Almgren, with a time of 2:06:14. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho came in third with a 2:06:26 time.

The men's portion of the event featured plenty of lead changes throughout. It took until the final stretch for Almgren to truly emerge as a contender. He ultimately wound up smashing the competition thanks to his incredibly strong finish.

Prior to running the 2026 NYC Marathon, Almgren was an accomplished runner in shorter events. He took home the gold at the World Road Running Championships half marathon in September and the gold in the European Championships 10,000m in August. He set records at both events.

It was quite the marathon debut for Almgren, who now looks like a perennial contender in the sport.

Sheila Chepkirui takes second win at NYC Marathon

Early on, it became apparent that the women's portion of the NYC Marathon would come down to some heavy hitters. That, ultimately, proved to be the case. As the race went on longer, Chepkirui got stronger, pulling away from last year's winner Hellen Obiri and winning the event for the second time in her career.

Things really started to materialize at the halfway point, as it became an eight-person race. A small group — which contained three former winners — broke away from the rest of the pack.

While four American women led the the way around the 15K mark, three Kenyan runners seemed to get stronger as the race progressed. At the 30K mark, Chepkirui of Kenya led the way, but the eight-woman pack were all still in play to win the event.

But with two miles to go, the favorites moved to the front. Chepkirui and Obiri were fighting for that top spot. It was a familiar position for both women, who have combined to win the last three NYC Marathons.

In the end, Chepkirui broke away from Obiri. The Kenyan finished with a time of 2:24:36. It was her second victory at the event, which she last won in 2024.

Surprisingly, Obiri fell behind in the final stages of the race, allowing American Jessica McClain to claim second place. McClain finished with a time of 2:24:42. She barely beat out Obiri, who came in third with a time of 2:24:43.

Marcel Hug wins eighth NYC Marathon, Catherine Debrunner takes second win

In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug picked up his eighth win. Since 2016, Hug has traded off victories with Daniel Romanchuk. It came down to those two again in 2026, with Hug just barely edging out Romanchuk for the victory. He beat Romanchuk by just 1.13 seconds.

Debrunner, who holds the course record for her win in 2023, picked up her second-ever victory at the event Sunday. She demolished the competition this time around, finishing roughly seven minutes ahead of the field. That wasn't good enough to break her own course record, however, as Debrunner finished 30 seconds off her 2023 time.