Andreas Almgren has never had a bad day over 26.2 miles, mostly because Sunday was his first attempt at one. The Swede, who this year collected global gold over the half distance and the continental 10,000m crown, ran away from the field in the closing mile of New York’s big autumn race and crossed the line in Central Park in 2:06:01.
Only two men have ever been quicker on this course, and the last man to win here at his first attempt was Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam, 16 years ago. Almgren is also the first Swede to win any division of the event. Italy’s Yeman Crippa, another New York first-timer, finished 13 seconds back. Third place went to Kamohelo Mofolo, who marked his 21st birthday by giving Lesotho its first podium here, beating defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya by a single second.
The women’s contest came down to a kick in the final 150 metres. Sheila Chepkirui, the 2024 champion, pulled away from compatriot Hellen Obiri, her conqueror twelve months earlier, and stopped the clock at 2:24:36. Behind them, Jessica McClain stormed past Obiri to take second by one second, a top-three place no American woman had achieved here since Shalane Flanagan eight years ago. Three more US women finished inside the top ten.
Switzerland swept the wheelchair races. Marcel Hug extended his record to eight New York titles, edging Daniel Romanchuk of the United States by just one second in 1:28:14. Catherine Debrunner, fresh from setting a world record last month, won the women’s race in 1:40:02, finishing more than eight minutes clear of Tatyana McFadden.
The 2026 edition also celebrated half a century of the five-borough route, first introduced in 1976 for the US Bicentennial. Close to 60,000 runners took part.
