NYC Marathon: Almgren wins debut as 60,000 runners finish
The Swedish runner broke away from Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile to set the third-fastest time in the event's 50-year history.
By William Turner ·
Sixty thousand runners stepped to the starting line Sunday for the New York City Marathon, with nearly half of the field consisting of women. The event marked the 50th time the race traversed all five boroughs of the city.
Andreas Almgren of Sweden claimed the men's title in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. He was making his debut in the marathon distance after a career focused on half-marathons. Almgren separated from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy during the final mile of the 26.2-mile course.
Crippa finished 13 seconds behind the winner. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place, edging out defending champion Benson Kipruto. Almgren became the first runner to win a debut in this event since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia in 2010. His time ranks as the third fastest in the race's 50-year history, and the top seven finishers all recorded times in the all-time top 10.
American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, posting the fastest time ever by a U.S. runner in the race. In the women's competition, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya secured her second victory in this event. She pulled away from Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36.
Jessica McClain of the United States finished second, passing Obiri in the final strides. She was 6 seconds behind Chepkirui. This marked the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018. The field included competitors from more than 140 countries.
The course saw a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Runners took a slightly different route at mile 20 in the Bronx, reducing the number of turns in that section from seven to five. This change aimed to ease street closures in the area. The race began in 1970, with the first six editions run entirely in loops within Central Park.
In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug won the men's race for the eighth time. He passed Daniel Romanchuk in the final 100 meters to win by just over a second. Catherine Debrunner of Sweden won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02, the second-fastest time in history. Susannah Scaroni finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner, three months after giving birth to her first child.
