Kenyan Sheila Chepkirui won the women’s marathon on Sunday, November 1, in New York with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds, securing her second victory in the event after her 2024 win.
She made the difference in the last 150 meters to surpass the American Jessica McClain, who finished second in 2 h 24 min 42 s. The defending champion Hellen Obiri took third place one second later, after having accompanied her Kenyan compatriot in the final part of the race.
Chepkirui thus reclaimed a crown lost in 2025 to Obiri. The victory was decided at the end of a close race, while McClain became the first American woman to reach the podium in New York since 2018.
Among the men, the Swede Andreas Almgren triumphed in his first marathon with a time of 2:06:01. World half-marathon champion in 2026, he accelerated in the final mile to become the first Swede to win a division of the New York City Marathon.
Italian Yemaneberhan Crippa finished second in 2 h 06 min 14 s, while Kamohelo Mofolo secured third place for Lesotho in 2 h 06 min 26 s. He narrowly beat the defending Kenyan champion Benson Kipruto.
In the wheelchair events, the Swiss Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won in 1 hour 28 minutes 14 seconds and 1 hour 40 minutes 02 seconds, respectively. Hug extended his record to eight victories in the New York race, while Debrunner secured her second title.
The 2026 edition marked the fiftieth anniversary of the route crossing the five boroughs of New York and brought together nearly 60,000 participants from more than 140 countries.
