60,000 Runners Hit NYC Marathon Course as Almgren Wins Debut

About 60,000 runners stepped to the starting line for the New York City Marathon on Sunday, marking the 50th edition of the race that covers all five boroughs. The crowd included athletes from more than 140 countries. Nearly half of the participants were women. The event has grown from a small field of just over 2,000 competitors in 1976 to this massive gathering.

Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men's race in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. He made his marathon debut at the event. Almgren pulled ahead of Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile. Crippa finished 13 seconds later. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place. He beat defending champion Benson Kipruto, who won the previous year by three hundredths of a second.

Almgren's time ranks as the third fastest in the course's 50-year history. The top seven finishers all placed within the top 10 all-time marks. He is the first runner to win his debut in the event since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia in 2010. Zouhair Talbi, an American, finished sixth. His time is the fastest ever recorded by a U.S. runner in the marathon.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women's race in 2:24:36. This marks her second victory in the event, having also won in 2024. She defeated her countrywoman Hellen Obiri by pulling away in the final 150 meters. Jessica McClain, an American, finished second. She passed Obiri in the final strides to finish six seconds behind Chepkirui. This is the first time a U.S. woman has placed in the top three since 2018.

Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time. He edged out Daniel Romanchuk by just over one second. Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile but Hug passed him in the final 100 meters as they entered Central Park. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02. She finished more than eight minutes ahead of third-place finisher Susannah Scaroni, who returned to competition three months after giving birth.

The course saw a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Runners took a slightly different route at Mile 20 when entering the Bronx. This change reduced the number of turns in the borough from seven to five. It also eased some street closures in the area. The marathon began in 1970 as a Central Park loop before moving to the citywide course in 1976.