Swede wins NYC Marathon debut as American McClain takes women's silver

New York, N.Y. Andreas Almgren of Sweden claimed the men's title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, securing a victory in his first attempt at the full 26.2-mile distance. Almgren, 26, had previously focused on half-marathons before making his major marathon debut. He separated from the field in the final mile to cross the finish line in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy finished 13 seconds behind Almgren, while Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place. Mofolo edged out the defending champion, Benson Kipruto, for the final podium spot.

Almgren's winning time ranks as the third fastest in the race's 50-year history. The top seven finishers all recorded times that place them in the top 10 all-time list for the course. Almgren is the first runner to win the New York City Marathon on debut since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia achieved the feat in 2010. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, setting the fastest time ever recorded by a U.S. man in the event.

In the women's race, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya secured her second victory in the event. Chepkirui won the race in 2024 and repeated on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 24 minutes and 36 seconds. She pulled away from countryman Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters. Jessica McClain of the United States finished second, passing Obiri in the final strides of the race. McClain crossed the line six seconds behind Chepkirui. Her result marked the first time a U.S. woman has finished in the top three since 2018.

Sunday's race marked the 50th edition of the marathon to run through all five boroughs of New York City. The event drew approximately 60,000 starters, with nearly half being women. Runners from more than 140 countries participated in the race. The 2025 defending men's champion, Benson Kipruto, competed again after winning last year by a margin of three-hundredths of a second over Alexander Mutiso.

The course saw a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Organizers altered the route at mile 20 in the Bronx to reduce the number of turns from seven to five. This change aimed to ease street closures in that area. The race originally began in 1970, with the first six editions held entirely within Central Park. The course expanded beyond the park in 1976 to coincide with the U.S. bicentennial and support the struggling city.

In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug won the men's race for the eighth time. Hug defeated Daniel Romanchuk by just over one second, passing him in the final 100 meters after Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile. Catherine Debrunner of Sweden won the women's wheelchair race, finishing in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 2 seconds. Her time was the second fastest in history, trailing her own 2023 record by about 30 seconds. Susannah Scaroni finished third, competing three months after giving birth to her first child.