Almgren shocks field, Chepkirui repeats in NYC Marathon
The 50th running of the New York City Marathon saw a new men's winner and a repeat champion, with nearly half the 60,000 participants being women.
By Megan Ivanov ·
Andreas Almgren of Sweden captured the men's title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, securing his first victory in the event.
The 26-year-old sprinter, making his debut at the 26.2-mile distance, pulled away from Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa in the final mile to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. Crippa crossed the line 13 seconds later. Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo took third place, edging out defending champion Benson Kipruto.
Almgren's time ranks as the third fastest in the course's 50-year history. He became the first runner to win his debut race since Ethiopia's Gebre Gebremariam in 2010. American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth, recording the fastest time ever by a U.S. runner in the marathon.
Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya claimed the women's crown, marking her second victory in the race. She won in 2:24:36, pulling ahead of countrymate Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters. American Jessica McClain finished second, passing Obiri in the closing strides to become the first U.S. woman in the top three since 2018.
The event marked the 50th anniversary of the race traversing all five boroughs of New York. Approximately 60,000 runners from over 140 countries started the race, with nearly half identifying as women. This stands in contrast to the 1976 edition, which had just over 2,000 competitors, including only 88 women.
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 turns from seven to five, easing street closures. The race has been held since 1970, initially taking place solely in loops within Central Park before expanding to the wider city in 1976.
In the wheelchair division, Switzerland's Marcel Hug won the men's race for the eighth time, defeating Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second in the final 100 meters. Catherine Debrunner, also from Switzerland, won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02, the second-fastest time in history. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni finished third, three months after giving birth.
Source: WLRN
