New York City Marathon: Almgren Wins on Debut, Chepkirui Survives by a Single Second

Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the New York City Marathon on his debut at the distance, taking the men's title in 2 hours 6 minutes 01 second over the traditional five-borough course that starts on Staten Island and runs through Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. Remarkably, the podium was decided only in the closing stages: the top three finishers were separated by a combined 25 seconds. Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa finished second in 2:06:14, 13 seconds behind the winner, while Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third in 2:06:26 — another 12 seconds back. Those numbers alone indicate how cagey the race was. A 25-second spread across the top three is unusual in a marathon and points to a large lead pack that stayed together for most of the distance, with the decisive gap opening only at the end. Almgren's victory carries weight beyond the clock. He is the first European-born athlete in 30 years to win the men's race in New York. Giacomo Leone of Italy was the last to do so, in 2026, and for three decades the title had stayed with runners from Africa and North America. Seen that way, Almgren's win breaks a long monopoly. One nuance is worth noting. The record is counted on the basis of being European-born, not on European nationality. Distance running has many athletes who compete for European nations but were born in East Africa; counted by nationality, the 30-year figure would very likely not hold. That is not an error — birthplace is the technically more precise criterion — but it is a choice that should have been explained to readers. For Sweden specifically, the obvious question is whether Almgren is the first Swedish athlete to win this race. The report does not address it, even though his nationality is stated plainly. It is an angle that would have been far more relevant, at least to domestic readers. Almgren has had a remarkable year. In August he won European Championship gold over 10,000 metres, and in September he set a European record in the half marathon. Against that backdrop, expectations in New York were high, and he lived up to them. His emotions were plain afterwards. "I've got the legs today," he said. On another occasion he admitted: "I'm about to start crying." A win of this size on a marathon debut — and at a moment when the title had not come to Europe in three decades — makes such a reaction understandable. If the men's race was a personal story, the women's race was pure tactics and resilience. Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya, 35, claimed her second New York Marathon success in 2:24:36. The margin was razor-thin. Jessica McClain of the United States finished second, just six seconds behind in 2:24:42. Hellen Obiri of Kenya took third, a further single second back. The top three were thus contained within seven seconds — a far tighter contest than the men's race. Chepkirui explained her approach afterwards, saying she wanted to wait until the end and describing Obiri as a "very strong" rival. Her comments also suggest the contest came down to the two of them over the closing kilometres, with the outcome settled in the final few hundred metres. The women's race was clearly the more competitive of the two, yet it did not receive comparable space. The men's section was built out with Almgren's personal story, his age, his recent results and the historical context of a first European win in three decades. In the women's section, Chepkirui's age and the fact that this was her second title were noted — but the year of her previous win was not given, nor was any account of Obiri's record, even though Chepkirui herself identified Obiri as the main threat. The New York City Marathon is one of the world's largest city marathons, and its five-borough course is known for its hills and changes of rhythm. The route from Staten Island through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx to Manhattan is a physical and mental test. On such a course, a 25-second gap is considered very small — and so is a seven-second gap. One further aspect: beyond the two champions, no other athlete was quoted. Crippa, Mofolo, McClain and Obiri appear only as a nationality and a time deficit. That is common in marathon reporting, given the time constraints immediately after a race, but it limits the depth of the coverage — particularly when the racing was this close and the athletes' own accounts would be the most valuable material for explaining it. Overall, the event offers two distinct stories. On one side is Almgren, who produced a historic win on his marathon debut and was overcome by emotion; on the other is Chepkirui, who defended her title by a single second and spoke afterwards about tactics. Both wins will be remembered, for different reasons — one for its historical weight, the other for its drama.