Marathon Milestone: 60,000 Runners Cross Finish Line in New York

Andreas Almgren of Sweden won the men’s New York City Marathon on Sunday, clocking a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second.

The 26.2-mile event marked Almgren’s first time running the full marathon distance. He had previously competed in half-marathons. He finished 13 seconds ahead of Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho placed third, beating defending champion Benson Kipruto of Kenya.

Almgren’s result was the third fastest in the course’s 50-year history. The top seven finishers all recorded times that rank among the top 10 all-time for the race. He is the first runner to win the event on debut since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia in 2010.

American Zouhair Talbi finished sixth. His time is the fastest ever recorded by a U.S. runner in this specific race.

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women’s race in 2:24:36. This is her second victory in the event, having also won in 2024. She beat countrywoman Hellen Obiri by a narrow margin in the final 150 meters. Jessica McClain of the United States took second place, passing Obiri in the final strides. McClain finished six seconds behind the winner.

McClain’s finish marks the first time a U.S. woman has placed in the top three since 2018.

Approximately 60,000 runners started the race on Sunday. Nearly half of the participants were women. Runners from more than 140 countries competed. This was the 50th year the marathon has traversed all five boroughs of New York City. The first edition in 1970 featured just over 2,000 participants, including only 88 women.

The course saw a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Runners took a different route at Mile 20 in the Bronx. The change reduced the number of turns in that borough from seven to five and eased street closures.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the eighth time. He edged Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second. Hug passed Romanchuk in the final 100 meters after Romanchuk had taken the lead in the last mile. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair race in 1:40:02, the second-fastest time in history. Susannah Scaroni of the United States finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner, three months after giving birth to her first child.