Almgren Sets Historic Pace as NYC Marathon Marks 50th Anniversary
The Swedish runner posted the third-fastest time in the event's history, while nearly 60,000 participants competed across all five boroughs.
By Stella Brooks ·
Andreas Almgren of Sweden claimed the men's title at the New York City Marathon on Sunday, posting a time that ranks as the third fastest in the 50-year history of the race. The 26.2-mile event served as the 50th edition of the competition that traverses all five boroughs of the city. Almgren, who had previously built a career in half-marathons, used this debut at the marathon distance to secure the top spot.
Almgren separated from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile to finish in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. Crippa crossed the line 13 seconds later. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho took third place, finishing ahead of defending champion Benson Kipruto. Almgren is the first athlete to win the race on debut since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia won in 2010. The top seven finishers all recorded times that place them in the top 10 all-time list for the course.
In the women's race, Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won her second title. She overtook countrymate Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to finish in 2:24:36. Jessica McClain of the United States finished second, passing Obiri in the final strides. McClain trailed Chepkirui by six seconds. This marked the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018. Zouhair Talbi of the United States finished sixth in the men's race, setting the fastest time ever recorded by an American runner in the event.
The field included runners from more than 140 countries. Approximately 60,000 participants started the race, with nearly half of them women. This represents a massive increase from the seventh running of the race in 1976, which saw just over 2,000 competitors, including 88 women. The race originated in 1970, with the first six years taking place entirely inside Central Park. It moved to the five-borough course to help uplift the city during a period of struggle.
Course organizers made a minor adjustment for the first time in 15 years. Runners took a different route at Mile 20 when entering the Bronx. This change reduced the number of turns in the borough from seven to five, aiming to ease street closures in the area. Defending men's champion Kipruto competed in the race after his narrow victory last year, where he beat Alexander Mutiso by three-hundredths of a second.
In the wheelchair divisions, Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men's race for the eighth time. He edged out Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second. Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile as the pair entered Central Park, but Hug passed him in the final 100 meters. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women's wheelchair race in 1:40:02. Her time was the second-fastest in history, trailing her own 2023 record by about 30 seconds. Susannah Scaroni finished third, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner, three months after giving birth to her first child.
