New York Marathon: Almgren Wins on Debut, First European-Born Champion in 30 Years

Sweden's Andreas Almgren won the New York City Marathon on his very first marathon, clocking 2 hours 6 minutes 01 seconds to take first place in the men's race and become the first European-born runner to win in 30 years. Before him, Italy's Giacomo Leone had won the race in 2026. In the three decades since, the title was dominated by African and North American runners, and Almgren broke that hold. Almgren's form this year had been outstanding. In August he won gold in the 10,000 metres at the European Championships, and in September he set a European record in the half marathon. Those two results created considerable anticipation around his New York debut, and the Swede lived up to it. The men's race was extremely close. The top three were separated by just 25 seconds in total. Italy's Yemaneberhan Crippa took second place in 2:06:14, meaning he finished 13 seconds behind Almgren. Lesotho's Kamohelo Mofolo was third, a further 12 seconds back, reaching the finish line in 2:06:26. For a race as long as the marathon, a 25-second spread is exceptionally small. It makes clear that the contest remained completely open until the final few kilometres and that no runner tried to break away mid-race and drop the others. In races like this, late-race speed and finishing ability decide the outcome, and that is exactly what happened. Almgren was emotional after the race. “I've got the legs today,” he said. He also said he was “about to start crying”. It was the first time he had covered the full 42.195 kilometres in an official competition, and at the first attempt he won one of the biggest city marathons in the world. The significance of Almgren's win goes beyond the time. The mark in question is defined on the basis of a “European-born” runner, not on European citizenship or on representing a European country. That distinction matters, because many athletes who run for European nations in long-distance events were born in East Africa. Counting by place of birth and counting by citizenship can therefore produce different results. Almgren's nationality is Swedish, but the available information contains no historical assessment of his win in Swedish terms. Nor is it clear whether 2:06:01 is a Swedish national record. The reporting placed the emphasis on the broad “Europe versus Africa and North America” frame rather than on the national one. In the women's race, Kenya's Sheila Chepkirui took the title in 2 hours 24 minutes 36 seconds. It is the second New York Marathon title for the 35-year-old. American Jessica McClain finished second, six seconds back in 2:24:42. Third place went to Kenya's Hellen Obiri, who was just one second behind McClain with a time of 2:24:43. In all, the top three women were separated by only seven seconds, which is less than the 25 seconds that split the leading men. That means the tightest race of the day was the women's, where second and third were separated by a single second. Such a narrow gap means all three runners were still in contention for the title until the final few hundred metres, and the outcome was settled in the closing moments. Chepkirui spoke about her tactics after the win. She said she had controlled the pace from the start and had conserved energy for the final stage. She described Hellen Obiri as a very strong rival. Her comments make it clear that Obiri was her main challenge and that the contest went all the way to the last metre. Little information is available, however, about Obiri's previous record and her standing in the event. It is also unclear in which year Chepkirui won her first title and whether she was defending the crown this time. The course of this race runs through five boroughs. The race starts on Staten Island, then passes through Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx before finishing in Manhattan. Organisers presented this edition as marking 50 years of the five-borough route. The character of the two races was entirely different. The men's race was won by a runner who carried three strong storylines: a debut, a European challenge and raw emotion. The women's title went to an experienced campaigner and was decided by just seven seconds.