Chepkirui defeats Obiri in 2:24:36 at 50th NYC Marathon

Sheila Chepkirui of Kenya won the women’s New York City Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2 hours, 24 minutes, and 36 seconds to claim her second title in three years.

Chepkirui separated from defending champion Hellen Obiri in the final 150 meters to secure the victory. Obiri, who holds the course record set in 2025, finished second. Jessica McClain of the United States took third place, finishing six seconds behind the winner. McClain passed Obiri in the final strides to claim the medal, marking the first time a U.S. woman placed in the top three since 2018.

“The last mile was really tricky,” Chepkirui said. “I had to be patient because I knew Hellen was really strong, so I had to really push up to the finish line.”

McClain described her effort as a process of adjustment. “I honestly didn’t feel like amazing through (Mile) 18, and just kind of had to stick in it and adjust as I went,” she said. “Top five was top of mind, then podium. I was just like, stick with it. And then all of a sudden Hellen was coming back to me, so I don’t really know what happened, but I couldn’t be happier right now.”

In the men’s race, Andreas Almgren of Sweden won his first marathon. The 26.2-mile debut came after a career focused on half-marathons. Almgren pulled away from Yemaneberhan Crippa of Italy in the final mile to win in 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 1 second. Crippa finished 13 seconds behind Almgren. Kamohelo Mofolo of Lesotho placed third, edging out defending champion Benson Kipruto.

Almgren’s time ranks as the third fastest in the 50-year history of the race. Six runners finished under 2 hours and 7 minutes, placing them in the top 10 all-time for the course. “I just tried to stay up at front and see what happened and see how the race developed,” Almgren said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that quick of a finish, but I didn’t really know anything about that.” He became the first athlete to win the New York Marathon in a debut since Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia in 2010. Zouhair Talbi of the United States finished sixth, setting a new record for the fastest time by a U.S. runner in the event.

Approximately 60,000 runners started the 50th edition of the marathon, which has been run through all five boroughs since 1976. In 1976, the seventh running of the race had just over 2,000 competitors, including 88 women. This year, nearly half of the field was female. Participants represented more than 140 countries. The race route included a minor change at Mile 20 in the Bronx for the first time in 15 years, reducing turns from seven to five to ease street closures.

Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the eighth time. He defeated Daniel Romanchuk by just over a second, passing him in the final 100 meters after Romanchuk took the lead in the last mile. Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair race in 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 2 seconds, the second-fastest time in history. Two-time defending champion Susannah Scaroni finished third, three months after giving birth to her first child, more than eight minutes behind Debrunner.